Julian Argüelles - Circularity (2014)

Another star in the British jazz world has joined CAM JAZZ. After his contributions to John Taylor s and Kenny Wheeler s recordings, Circularity is Julian Argüelles s debut album with this label. Eight original pieces, all bearing the leader s signature and performed with a tried and true quartet: Argüelles on tenor and soprano sax, Dave Holland on double bass, Martin France on drums and John Taylor on piano. Argüelles first achieved fame as a member of maverick big band Loose Tubes (who have reformed this year to release a new album). His artistic path is that of a musician who has kept moving forward, looking for new expressive forms as well as sonic and textural shades for his tunes. He has been playing live for nigh on thirty years (although still aged under 50) and released his first record as a leader in 1991. This continual growth and development have made him a musician who is never predictable but, nevertheless, clearly recognizable. In the opening track, Triality , he launches into a long solo that demonstrates his great improvisational verve. In contrast Circularity is driven by a groove revealing the strong group dynamic in his writing and within the quartet. This is, after all, the same combo (without Dave Holland) that recorded Phaedrus in 1991, revealing perhaps another kind of circularity in Argüelles work. This is an excellent album to celebrate a new artist joining the CAM JAZZ team.