AuB (Alex Hitchcock & Tom Barford) - Folk Devils [CD]

Cat. no: WR4831
Format: CD
Barcode: 5065014356388
Release Date: 13 Dec 2024
Genre: Jazz

In the crowded feld of contemporary jazz AuB stands out on frst listen

Reinventing the classic twin-tenor line up for the 21st century is a tough proposition, but top-fight UK virtuosi Alex Hitchcock and Tom Barford are more than equal to the task, not so much reviving the format as turning it inside out and upside down. For their brand new collection Folk Devils the two horns dance and dialogue over the scintillating team of Danish bassist Jasper Hoiby and French drummer Marc Michel in a series of compositions that perfectly balance complexity with powerful melody, drama with intimacy, angular post- funk with sombre, spacey beauty. It's an international affair: renowned New York producer/ multi- instrumentalist Morgan Guerin and London-based Italian keyboard player Maria Chiara Argiro each add their own distinctive favors of electronic texture with subtle layers of synths, but on every track it's the saxophones that tell the story, in a constantly shifting conversation with each other and the no-frontiers rhythm players.

"It's a totally co-led band, and there's areas of overlap and areas of difference in our writing and our playing," says Alex. "I'm really into writing for specifc musicians and Jasper and Marc have such strong distinctive voices." The blend of two tenor saxes with double bass and drums and the contrasting electronic textures creates a uniquely unforgettable sonic character: this is band sound, big enough to absorb the outsize musical personalities involved and meld them into a coherent whole.

Throughout the two tenor players take some devastatingly affecting solos, and the listener can hear how they inspire each other, listening and incorporating each other's language and musicality. There's no mistaking how stimulating and inspiring they fnd each other's company. The ensemble sections sparkle with creativity, the improvisation is inspired, and the sophistication and complexity of the writing never obscures the melodic content: "Everything is written with the aim of being singable" says Alex.

Alex Hitchcock: tenor saxophone
Tom Barford: tenor saxophone
Jasper Hiby: double bass
Marc Michel: drums
Morgan Guerin: synthesisers (1, 2) 
Maria Chiara Argir: synthesisers (4,6)

CD Tracks: Cavort (feat. Morgan Guerin) / Shinagawa (feat. Morgan Guerin) / One for Elis / Folk Devils (feat. Maria Chiara Argiro) / Ecotone / Vital Signs (feat. Maria Chiara Argiro) / Dott's Blues