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About Polar Bear
Instrument: Band / ensemble / orchestra
Polar Bear: Dim Lit
by Andrew Hunter
When Polar Bear released Dim Lit in 2004, shortly after being nominated for Best Band at the BBC Jazz Awards, it was clear that the British quartet led by drummer Sebastian Rochford were going to make some waves. Mark Lockheart (sax) was already in the middle of a successful career, having played with Django Bates and been part of the seminal 1980s British big band Loose Tubes. Pete Wareham (sax) was playing with Rochford in Acoustic Ladyland. Tom Herbert added ...
Continue ReadingPolar Bear: Same As You
by Chris M. Slawecki
Geography is rarely something that a writer considers when preparing a review. But Same as You sounds profoundly shaped by where it was mixed and mastered--in the Mojave Desert, by producer Ken Barrientos and Polar Bear drummer and bandleader Sebastian Rochford. “We spent a couple days at his studio then headed out to the desert for five days to mix it," Rochford recalls. Polar Bear's sixth release sounds wide open, dry and warm, quiet and loud, barren and ...
Continue ReadingPolar Bear: Same As You
by Bruce Lindsay
Polar Bear's seventh album, Same As You appears barely 12 months after album number six, In Each And Every One (Leaf Label, 2014). It's far from being a “more of the same" follow-up though--this is a softer, more-at-peace Polar Bear sound than its predecessor, a mellower vibe. There are just six tracks on the album--all written or co-written by drummer and producer Sebastian Rochford. Rochford gives this album a warmer and more organic feel than In Each And ...
Continue ReadingPolar Bear: In Each And Every One
by Bruce Lindsay
Polar Bear is back. Not just with a bang, but with a whole array of other sounds, including the occasional whimper. In Each And Every One brings together 11 tunes from the pen of drummer Sebastian Rochford--from the gently bucolic to the downright macabre. There's also an early front runner for the Best Song Title Of 2014 award. In Each And Every One is the British band's fifth album. It appears four years after Peepers (Leaf Label, 2010) ...
Continue ReadingPolar Bear with Jyager: Common Ground
by Bruce Lindsay
Sebastian Rochford, drummer and writer with Polar Bear, is one of Britain's most extraordinary musicians. The softly-spoken Scot is also one of the most curious of musicians, constantly seeking new sounds and collaborations both inside and outside the jazz world. On the fascinating Common Ground, Rochford gets new sounds from old sounds--eight of the tunes are based on samples from Polar Bear's album Peepers (The Leaf Label, 2010)--and a new collaboration from the UK hip-hop community in the shape of ...
Continue ReadingPolar Bear: Peepers
by Bruce Lindsay
Polar Bear, led by Scottish percussionist and composer Seb Rochford, has been a major creative force since its formation in 2003. The band has extended its popularity beyond the narrow borders of the jazz scene, has been a strong influence on the new wave of young British jazz musicians, and has journalists reaching enthusiastically for categories into which it can be neatly slotted. Readily defying attempts to be pigeonholed, Peepers--the band's fourth album--is a stunningly enjoyable collection by one of ...
Continue ReadingPolar Bear: Raw and Spontaneous
by Bruce Lindsay
During the six or seven years since its formation, British quintet Polar Bear has garnered extensive praise from critics, fans and fellow musicians. Most famously, perhaps, the band was described by music critic Paul Morley as “dream jazz"--high praise, indeed. The band's second album, Held On The Tips Of Fingers (Babel, 2005), was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. The band has a great reputation as a live act, attracting audience members from the jazz world and beyond. On the ...
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