Janette Mason - Din and Tonic (2005)

'Din and Tonic', pianist/composer Janette Mason's album, features Mornington Lockett on saxophones with a guest appearance from Warner Bros. Recording artist Lea DeLaria on vocals. "Janette Mason is definitely a musician to watch" (Dave Gelly - The Observer). "An inspired and inspiring knockout soloist" (Robert Wyatt). "Janette Mason's breakout album DIN AND TONIC, entirely featuring the pianist's own compositions - apart from the single vocal, co-written with Lea DeLaria, and "Moon River" - is a triumph of elegant themes, catchy hooks, fierce swing, classy execution and uncompromising openness to improvisation. It's beautifully recorded, the production duties also being down to Mason. Nothing in this pianist's live jazz work has hinted at the breadth and maturity of this set, or the playing and composing skills it reveals. A JAZZ SHORTLIST-OF-THE-YEAR CONTENDER" (John Fordham - The Guardian). "Janette Mason, the UK based pianist who has lent her talents to artists as diverse as Pulp and Robert Wyatt, is now stepping out as a band leader of pugnacious flair and genuine unpredictability, her conception is a spirited mix of Mcoy Tyner's fervency and Herbie Hancock's flights of fancy, all delivered with gumption" (James Griffiths - The Guardian)