 |
|
The UK's Biggest Selling Jazz Magazine 
|
| Zed-U - Night Time in the Middle Passage *** |
| Friday, 29 May 2009 09:39 | |||||||
|
Babel BDV2982 | Shabaka Hutchings (clt, ts), Neil Charles (b, synth b) and Tom Skinner (d, keys, voice).Rec. 19-21 Dec 2008 Everyone’s in such a hurry these days, you wonder sometimes if it wouldn’t be better to wait a little every now and then. Zed-U have been playing together for less than two years and these tracks were recorded six months ago. Since then, they have continued to develop their approach, drawing together the strands of improv, jazz and electronica that lie at the heart of what they’re trying to achieve and firing them into something bright and sharp in the crucible of live performance. And that means they can improve on this. Here, the genre-busting splashes of dub reggae, the Acoustic Ladyland-ish riffs, and the Kraftwerk cover version all sound too self-conscious, too attention grabbing, too forced. Sure, there are moments when it comes alive and they’re mostly when they leave the gimmicks behind, such as the two broiling free-jazz interludes, ‘The Surman Parts 1 & 2’, when Hutchings switches to tenor and the band just blows; or the album’s heaviest moment in ‘The Chief Suite’ when bass, drums and clarinet lock together in a bulldozer, one-note rhythmic barrage. Let’s hope there are more moments of abandon like that on album number two. That would really be worth waiting for. Daniel Spicer
Only registered users can write comments!
Powered by !JoomlaComment 3.26
3.26 Copyright (C) 2008 Compojoom.com / Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."
|
news
features
features
features
reviews
UK Jazz Venues
Pizza Express Jazz Club London (1871)
Vortex Jazz Club London (1664)
606 Club London (1609)
Ronnie Scotts London (1597)
Hideaway Streatham (350)
Swansea Jazzland Swansea (316)
Matt & Phred's Jazz Club Manchester (242)
Pizza on the Park London (237)
St Ives Jazz Club St Ives (219)
Wakefield Sports Club Wakefield (188)
Barbican Hall London (171)
Komedia Studio Bar Brighton (165)
Friends Life Social Club Dorking (151)
The Spin Oxford (125)
Seven Arts Leeds Leeds (115)
Octave Bar London (107)
Charlie Wright's London (105)
The Stables Theatre Wavendon (101)
Symphony Hall Foyer Birmingham (100)
The Sage Gateshead (95)
Cafe Oto London (93)
Purcell Room London (90)
Watermill Jazz Dorking (86)
Matt & Phred's Manchester (83)
The Dysart Arms Surrey (74)
The Oxford Pub London (74)
The Sands Venue Gainsborough (72)
The Bell Hotel Clare (67)
Cheltenham Town Hall Cheltenham (66)
Boisdale's Canary Wharf (64)
Millennium Hall Sheffield (62)
National Theatre Foyer South Bank SE1 (61)
The Forge London (55)
Band on the Wall Manchester (54)
The Jazz Bar Edinburgh (54)
Spice Of Life London (53)
Jagz Ascot (51)
Orange Street Music Club Canterbury (51)
Joogleberry Playhouse Brighton (50)
Turner Sims Hall Southampton (49)
The Beaver Inn Appledore (48)
Royal Festival Hall London (47)
Queen Elizabeth Hall (47)
Queen Elizabeth Hall London (46)
Lauderdale House Waterlow Park London (45)
Villandry Bar London (44)
Kings Place London (44)
Leeds College of Music Leeds (44)
Bonington Theatre Nottingham (44)
Jazz Café London (42)
Vortex Jazz Club London (1664)
606 Club London (1609)
Ronnie Scotts London (1597)
Hideaway Streatham (350)
Swansea Jazzland Swansea (316)
Matt & Phred's Jazz Club Manchester (242)
Pizza on the Park London (237)
St Ives Jazz Club St Ives (219)
Wakefield Sports Club Wakefield (188)
Barbican Hall London (171)
Komedia Studio Bar Brighton (165)
Friends Life Social Club Dorking (151)
The Spin Oxford (125)
Seven Arts Leeds Leeds (115)
Octave Bar London (107)
Charlie Wright's London (105)
The Stables Theatre Wavendon (101)
Symphony Hall Foyer Birmingham (100)
The Sage Gateshead (95)
Cafe Oto London (93)
Purcell Room London (90)
Watermill Jazz Dorking (86)
Matt & Phred's Manchester (83)
The Dysart Arms Surrey (74)
The Oxford Pub London (74)
The Sands Venue Gainsborough (72)
The Bell Hotel Clare (67)
Cheltenham Town Hall Cheltenham (66)
Boisdale's Canary Wharf (64)
Millennium Hall Sheffield (62)
National Theatre Foyer South Bank SE1 (61)
The Forge London (55)
Band on the Wall Manchester (54)
The Jazz Bar Edinburgh (54)
Spice Of Life London (53)
Jagz Ascot (51)
Orange Street Music Club Canterbury (51)
Joogleberry Playhouse Brighton (50)
Turner Sims Hall Southampton (49)
The Beaver Inn Appledore (48)
Royal Festival Hall London (47)
Queen Elizabeth Hall (47)
Queen Elizabeth Hall London (46)
Lauderdale House Waterlow Park London (45)
Villandry Bar London (44)
Kings Place London (44)
Leeds College of Music Leeds (44)
Bonington Theatre Nottingham (44)
Jazz Café London (42)
Jazzwise magazine - digital edition
Jazzwise Branded App
Live Twitter Feed
2012 Parliamentary Jazz Awards
WORK EXPERIENCE
Jazzwise Intern Opportunities
Jazzwise E-newsletter
instrument guide
recommended jazz gigs
See all the UK's hottest jazz gigs here
Abram Wilson, featuring Jason Marsalis and Myrna Hague A New Orleans Christmas Kings Place Friday 17th December 2011
Archie Shepp – Thursday 17 November, London Jazz Festival
Phronesis – Pitch Black – Weds 16 November
McCoy Tyner – Barbican Hall, Saturday 12 November
Magnus Ostrum Band – The Camp Basement, London, 17 November
Archie Shepp – Thursday 17 November, London Jazz Festival
Phronesis – Pitch Black – Weds 16 November
McCoy Tyner – Barbican Hall, Saturday 12 November
Magnus Ostrum Band – The Camp Basement, London, 17 November