The RH Factor

Audrey Powne's stunning debut album, From The Fire, is set to be one of those must have LPs in any music lover's collection. Something of an auteur release it features nine tracks all composed by Audrey, with all string arrangements and all produced by her. Audrey's decision to produce the whole album herself came from a desire to take creative control of her music and apply techniques developed from the influences of the producers she had previously worked with. If all of the above were not enough Audrey also wrote the lyrics for those tracks on which she sings, and as a multi-instrumentalist contributes piano, Rhodes and organ. She also features as a trumpeter with dextrous and soaring solos as evidenced by the two single releases so far; Feed The Fire and the title track, From The Fire.

Out of the Blue was formed by Blue Note records as a way to showcase some of its top young talent. The lineup of players in the original version of the band (trumpeter Michael Mossman, altoist Kenny Garrett, tenor saxophonist Ralph Bowen, pianist Harry Pickens, bassist Robert Hurst, and drummer Ralph Peterson) has certainly lived up to its potential. O.T.B. was a strong training ground for the talented musicians. Similar in concept to Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, the sextet performs seven group originals on their debut recording. Everyone but Mossman contributed a song, with Hurst and Garrett represented twice. The music swings hard and, despite being a touch derivative, works quite well.