Partisans are that very good thing, an unclassifiable band. They can’t comfortably be seen just within the prism of jazz-rock because they draw on a variety of other influences that feed their creativity.

The quartet – Julian Siegel on saxophone, Phil Robson, guitar, Thad Kelly, bass, and Gene Calderazzo, drums – has a loyal fan base that has extended the lifetime of the group way beyond the short-lived nature of many jazz bands. More than 13 years on from their beginnings, Partisans talk to Duncan Heining about how new album By Proxy got made and their craving for a live album

We’re one Partisan short of a mission. Bassist Thad Kelly lives in semipastoral bliss in the Forest of Dean and couldn’t make it. But saxophonist Julian Siegel, guitarist Phil Robson and Gene Calderazzo, the band’s drummer, gather to talk on a spring evening outside the Vortex in London. Partisans – they dropped the ‘The’ to avoid confusion with a Welsh punk group of that name – are about to release By Proxy, their fourth album, and mark this with a tour that continues this month.

Their previous record, Max, featured special guests, trumpeter Chris Batchelor along with Jim Watson on Hammond B3 and percussionist Thebe Liepere. But how does By Proxy differ from its predecessors? “Well,” says Julian Siegel, “ Max was a really nice experience with all the guests but with this one we wanted to capture the basic essence of the group and the way it plays together. We had thought about doing a live record and this is about as live as we could be in the studio.”

This is an extract from Jazzwise Issue #131 – to read the full article click here to subscribe and receive a FREE Warner Jazz CD