Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Mace Francis Plus 11: Isolation Emancipation

28

Mace Francis Plus 11: Isolation Emancipation

By

View read count
Mace Francis Plus 11: Isolation Emancipation
After a brief pause to accommodate Covid-19 restrictions, Australian composer and arranger Mace Francis is back—with a brand new musical wardrobe, a new axe (trombone) and a pared-down ensemble reminiscent of the classic Art Pepper + Eleven album (with arrangements by Marty Paich) from 1960. Like that earlier album, Isolation Emancipation was written with Paich in mind—this is by and large light-hearted, happy music reminiscent of the West Coast "cool wave" of well over half a century ago, and quite unlike anything Francis, known for his progressive disposition, has recorded before.

One thing Francis' album has, which its predecessor did not, is a vocalist, Lucy Iffla. What it does not have is an Art Pepper, or any component approaching his superb artistry. Nevertheless, Francis does the best he can with what he has, producing several bright arrangements in the Paich image and showing that a helping or two of happy suits him fine. It should be noted that only five of the charts are instrumentals; Iffla sings on the others (and scats on one, "I'm in the Mood for Love"). She is pretty good, with a clear voice, sings on-key but leaves no lasting impression. Also, there are times when Francis abandons the Paich model and goes his own way, thus impairing the album's purpose.

The band is at its sunniest best on "The Pudding March," which comes closest to Paich in spirit (nice uncredited trumpet solo and a second by pianist Harry Mitchell to complement splendid timekeeping by drummer Bronton Ainsworth who does a credible impression of Mel Lewis). The bluesy title song is dapper and engaging, as is the melodic and playful "Jolly Good" (handsome statement on soprano saxophone by Jayden Blockley preceding another uncredited trumpet solo). After that, Francis chooses to slow the pace, borrowing a page from Duke Ellington's library on "The Monk, the Drunk and the Researcher" and closing with an understated version of the venerable standard "Some of These Days." Iffla sings on the breezy opener, "Casserole for Two," Ellington's "In My Solitude," a s-l-o-w version of the western classic "Home on the Range," "Mood for Love" and the melancholy "Squint Your Eyes," whose lyric she co-wrote with Francis.

In sum, this is a rather mixed bag. A pretty good venture (read: instrumentals) that could have been better given more astute choices (more Paich, less introspection). In other words, if you have a smart and proven plan, stay with it. And if any musician's name here is misspelled, that is because the typeface on the jacket cover is all but indecipherable, even when using a magnifying glass.

Track Listing

Casserole For Two; The Pudding March; In My Solitude; Isolation Emancipation; Home On The Range; Jolly Good; I'm In The Mood For Love; The Monk, The Drunk and Derek the Researcher; Squint Your Eyes; Some Of These Days.

Personnel

Mace Francis
composer / conductor
Steve Bickley
trombone
Gemma Farrell
saxophone
Jayden Blockley
saxophone
Jemima Mills
saxophone
Marty Pervan
trumpet
Ricki Malet
trumpet
Tahlia Denn
french horn
Lucy Iffla
vocals
Mace Francis Orchestra
band / ensemble / orchestra

Album information

Title: Isolation Emancipation | Year Released: 2021 | Record Label: Self Produced

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter 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.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.