Joe Webb: Hamstrings & Hurricanes

Open to all musical genres from the UK and Ireland, encompassing pop, rock, folk, urban, dance, jazz, blues, electronica and classical, the Mercury Prize stands as music's equivalent to literature's Booker Prize or art's Turner Prize. Past winners span from Arctic Monkeys and PJ Harvey to Arlo Parks, representing the award's diverse scope.

Jazz has rarely featured among Mercury Prize winners, with Ezra Collective's Where I'm Meant To Be (Partisan, 2022) marking a historic breakthrough as the first jazz act to claim the trophy in 2023. In 2025, there is an opportunity for another jazz artist to scoop the prize with the nomination of Joe Webb's album Hamstrings & Hurricanes.

Seen as one of the rising stars of UK jazz, Webb has performed with Jamie Cullum, Jools Holland and the Wynton Marsalis Quartet. He combines his Welsh roots with the piano masters of the past and inspiration taken from 1990s Britpop. An unlikely combination, but one that, together with his trio, consisting of bassist Will Sach and drummer Sam Jesson, they can make sing.

The album is a surprise. It is some distance from a typical jazz set; it blends live moments with studio recordings, with tracks frequently running into each other to create a continuous sonic environment mixing improvisations alongside blues, ballads and rags. Original musical ideas overflow, some for only a short time, as this 13-track collection creates an atmosphere that is a long way from studio-slick.

Opening track "Beth Yn Galw" blends nostalgia with fresh invention, featuring rolling piano, walking bass, relaxed cymbal work and a nod to Duke Ellington while maintaining the lightness and wit that characterizes much of the album. The brief blues of "28-50" transitions into the delightful ballad "100 Years Of Bill & Lil," where Webb and Sach's collaboration shines.

Despite the album's brisk, swinging pace, Webb carves out space to display his stride piano mastery on both the title track and his interpretation of Fats Waller's "Squeeze Me." The album closes with "Hiraeth" (Welsh for homesickness), where Webb takes inspiration from Oasis's "Shakermaker" in his softly romantic lines that shine over a light groove framework. This Oasis connection extends to the album's visual presentation, with cover art typography that deliberately echoes Definitely Maybe.

More a series of sketches than fully developed pieces, Webb's trio blend originality around nods to classical jazz touchstones. His innovative approach has led to a distinctive style with broad cross-generational appeal. Regardless of awards and prizes, Webb is an artist worth following closely.

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