Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Steve Fishwick/Alex Garnett Quartet: Marshian Time Slip

2

Steve Fishwick/Alex Garnett Quartet: Marshian Time Slip

By

View read count
Steve Fishwick/Alex Garnett Quartet: Marshian Time Slip
If the record label's name and the vinyl album's gorgeous retro sleeve aren't enough of a clue, the first few bars of "The Wrath Of Karn" make it clear. Marshian Time Slip is a contemporary slice of hard bop, from four excellent practitioners of the art. From cool, slow-burning and moody ensemble pieces to fast-paced, explosive, unison playing, the Steve Fishwick/Alex Garnett Quartet is at the top of its game on this impressive and highly-enjoyable release.

London-based trumpeter Steve Fishwick and alto player Alex Garnett are out front, with American bassist Michael Karn and drummer Matt Fishwick (Steve's brother) as the rhythm section. Composer credits are split equally between Steve Fishwick and Garnett, who co-produced. The up-tempo blues-form "The Wrath Of Karn" showcases Matt Fishwick's attacking drumming and immediately establishes all four players' credentials as fiery soloists. "Marshian Time Slip" is dedicated to Warne Marsh and Philip K Dick—begging the question, do boppers dream of acoustic sheep? Once again, the players contribute strong solos, with long, flowing unison phrases from the lead instruments. "52nd Street Dream" is a nod to saxophonist Ronnie Scott, who founded his famous Soho jazz club after visiting 52nd Street. Garnett's slow-tempo tune is notable for its restrained group performance. "Kaftan" is Garnett's second composition: a medium-tempo number with some stylish, cool, soloing.

On vinyl, Garnett's "Rio De Ron" opens the second side. The tune is dedicated to the Demerara river "and the joy that can be distilled from it": its upbeat, flowing, melody readily evokes the river's inexorable movement, buoyed by Karn's bouncy bass lines. Karn opens "Primitis" with a brief bass solo. The quartet is a model of restraint once more, bass and brushed drums creating an atmosphere of noir-ish mystery which Steve Fishwick and Garnett maintain throughout their solos.

"The Creep," composer Steve Fishwick writes, is "About a person we've all met, or may even have been on occasion." The tune suggests that this particular creep can carry off an air of sophisticated hep-cattery when the occasion demands. "Lickeroo" ends the album on an upbeat note. All four players open up on this fast-paced number, purportedly a tribute to a "Noble bird that thrives upon a riff and a whiff of a Suite Indian Love song."

Marshian Time Slip is available as a 180gm vinyl album, from the Hard Bop website.

Track Listing

Side A: The Wrath Of Karn; Marshian Time Slip; 52nd Street Dream; Kaftan. Side B: Rio De Ron; Primitis; The Creep; Lickeroo.

Personnel

Steve Fishwick: trumpet, flugelhorn; Alex Garnett: alto saxophone; Michael Karn: bass; Matt Fishwick: drums.

Album information

Title: Marshian Time Slip | Year Released: 2018 | Record Label: Hard Bop Records

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.