"CLASSICS ( LIVE)"

Howard Riley piano; Art Themen sop,ten saxes; Mario Castronari double bass; Trevor Tomkins dms.

Rec. The Bull’s Head, Chislehurst, England. 19 May 1996. SLAMCD 222

Bar code5 028386 022220

TRACKS:

1 Straight no chaser 12m 06s

2 Body and soul 9 57

3 All blues 15 01

4 Round midnight 12 47

5 Softly as in a morning sunrise 11 56

The Times

Recorded at the Bull’s Head in Chislehurst, this rousing, at times downright rambunctious album documents the reunion of two of British jazz’s most distinctive improvisers, pianist Howard Riley and saxophonist Art Themen.

The object of their group, which is completed by bassist Mario Castronari and drummer Trevor Tomkins, is "to be as spontaneous and free as possible in the context of the standard repertoire", and to this end they use familiar fare such as Monk’s Straight No Chaser, Body and Soul and so on as springboards for extending workouts. With both Riley and Themen constantly pushing at the boundaries, rhythmically and harmonically, it is incumbent on the rhythm section to keep the band anchored, and this they do with great aplomb.

Catching two genuine homegrown originals at the height of their powers in congenial company, this superb album provides yet more proof that British jazz’s fifty-somethings are in many ways a great deal less staid than their younger equivalents.

Hi-Fi News & Record Review, September 1997

A set consisting of ‘Straight No Chaser’, ‘Body and Soul’ and ‘Softly As In A Morning Sunrise’ does not bode well. However, the resource and daring of pianist Howard Riley make these tunes harmonic environments rather than lazy fallbacks. Advocate of the no-nonsense hard bop blown at venues like Wakefield Jazz and the Bull’s Head in Barnes, Themen is oft characterized as ‘quirky’. Devoid of Berklee-School anonymity, his playing is rooted in the vocal phrasing and bluesdy snorts of Hawkins and Rollins. The quartet - Mario Castronari and bass and Tevor Tomins on drums - is trenchant and relaxed. Bypassing decorum and mere tidiness, this has a garrulous vibe and burns hot and inventive. Slightly muddy club sound doesn’t matter a bit. Fantastic. Ben Watson