Jeremy Pelt - Tales Musing & Other Reveries - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Stubbleman is the alter-ego of maverick composer and producer Pascal Gabriel. From humble origins in a Belgian punk band, Pascal moved to London in 1979 to form a string of art-school experimental bands, until he discovered the joys of the recording studio and gained recognition as an innovative producer & songwriter. Initially known for landmark dance hits InchTheme from S'ExpressInch and InchBeat DisInch, he has since composed with, produced and mixed a huge spectrum of artists including Dido, Kylie Minogue, Inspiral Carpets, Can, Bebel Gilberto, Miss Kittin, Wire, Ladyhawke and countless others. After many years in the wilderness of pop, Pascal has re-embraced his adventurous electronic ambient past with a project combining a lo-fi, cinematic mixture of found sounds, field recordings and modular synthesisers, often accompanied by live piano. Stubbleman's panoramic debut album, Mountains and Plains was inspired by a road trip across the USA, and the eleven tracks evoke the poignant delights of endless train tracks, sleepless cities, nostalgic ruins, big skies, high deserts and lost junctions, keeping at all times an affectionate eye for the humanity which populates these diverse landscapes.

Jazz trumpeter, composer and author Jeremy Pelt has certainly never shied away from themed albums so one might expect something cinematic from the enigmatically-titled Soundtrack. However, as Pelt himself explains, InchI've certainly done plenty of concept albums, but in this case there's nothing I'm on a soapbox about. It's been a tough time for all of us, so let's not worry about sending messages for a minute. Here we are, playing some songs and having some fun.Inch Having fun the band may be but along the way they make some compelling jazz weaving a beguiling tapestry of kaleidoscopic colors with Pelt's sultry and communicative trumpet to the fore surrounded by Chien Chien Lu's hypnotic vibraphone and pianist Victor Gould's subtle splashes of the Fender Rhodes. The inclusion of Brittany Anjou on Moog synthesizer and the rarely-heard Mellotron may imply a real electronica aspect present on the recording but, quite to the contrary, Pelt uses them sparingly and incorporates them brilliantly into the group's tonal palette. Their appearance does occasionally bring a certain 70s independent jazz vibe to the proceedings but they far from define the sound of the group. Anne Drummond's silvery flute on two tracks adds yet another dimension to the already wide spectrum of colors on this latest album in the discography of the sometimes surprising but always inspired Jeremy Pelt.

Walking the tightrope that is stretched between history and progress is a difficult task for a young jazz musician. During the last five years, Jeremy Pelt has explored many post-war jazz trends, but for his HighNote debut recording he has settled into the acoustic, post-bop with his regular band that includes the tenor sax of J.D. Allen with the rhythm section of Danny Grissett, piano, Dwayne Burno, bass and Gerald Cleaver, drums. One listen and it is easy to see why he was voted Rising Star on the Trumpet five years in a row by Downbeat and the Jazz Journalists Association.