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Patchwork Jazz Orchestra: The Adventures of Mr Pottercakes
ByThe dramatic "Badger Cam," with atmospheric plectrum-plucked bass guitar, could be ripe for use as a film score but is palpably successful in its own right. Tom Green's composition channels the likes of John Dankworth's famous big bands and there's a vibrant bluesy guitar solo from Rob Luft. Misha Mullov-Abbado's complex composition "Hi Wriggly!"which certainly exudes serpentine qualitiesis a reflection of the bassist's prior achievements, including two excellent albums under his own name for Edition Records, Cross-Platform Interchange (2017) and New Ansonia (2015).
Scott Chapman's sophisticated "Mind Palace" benefits from robust solos from, amongst others, Tom Green on trombone and Liam Dunachie on piano. Kieran McLeod's stately brass intro is succeeded by a gradual build-up to a crescendo, peaking with a coruscating guitar solo from Luft. The album's outro, "Liam's Ending," isn't listed on the album as it's just a short scherzo preceded by thirty seconds of silence, but it may be a little early for the lads to be employing Sgt Pepper-type phantom endings. However, that can be overlooked considering the magnitude of their collective achievement. This is an unequivocally excellent album that invites repeated plays and offers the prospect of even greater things to come from this buoyant big band.
Track Listing
The Adventures of Mr Pottercakes; Barcarolle; Badger Cam; The Boy Roy; Hi Wriggly!; The Complete Short Stories; Mind Palace; Vixen.
Personnel
Misha Mullov-Abbado
bass, acousticJames Davison, Adam Chatterton: trumpet, flugelhorn, piccolo trumpet; James Copus, Tom Dennis: trumpet, flugelhorn; Kieran McLeod, Tom Green, Jamie Pimenta: trombone; Yusuf Narçin: bass trombone; Matthew Herd: soprano saxophone, alto saxophone; Sam Glaser: alto saxophone; Alex Hitchcock, Sam Miles: tenor saxophone; Tom Smith: baritone saxophone, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet; Liam Dunachie: piano, Hammond organ; Rob Luft: electric guitar; Misha Mullov-Abbado: double bass, electric bass; Scott Chapman: drums.
Album information
Title: The Adventures of Mr Pottercakes | Year Released: 2019 | Record Label: Spark Label
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