Stanley Clarke – ‘Up’ [Review]

stanley clarke upOn this twelve-track long player, über-groovy bass maestro Stanley Clarke set out to have fun with some legendary friends – and a tangible sense of shared joy, excitement, and creative intentionality shines through every second of Up. After 40 solo albums, it’s safe to say that Stanley Clarke has established a signature sound all his own – and although long-time bass fans may feel that they know what to expect, there’s a genuine vibrancy and freshness on Up that marks it out as an exceptional album. Read more…

Posted on 09 October 2014

Common Thread – ‘For The One Time’ [Review]

After yesterday’s posts about the Levin Brothers and Submotion Orchestra, I’m thinking we need to get some more jazzy stuff going on here. Read more…

Posted on 18 August 2014

Bare Jams / Indigo Children / Backwoods Creek / Taygan Paxton [Live Review – The Boileroom, Guildford, 11/6/14]

bare jams rigglet gigWhen you get to a small venue and see security standing outside, you know it’s going to be a busy night. It’s a neon-jacketed signal that tells you this show has already sold a significant number of tickets before it’s even opened its doors. Latecomers are likely to find themselves missing out. However, it’s also quite common for pre-booked punters to take their time preening and perfecting their looks before heading down to the venue – meaning that the opening acts may still end up playing to a fraction of the crowd drawn by the headliners.

It’s a common assumption that opening acts are opening simply because they’re not very good – but this evening’s headliners were also its organisers, and it’s very safe to say that Bare Jams have fantastic taste! Every act on this bill was high quality. So much for common assumptions, then…

If you took your time getting to this show, prepare to commence kicking yourself. The acts you missed were: Read more…

Posted on 12 June 2014

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