Neoteric Ensemble – ‘Volume 1’

By londonjazz on 25 November 2023 • ( 1 Comment )

Neoteric Ensemble – Volume 1
Compositions by Mark Nightingale, Andy Panayi, Charlotte Harding, Dan Jenkins, Misha Mullov-Abbado and members of the ensemble.
(Ulysses Arts. Album Review by David Shiers)

One of the defining features of the recent EFG London Jazz Festival and this year’s BBC Proms was the impressively broad and inclusive range of composers and performers from right across the musical spectrum. Gone, hopefully forever, are the days when curators found themselves limited by the strictly imposed boundaries of genre and provenance. And here we are, a jazz magazine, reviewing what to most ears will sound like a contemporary classical chamber group project; albeit one which is influenced by, and indeed incorporates, elements of jazz, African and Latin American music.

The players in this sextet are top-of-the-range professional practitioners with impressive CVs forged mainly in music academies and symphony orchestras. But whilst Adrian Miotti (Tuba), Toby Street and James Fountain (Trumpets), Rob Buckland (Saxophones), Sarah Field (Sax and Trumpet), and Richard Watkin (Trombone) have awesome technical skill, their virtuosity never trumps musical expressivity or compromises an ability to emotionally connect with the listener. The 12 original compositions include works by jazz giants Mark Nightingale and Andy Panayi as well pieces by Charlotte Harding, Dan Jenkins, Misha Mullov-Abbado and members of the ensemble. The album is superbly produced by Chris Traves and it looks good too – including a beautiful digital booklet with excellent photographs, biographies and liner notes.

Track one, ‘Mojito’, grabs our attention with a marvellous trumpet intro and an immediately infectious Latin rhythm. There’s great ensemble writing too as the top lines are generously passed around the band – and with these masters of their craft, sublime dynamic control, and perfect intonation and tone, come as standard. It’s a terrific, feel-good opening. The second Rob Buckland composition, ‘Fjord’, is mournful, gorgeous and full of unexpected modulations and, as the liner notes confirm, owes something to the writing of Norwegian jazz icon Jan Garbarek. Despite its tricky time signatures and high-level technical demands, the final track of the opening trilogy, ‘Bosh’,maintains a wonderful groove. Even though there are no drums, the tempos throughout the entire album never once flag, race or feel insecure and much of the credit for this must be attributed to the accuracy of the bass lines as played by Adrian Miotti on the tuba.

‘The Effra Parade’ (composed by Misha Mullov-Abbado) evokes a south London street scene. It’s hip and it swings. There’s a nice plunger-muted trumpet solo on a 12-bar blues section and the few smuggled-in bars of Gershwin’s ‘Fascinating Rhythm’ will trigger a knowing chuckle or two.

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The next four tracks, beginning with ‘Huanan Market’, form a short suite by Andy Panayi about the dark days of the pandemic and is appropriately edgy, haunted and frenetic before celebrating the final release. It’s a nicely judged work with elements of free jazz and 20^th Century Modernism. Andy’s formative musical years were spent in the world of classical youth orchestras and so he’s back home here and sounding very assured.

Charlotte Harding’s‘Neo’ intrigues and keeps us guessing to the end – playfully skittish and harmonically complex before arriving at a gentle, dream-filled and reflective coda. Track 10, ‘Karatina Market’, is lyrical and life-affirming and could be played by ensembles of any shape or size, from a string orchestra to big band, and still sound wonderful. Dan Jenkins’ ‘Bach in Barbados’begins with an elegantly crafted chorale before taking us into angular syncopation and a return to the hymnal with a surprise at the end. The album concludes with Mark Nightingale’s Latin American ‘Arriba’. This exciting and joyful piece was originally written as an encore for live performances and there’s certainly enough fiendishly difficult passages here to finish off most bands! Mark is just as much NYO as NYJO in his sensibilities and as with all world-class musicians, he thrives in any environment. This 3 minute 30 second tour de force is the perfect book-end to a great album.

An important piece of modern music-making, Neoteric Ensemble Volume 1 is seriously enjoyable and capable of being enjoyed by the serious. It also sounds like they loved making it. In common with the best projects in contemporary culture, it speaks to the personal, artistic and wider societal benefits of curiosity, open-mindedness and engagement.