Seamus Haney

Seamus Blake's first disc on the Fresh Sound New Talent label is a marvelous showcase not only for the leader but also for guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel, the album's other prominent solo voice. Bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jorge Rossy, together the backbone of Brad Mehldau's famous trio, lay down the ideal rhythmic universe for Blake and Rosenwinkel to flourish in. Opening with the wild, funkified double-time of "Perk," the group goes on to traverse a wide swath of territory, from the classic post-bop swing of "Happenstance" and "G.S.S." to the experimental sounds of "Token Cello" and "Of Ours."

A Bag Of Eyes is Seamus Fogarty’s third album — a wholly different sonic prospect to 2017’s much-lauded The Curious Hand. Weary of the guitar, and seeking something darker than its predecessor, he chose to lean more heavily on synths and drum machines, and additionally, to self-produce.

Originally from County Mayo on the west coast of Ireland, Fogarty now resides in London, and the capital provides the canvas for The Curious Hand. It's there in the starkly heartbroken 'Seems Wherever', written from the perspective of the tube system and the deep well of the city's troubled soul, and in the stony-faced rush hour commuters in 'Van Gogh's Ear', pouring onto train carriages "bound for Egham or Whimple or West Ham". But The Curious Hand also reaches back to Seamus' homeland and past in charmingly simple and direct ways.

Anders Thorén is a Swedish drummer and producer who recently relocated to Oslo and is involved in a new label called AMP Music & Records. They’ve released a bunch of great jazz albums over the past couple of years, most recently this one that I was asked to play on. Besides Anders and myself, the album features the excellent Norwegian pianist Espen Berg and bassist Ole Morten Vågan and the New York-based saxophonist Seamus Blake. To be honest, I wasn’t familiar with Seamus before this session (!), but he’s a monster of a player with big ears and chops to match them (something I could also say of my other fellow musicians on this album)!

Deepening a two-tenor partnership that dates back to the mid-'90s, saxophonists Seamus Blake and Chris Cheek follow up their quintet release 'Reeds Ramble' (CRISS1364CD) with 'Let's Call the Whole Thing Off', featuring the same powerful band lineup (Ethan Iverson on piano, Matt Penman on bass, Jochen Rueckert on drums). While they stand apart as gifted soloists, Blake and Cheek always flourish as a team, bringing lustre to every tune with their lyrical unison melodies and beautifully harmonised theme statements.