Angle Shades - Twirler (2025)

The newly re-christened Angle Shades present Twirler, the eagerly anticipated follow-up to their exciting debut record after which the band is now named. This is a confident, expressive, and adventurous set which finds the tightly-knit trio revelling in the deep and surprising prospects of a classic instrumental lineup – piano, double bass, and drums diving and wheeling together through moments both perfectly arranged and delightfully unexpected.

Formerly known as the Richard Jones Trio, the band have since embraced Angle Shades as their new collective identity, adopting the moth-inspired title of their debut album in a nod to the larval phase of the ensemble. Continuing this theme, Twirler is also named after a distinctive breed of moth; the title also evokes the image of an object in unpredictable flight, a fitting metaphor for the group’s dynamic, spontaneous improvisational style.

A truly impressive ensemble, Angle Shades comprises three fast-rising Northern voices in the UK jazz and improvised music scene. Pianist Richard Jones brings his deeply lyrical and questing sound, with a freshness informed by a sideways study of the history of jazz piano. Double-bassist Joshua Cavanagh-Brierley lends his propulsive and rich tone, with an experienced arranger’s ear and authority. On drums, Johnny Hunter traverses the territory from swing to groove to ballad, always locating the right energy with the tuned instincts of the free improviser. But this band is much more than the sum of its considerable parts, their instinctual alchemy breathing life into a collection of inventive, diverse material. The switch from a notional leader’s name to a collective band identity reflects the fact that this is, and always has been, a trio of truly equal partners; all dynamic improvisers, imaginative composers, and sought-after collaborators, here combining their formidable faculties and sharp-eared openness to create and capture a music all of their own.

Richard Jones – Piano
Joshua Cavanagh-Brierley – Double Bass
Johnny Hunter – Drums