AuB, Alex Hitchcock and Tom Barford - Folk Devils (2024) [Hi-Res]

ABOUT THE ALBUM

In the crowded field of contemporary jazz AuB stands out on first listen. Reinventing the classic twin-tenor line up for the 21st century is a tough proposition but top-flight 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 Høiby and French drummer Marc Michel in a series of compositions that perfectly balance complexity with powerful melody, drama with intimacy, angular post-funk with somber, spacey beauty. It’s an international affair: renowned New York producer/multi-instrumentalist Morgan Guerin and London-based Italian keyboard player Maria Chiara Argiró each add their own distinctive flavours 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 specific musicians and Jasper and Marc have such strong distinctive voices’. The blend of two tenor saxes with acoustic 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.

Each tune has a story to tell. ‘Cavort’ was written by Alex for Jasper Høiby “It’s the way he dances around when he plays the bass! He’s all over all the changes here, in such an intense way, like evil dancing!” By contrast, the sombre, introspective ‘Shinagawa’ has a subtle contemporary fusion feel, enhanced by Morgan Guerin’s synth flurries. Tom’s composition ‘One For Elis’ was written in tribute to Elis Regina: “She’s just such an incredible musician, so relaxed yet rhythmically accurate”. The title track ‘Folk Devils’ with its strikingly simple, folkloric melody balances between a sense of fragility and an ominous foreboding quality, building to a majestically intense solo. Tom’s ‘Ecotone’ is a delicate waltz “It’s about the interface between music and magic!” and contrasts powerfully with the intensity of Alex’s ‘Vital Signs’ with its intricate detail “I like to hear detail in other people’s writing, so it comes out in mine as well”! The whole album is driven by Marc Michel’s powerhouse drumming: “Marc is incredibly dynamic and responsive, and he’s got such a range in what he can do - all the odd-time stuff, but he can just sit and groove as well.” Finally, ‘Dott’s Blues’ is a gutsy two-fisted twisted blues!

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 find 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.

PERSONNEL

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

Tracklist:
1 Cavort
2 Shinigawa
3 One for Elis
4 Folk Devils
5 Ecotone
6 Vital Signs
7 Dotts Blues