Opening the year's jazz coverage with a flashback to the 1980s is a bold move, but it's a necessary one to understand the significance of saxophonist Iain Ballamy's long-awaited new solo project. Four decades after first bursting onto the UK jazz scene, Ballamy proves his enduring creative vision with the release of Riversphere Vol 1 on Babel Label, his first solo offering in years.
From Loose Tubes to Flowing Rivers: A Legacy of Innovation
Ballamy first made his mark in the mid-1980s as part of a gifted generation of British musicians who redefined European jazz. Alongside pianist Django Bates, he was a key figure in the revolutionary orchestra Loose Tubes, a ensemble celebrated for its mischievous and adventurous fusion of styles ranging from classic swing and vaudeville to avant-rock and free improvisation. Their infectious energy famously brought jazz to the streets, getting passersby dancing.
The concept behind Riversphere elegantly extends this philosophy of confluence. The album's title metaphorically compares the interweaving of rivers to the seamless flow of music between genres, individual musicians, and the blurred boundaries between composed sections and spontaneous improvisation.
An A-List Ensemble and Cross-Generational Dialogue
Ballamy's evocative and beautifully paced saxophone leads a formidable quartet featuring the atmospheric, Bill Frisell-inspired guitarist Rob Luft, bassist Conor Chaplin, and drummer Corrie Dick. Adding a special familial and collaborative dimension, the trumpet duties are shared on three tracks by the ever-empathic Laura Jurd and Ballamy's own son, the promising young Charlie Ballamy.
This cross-generational lineup is a testament to Ballamy's lasting influence and open-minded approach. The set concludes with the exquisitely harmonised finale, As Time Passes, a poignant highlight showcasing this unique brass partnership.
A Journey Through Sound: From Folk to Latin and Ambient
The album is a masterclass in tonal variety and emotional range. The opening track, Harmonique, sees horns and guitar shifting deftly from folksy, song-like melodies to raw, bent-note expressions. Unresolved offers a more wistful soundscape, with long, delicate sax and guitar tones drifting over softly shifting drum patterns.
Ballamy's wide-ranging influences are proudly displayed. A cover of Bill Frisell's Strange Meeting finds slow tenor sax exhalations floating amid pealing treble guitar notes. Meanwhile, two yearning songs by Chico Buarque and Antônio Carlos Jobim warmly reflect both Ballamy's affection for Latin jazz and North European ambient music, with Luft demonstrating remarkable versatility as both a tone-poet and a nimble post-bop soloist.
Fans will be delighted to know that Volume 2 of Riversphere is already in the pipeline and slated for release later this year, promising more of this captivating musical exploration.
Also Out This Month: Morgan, Ollendorff, and Taylor
This month also sees the release of double bassist Thomas Morgan's Around You Is a Forest on Loveland Records. The album features duets with jazz luminaries including keyboardist Craig Taborn, reed player Henry Threadgill, and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire. However, the central curiosity is Morgan's use of 'the Woods', his own virtual instrument that mimics lutes, harps, and zithers, creating a fascinating, if occasionally limiting, soundscape.
UK guitarist Tom Ollendorff augments his finely attuned trio with US piano star Aaron Parks on Where in the World (Fresh Sound New Talent), delivering a mix of fast, hard-bop groovers and elegant, original melodies. Finally, ECM posthumously releases Tramonto by the late, great British pianist John Taylor. This welcome live recording from 2002 features his superb trio with American bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Joey Baron, the same unit that created his iconic studio album Rosslyn.
