Saxophonist and clarinetist Chris Biscoe has been on the British scene for a long time, but he's made the territory between postbop and free-jazz entirely his own, and his sophisticated tributes to the jazz giants are always distinctive. This varied set offers 10 reappraisals of compositions by Charles Mingus, plus originals by Biscoe, pianist Kate Williams and guest bassist Dave Green (Larry Bartley assumes all the other bass duties). The classic Fables of Faubus unfolds in growls and smears from Biscoe and trumpeter Henry Lowther over the full-on drum tattoos of Stu Butterfield and Paul Clarvis, and Lowther's shining long notes hold the harmonies under the leader's soaring alto sax on the sighing Duke's Choice.
Williams has a gleaming solo meditation, and Biscoe an unaccompanied alto feature deploying his arsenal of bent tones, slithering runs and bluesy multiphonics, but through it all he maintains a rootsy quality that fits the set.
The album's almost worth it for Boogie Stop Shuffle alone, one of Mingus's most deviously funky themes; but tenor saxophonist Pete Hurt is a powerful presence, and just reading the Mingus title All the Things You Could Be By Now If Sigmund Freud's Wife Was Your Mother has a pretty compelling appeal as well. The Guardian
2017 Gigs
March 15th 2017 8.30pm
TWO OF A MIND
Chris Biscoe – baritone sax; Allison Neale – alto sax;
Colin Oxley – guitar; Jeremy Brown - bass; Stu Butterfield – drums
606 Club
90 Lots Road
Chelsea,
London SW10 0QD
Tel 020 7352 5953
Friday 17th March 2017 - 8.00pm
THE WESTBROOK BLAKE
Phil Minton, Kate Westbrook, Chris Biscoe,
Billy Thompson. Steve Berry, Mike Westbrook
London College of Music Choir dir. Paul Ayres
Kings Place
Hall One
90 York Way
London N1 9AG
tickets online £14.50 - £24.50 savers £9.50
box office 020 7520 1490
March 23rd 2017 8.00pm
Chris Biscoe – saxes; John Critchinson – piano;
Dave Whitford - bass; Stu Butterfield – drums
The Karamel Restaurant
4 Coburg Road,
London N22 6UJ
Admission £10
Tel 020 8829 8989
May 4th 2017 8.00pm
TWO OF A MIND
Chris Biscoe – baritone sax; Allison Neale – alto sax;
Colin Oxley – guitar; Jeremy Brown - bass; Stu Butterfield – drums
The Karamel Restaurant
4 Coburg Road,
London N22 6UJ
Admission £10
Tel 020 8829 8989
May 25th 2017
TWO OF A MIND
Chris Biscoe – baritone sax; Allison Neale – alto sax;
Colin Oxley – guitar; Jeremy Brown - bass; Stu Butterfield – drums
Cambridge Jazz Club
Booking 07827 012875
