Hannah Horton: Stories On The Wind

Saxophonist Hannah Horton is a rising star on the U.K. jazz scene, for many good reasons. For Stories on the Wind, her third studio recording, Horton has written a series of eloquent and picturesque narratives, all of which she plays with an abundance of warmth and charm on tenor or baritone sax.

Much of Horton's music springs from her life experiences: a memory here, an emotion there, loneliness and hope, desire and despair— the building blocks of a life immersed in music and animated by love and loss. Her themes are, as a rule, more weighty than linear, and she dives eagerly into every one of them, playing baritone on five numbers, tenor on the other four. In so doing, she is ably supported by pianist Sam Leak (organ on "Whisper"), bassist Rob Statham and drummer Steve Taylor.

Although comparisons are not always useful, the baritone who springs to mind most often when listening to Horton is Gerry Mulligan; on tenor, that could be Frank Wess, Harold Land or even Bob Cooper, among others. The point is, she plays in the same league as those superstars. As a composer, Horton compares favorably to the likes of Mulligan, John Lewis, Horace Silver or Benny Golson. Heady company indeed, but Horton has ample ammunition in her musical arsenal and seldom misgauges the target.

If there is a downside, it is that her themes tend to be more meditative than swinging. Horton can swing, as she proves on "Chasing Daisies," "Peace Speak" and "The Fortune Teller," but even then, the swing is more self-controlled than rampant, and Horton always keeps both hands firmly on the throttle. Elsewhere, serenity by and large holds sway, as on the ballad "Whisper," written for her partner; the easygoing "Only the Wind Knows," the graceful and time-shifting "Your Rite" (inspired by Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring), the meditative "Alone" and "Remembering Mr. Gone," her lyrical and warmhearted salute to the late Wayne Shorter, which closes the album.

Stories on the Wind is an excellent session that touches almost every base save for the one liable to erupt in fireworks. Perhaps Horton will nudge that one in her next enterprise. Until then, she has sketched a charming portrait of a jazz musician on the rise.