Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Estraven: Ignored Advice

Estraven: Ignored Advice

By Chris May
February 14, 2022
View read count

South London band Estraven's debut album is a pleasure and a breath of fresh air: a novel chunk of acoustic jazz which avoids what has become, in 2022, the South London scene's default focus on grooves and dancefloors. Ignored Advice ploughs its own furrow.

The young piano-less quartet is led by bassist and composer Chris Hyde-Harrison and completed by tenor saxophonist Duncan Eagles, drummer Matt Parkinson and French-born guitarist Alban Claret, who plays an electric instrument with minimal use of pedals and effects.

One might call the music modern straight-ahead except that it is not straight-ahead but intricate and sophisticated. And fear not, Hyde-Harrison never tries to be clever: Ignored Advice wears its erudition lightly.

Hyde-Harrison's composing is influenced by his study of the Arabic maqam tradition, which resembles the European conception of modes but employs tricky rhythmic structures. The influence is subtle; there is nothing explicitly Middle Eastern about Ignored Advice. As an arranger, Hyde-Harrison has a penchant for fast-paced unison theme statements which require considerable dexterity from the quartet. If you enjoy the looser and less precisely arranged music of tenor saxophonist Josephine Davies' acoustic trio, beloved of this parish, you may enjoy Estraven, too. Hyde-Harrison is onto something; roll on album number two.

Track Listing

Invocation Incantation; Letters From The Frontline; Ignored Advice; A Voice Beneath; Safe Hex; Pariah's Return; Last Mahou Shoujo.

Personnel

Chris Hyde-Harrison

bass, acoustic

Duncan Eagles

saxophone

Alban Claret

guitar, electric

Matt Parkinson

drums

Album information

Title: Ignored Advice | Year Released: 2022 | Record Label: Self Produced

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Table for Five!
< Previous

Remembering Pianist Beegie Adair: 19...
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.