Home » Jazz Articles » Olie Brice
Jazz Articles about Olie Brice
Paul Dunmall, Percy Pursglove, Olie Brice, Jeff Williams: Palindromes
by John Sharpe
Bassist Olie Brice had an inkling that it might be worthwhile introducing two of his collaborators who had never played together before, British reed titan Paul Dunmall and American drummer Jeff Williams. It proves devastatingly correct on Palindromes. They unite, together with trumpeter Percy Pursglove, on a collective live album--recorded at London's Cafe Oto, in February 2020, during a short tour--which dazzles at every turn. Williams, a veteran of bands with the likes of Dave Liebman, Stan ...
Continue ReadingVicente / Brice / Sanders: Unnavigable Tributaries
by John Sharpe
One of the UK's premier rhythm sections meeting with the adventurous Portuguese trumpeter Luis Vicente results in some classy unfettered mischief on Unnavigable Tributaries. Bassist Olie Brice and drummer Mark Sanders indulge in the masterful interplay that has buoyed up the likes of the Riverloam Trio with Polish saxophonist Mikolaj Trzaska and their trinity with ICP stalwart saxophonist Tobias Delius. Vicente exhibits the same canny command he has shown in dates such as Points (Multikulti Project, 2019),Chamber 4 (FMR, 2015) ...
Continue ReadingOlie Brice Quintet: Day After Day
by John Eyles
Three years on from the debut album by the Olie Brice Quintet, Immune to Clockwork (Multikulti Project, 2014), comes the follow-up, Day after Day. Despite the unchanged band name, the intervening years have brought changes; not only has the band switched record labels from Multikulti to Babel, tenor saxophonist Mark Hanslip has been replaced by George Crowley, and Polish alto clarinetist Wacław Zimpel by alto saxophonist Mike Fletcher. Despite those changes, most of the things that made the quintet work ...
Continue ReadingOlie Brice / Achim Kaufmann: Of Tides
by John Eyles
Recorded live at The Vortex in December 2014, Of Tides combines London double bassist Olie Brice and German pianist Achim Kaufmann in a duo. Bass and piano is an uncommon combination for a twosome, this one having arisen after the pair initially combined in a trio that also included Roger Turner on percussion. Potential obstacles to Brice and Kaufmann collaborating include an age gap of nearly two decades, and the fact that the pianist rarely plays in London. Despite such ...
Continue ReadingOlie Brice / Tobias Delius / Mark Sanders: Somersaults
by John Eyles
Hot on the heels of Immune to Clockwork (Multikulti Project, 2014) by his own quintet comes another fine album featuring bassist Olie Brice. He organised the December 2014 studio recording session for Somersaults which features a trio in which Brice is joined by drummer Mark Sanders, with whom he frequently plays (notably in the Riverloam Trio with Polish saxophonist Mikolaj Trzaska, arguably a dry run for this grouping). This trio is completed by long-time ICP Orchestra member Tobias Delius on ...
Continue ReadingOlie Brice Quintet: Immune to Clockwork
by John Eyles
For some time, bassist Olie Brice has been a highly-regarded member of the London improvising community, so it is a genuine pleasure to welcome Immune to Clockwork, his debut album as a leader. Many ingredients combine to mark out effective band leaders from the less successful ones; on this showing, Brice ticks enough boxes to indicate that he is well suited to the role. Firstly, a leader must have the knack of selecting band personnel who combine together effectively; that ...
Continue Reading
