Partikel – Cohesion
(Whirlwind Recordings WR4618. CD Review by Chris Parker)

Anyone who enjoyed the self-released eponymous debut album by Partikel will be unsurprised to find their follow-up recording appearing on Michael Janisch’s aptly named label, Whirlwind; like its predecessor, Cohesion conforms to the enterprising label’s house style by being hard-driving and unpretentious, and it fairly bristles with the verve that comes naturally to a band that continues to hone its interactive skills in regular Monday-night jam sessions at its ‘base’, Streatham’s Hideaway.

Not yet a subscriber of our Wednesday Breakfast Headlines?
Join the mailing list for a weekly roundup of Jazz News.

Saxophonist Duncan Eagles cites Sonny Rollins as a major influence, and this is apparent not only in his burly sound, but also in the melodic freedom frequently cited by the great American as one of the main reasons he enjoyed playing in his occasional celebrated pianoless bands.

Bassist Max Luthert and drummer/percussionist Eric Ford (and the post-solidus noun is just as important as ‘drummer’, since the album’s textural variety is a vital ingredient of its appeal) provide enough energy to light Streatham, let alone entertain it, and all in all, with its tumultuous but considered (see album-title) approach to improvisation on an impressive range of forms, from jazz to African and South American music, with a dash of funk thrown in, the trio’s second album is a more than worthy successor to its fierce, freewheeling predecessor.

The London launch of Cohesion is at the 606 Club, Wednesday 16th February at 10 15pm

Partikel at Whirlwind Recordings