Scrapbook - Scrapbook (2016)

Scrapbook is the vehicle for the compositions of 27 year old London-based pianist Angus Bayley. Though he actually studied as a scientist, Bayley has never been far from music and has been an active pianist all the while, as well as a prolific composer. His music for Scrapbook is both pensive and poignant, clad in a delicate timbre of horns and strings (Daisy Watkins, Nick Sigsworth) - each tune a heartfelt ode that sits somewhere between jazz, folk and rock, underpinned by chord sequences that tell a story in their own right.

Bayley’s arrangements are in it for the long game – pretty melodies dance and swell over the course of minutes, gradually transforming into fierce and fiery chordal riffs loaded with dark and beautiful harmony. Tunes are interspersed with the improvisational input of young horn stars Alaric Taylor and Kieran McLeod, vibrantly supported by an ever-shifting and responsive rhythm section comprising Dave Hamblett and Paul Trippett.

Since forming in 2013 Scrapbook has gigged extensively across London, including a sellout at the prestigious Jazz at the Oxford. Their eponymous debut album marks three years since inception of the band, and is due for release on the Spark label in September 2016. As part of the release, Scrapbook will be touring the UK.