Review

JOYRIDING - October 19, 2011, 10:19 am

Review by - LondonJazz - 12th October 2011

Newsletter readers, here's this week'sprize draw: Derek Nash  new album Joyriding. Nash describes one feature of the album the liner notes: 

"I'm delighted to have co-composed several tunes with my father, Pat Nash, who for so many years arranged for the BBC Northern Dance Orchestra." From the very first bars of the title track, there is that sense of a classy arranger (or, it would seem, two) at work, as Derek Nash and Martin Shaw set off happily in tandem. 

Three tracks credit them both as composer: the gentle "Waltz for my Father", an uptempo swinger "The Time of Your Life", kicking against a dominant pedal, and a laid-back latiny Mulliganish baritone feature,"Haunting Me." 
And there are sounds from the past which I recognize - and like -a lot. The opening track of the 1962 RCA Victor album Two of a Mind with Paul Desmond and Gerry Mulligan, Jerome Kern's All The Things You Are gets a nice makeover. Nash takes the (Mulligan) baritone part, the bright right hand of Dave Newton gets the (Desmond) alto part, and in place of a gruff Wendell Marshall from 1962, you have a clean, positive Geoff Gascoyne on bass, and his regular sparring partner Seb de Krom on drums, in perfect lock-step. 

Voodoo Rex is a shuffle dedicated to sax repairer/ manufacturer Steve Goodson, and features Winston Rollins on trombone. De Krom is crisp and precise throughout, but particularly on the opening to The Time of Yor Life and  Nash'sMajolica. There's only one real ballad- Love at First Sound , but the core tempo and vibe of this album are nevertheless unhurried. All in all a classy piece of work

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JOYRIDING - October 19, 2011, 10:33 am

 

Review by Tony Augarde - MusicWeb International

I have already said that Derek Nash is one of the unsung heroes of British jazz - as a saxophonist and composer as well as a producer of numerous recordings at Clowns Pocket Studios. He is possibly best known at present as a member of Jools Holland's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra. Derek's Acoustic Quartet is an all-star group with leading British pianist Dave Newton and Jamie Cullum's rhythm section of bassist Geoff Gascoyne and drummer Sebastiaan de Krom.

Nash wrote seven of the eleven tracks on this CD, some in collaboaration with his father Pat, who was an arranger for the BBC Northern Dance Orchestra for more than 30 years. Tracks 3 and 4 may be regarded as jazz standards, while pianist Phil Phillips composed Be My Valentine, which appears on the album in instrumental and vocal versions.

 

Recordings by quartets led by saxophonists can be boring but this album avoids that danger with varied repertoire and Derek's ability to play four types of saxophone: soprano, alto, tenor and baritone. Guests Martin Shaw, Winston Rollins and Beverley Vaughan add to the diversity. There is also variety within tunes, as in the title-track where the boogaloo tempo changes into 4/4 for the bridge. Derek Nash contributes a gutsy solo on (I think) tenor sax and there are tuneful solos from Dave Newton and Martin Shaw.

Derek switches to soprano sax for the buoyant Waltz for my Father, which has the same sort of melodic appeal as Horace Silver's Song for my Father. All the Things You Are is given a new slant as Derek (on baritone sax) bounces notes off Dave Newton's piano before going into a nimble solo. Ennio Morricone's love theme from Cinema Paradiso has a cool bossa beat.

The Time of Your Life is a bright swinger, with agile brushwork from Sebastiaan de Krom, who also supplies some well-structured drum breaks in Majolica. Love at First Sound is a glittering ballad which reminds me of the tune Silver Bells.Derek shows how tender the baritone sax can be. Voodoo Rex sets New Orleans-style drumming against a tune which sounds remarkably like Hi-Hell Sneakers.Haunting Me has some more pensive baritone. 

Altogether, this album indicates how well top-class British jazzers are capable of playing.

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JOYRIDING - October 19, 2011, 10:42 am

Review by Alan Smith - The Nottingham Post

The Manchester (born) saxophonist plays alongside some formidably talented guests in Martin Shaw (trumpet) and Winston Rollins (trombone).  Joyriding introduces the group's classic Blue Note style with superb contributions from the leader's tenor.  Switching to soprano for the delightful Waltz For My Father, Nash's soaring, penetrating solo is skilfully punctuated by a probing piano. 

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JOYRIDING - October 22, 2011, 7:22 am

Review by Robert Shore - Jazzwise

Derek Nash is a busy man.  He's a key member of Jools Holland's hard-touring Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, leader of Sax Appeal and a founder member of the funky Protect the Beat.  In addition, he runs his own recording studio and is the co-director of bijou UK independent label Jazzizit.  So it's a wonder he had time to write seven of the 11 compositions here (three of them co-written with his father, Pat, arranger for the BBC Northern Dance Orchestra for more than 35 years) and put together a band to play them.  But with collaborators of the quality of Dave Newton on piano and Geoff Gascoyne and Sebastiaan de Krom on bass and drums, it's little or no surprise that they were able to get the recording done in a day.  And the results are charming, straddling Blue Note to bossa inspirations.  Best of the originals is "Love at First Sound", a swoony delight, the warm romanticism of Nash's blowing perfectly matched by Newton's tenderly tinkling piano lines.  Phil Phillip's "Be My Valentine" gets two treatments, the second featuring vocals by Beverley Vaughan.

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Joyriding - October 22, 2011, 7:25 am

Review by Bruce Lindsay - All About Jazz

 

One of the strengths of the current British jazz scene comes from its core of mainstream, straight-ahead musicians, who focus their creative abilities on drawing fresh nuances from established musical styles; saxophonist Derek Nash is one of them. Joyriding features what he refers to as his "regular quartet," although that phrase does scant justice to the quality of the musicianship.

Nash is a member of Jools Holland's Rhythm And Blues Orchestra, a regular presence on BBC TV where Holland has his own music show, Later. Pianist Dave Newton is a winner of nine British Jazz Awards, while bassist Geoff Gascoyne and drummer Sebastiaan de Krom are long-term members of Jamie Cullum's band.

Nash displays engagingly eclectic taste. He co-wrote three tunes with his father, Pat, a respected arranger. "Waltz For My Father" is a particular standout, for its lilting, optimistic melody and for Nash's lyrical playing. The other compositions encompass the hard-bop-meets-blues of "Joyriding"—a tune that conjures images of groovy '60s TV shows like Rowan And Martin's Laugh-In—and the cool swing of Phil Phillips' "Be My Valentine," later reprised in a vocal version featuring singer Beverly Vaughan. "Love At First Sound" is a gentle, slightly melancholy, ballad, with Nash's rich, warm, saxophone lent understated support by Newton, Gascoyne and de Krom. "Voodoo Rex," which Nash dedicates to his alto saxophone, is a terrific ensemble number. The core quartet is joined by Winston Rollins' funky trombone, creating a really full-blooded sound.

Nash's take on songbook standards is similarly fresh. Jerome Kern's "All The Things You Are" has the feel of a Dave Brubeck arrangement, Nash taking the lead as the rhythm section drives him on, before Newton and Gascoyne deliver strong, emphatic solos of their own. Ennio Morricone's "Cinema Paradiso (Love Theme)," with its slinky Latin sensuality, is gorgeously romantic; bass and drums are, once again, central to the creation its mood, and there's some lovely interplay between Nash and Newton.

Joyriding is an album full of good vibes and upbeat grooves, tempered by the occasional reflective and romantic interlude. The playing is superb, the sound quality is exceptional (thanks to Nash's production at Clowns Pocket Studio) and the tunes are very definitely a joy.

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JOYRIDING - November 2, 2011, 11:12 am

Review by Ron Burnett - The York Press

Derek Nash is heard on all the best records and concerts, but his name may elude you. There are few better saxophonists in the UK, as Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox and more will agree. A prominent member of the Jools Holland Rhythm and Blues Orchestra since 2004, he has led the award-winning Sax Appeal band for 30 years.

He steps into the limelight with Joyriding (Jazzizit Records) by the Derek Nash Acoustic Quartet, an album of mainly original compositions, and it is a stunner.

The title track nicks Lee Morgan’s Sidewinder rhythm, alternating with bright, Blue Note swing sections, Martin Shaw guesting on trumpet alongside Nash’s tenor. Three new compositions are with his father, Pat Nash, BBC Northern Dance Orchestra arranger for 35 years, The Time Of Your Life, Haunting Me and Waltz For My Father, the latter on soprano saxophone, a jazz waltz beautifully recorded, as is the whole album.

One of the best rhythm sections in UK jazz – Dave Newton (piano), Geoff Gascoyne (bass) and Sebastiaan de Krom (drums) get the benefit of Nash’s recording production expertise in the definition of each instrument in the mix. Nash excels on soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones; a totally joyful album.

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Albums mentioned in this review:

Joyriding RELEASE OCTOBER 2011
Joyriding RELEASE OCTOBER 2011