Mark McKnight

“Do Or Die”

(Whirlwind Recordings WR4617)

Belfast based guitarist and composer Mark McKnight is a musician with a growing reputation. His self released album “Overnight” recorded in New York in 2008 with saxophonist Will Vinson, pianist Sam Yahel and the rhythm pairing of Mark Ferber (drums) and Euan Burton (bass) exhibited considerable potential and is reviewed elsewhere on this site.

His new album builds on the promise of the earlier recording and sees McKnight working in one of his favourite instrumental configurations, the organ quartet. Released on Michael Janisch’s thriving Whirlwind label the album teams McKnight with two of the UK’s brightest young musicians, organist Ross Stanley and drummer James Maddren. The line up is completed by saxophonist Seamus Blake who was born in England, raised in Canada and is now based in New York. Blake is currently considered to be one of the world’s leading saxophonists and his presence on this record represents a considerable coup for McKnight who brought Blake over to Ireland for a tour in 2010.

Recorded in Scotland “Do Or Die” demonstrates McKnight’s growing maturity as a composer in a programme containing six originals and just one standard, an imaginative interpretation of Rodgers & Hart’s “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered”. Strongly influenced by Pat Metheny McKnight is a writer who likes his compositions to tell a story and “Do Or Die” reflects this. McKnight’s pieces are thoughtful and have a strong narrative arc, this isn’t a meat and potatoes Hammond groovin’ album as the instrumentation might suggest.

The album opens with the title track as the quartet builds from McKnight’s choppy, insistent, syncopated opening chords to encompass the swell of the Hammond and Blake’s dark edged saxophone tone.  There’s a highly fluent solo from McKnight above the chatter of Maddren’s drums and Stanley’s discreet organ chording, slowly building to a climax at which point the powerful Blake takes over and maintains the energy levels to the end of the tune. Impressive stuff.

“Pieces” is more pensive with the quartet probing delicately and eloquently. Stanley’s organ solo is refreshingly free of bombast and McKnight matches him for elegance with Maddren’s subtly detailed drumming the perfect punctuation as always. Blake maintains a low profile for the bulk of the tune but his exultant final choruses take the tune somewhere else entirely in a pleasingly contrasting final section.

“Nightcap” sounds highly contemporary and urban and includes a McKnight solo that features typically fluent single note lines while at the same time drawing judiciously on rock effects. Blake’s solo combines fluency and earthiness in a virtuoso display underpinned by Stanley’s organ chording and Maddren’s neatly energetic drumming.

“Bewitched” is divided into two parts on the CD. “Bewitched (Intro)” is a brief solo organ feature for the excellent Stanley with McKnight taking over as the tune begins in earnest. It’s a slow burner with Blake’s pure toned sax sharing the lead with McKnight in an imaginative, slowed down arrangement that equates to a superlative ballad performance.

The slyly funky “Tease” explores similar territory to “Nightcap” with McKnight and Blake both contributing lengthy and highly impressive solos above an energetic backdrop of organ and drums.

McKnight’s “Contemplate” is well named. As “Overnight” revealed he is a highly skilled composer and performer of ballads and this atmospheric piece features his own cleanly picked guitar lines alongside Blake’s more forthright, often downright joyous, sax contribution and Stanley’s gospel tinged organ.

The closing “(We’ll) Just Disappear” is a fine example of the narrative power of McKnight’s writing as the quartet head for the stratosphere on a bank of dense organ chords, long saxophone lines and soaring guitar interspersed with jazzier passages featuring the improvising of the always inventive Blake. It’s something of an epic and carries a considerable emotional punch that seems certain to make it a favourite at live shows.

“Do Or Die” is an album that confirms McKnight’s status as a rising star with its blend of intriguing compositions and top quality playing all round. The guitarist acquits himself well in the heavyweight company of Blake and the leader and his illustrious guest complement each other well. The presence of either Stanley or Maddren on any recording is a huge plus and both offer customarily excellent support here, never imposing but still bringing plenty of themselves to the music.

McKnight is currently touring the UK and Ireland with this line-up and I will be checking out their show in Cardiff (tonight!) and reporting back on that. It will be interesting to see how this music translates into a live situation. I’ve seen Stanley and Maddren perform live several times before in a variety of different line-ups and contexts but this will be my first sighting of both McKnight and Blake. Should be a fascinating evening.

A schedule of the quartet’s remaining tour dates appears below;

SEPTEMBER 2011

Tuesday 20th - 8.30pm     Dempsey’s 15 Castle Street, Cardiff CF10 1BS        

Weds. 21st - 8.30pm         The Griffin 266 Bath Street, Glasgow G2 4JP  

Thurs. 22nd -  8pm         Seven Arts 31 Harrogate Road, Leeds LS7 3PD

Friday 23rd - 7.45pm         Millennium Hall, Polish Centre, 520 Ecclesall Rd, Sheffield S11 8PY
                                                     

Sat. 24th - 7.30pm           The Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre, Naul, Fingal, Co. Dublin, Ireland
                                                         

Sunday 25th - 7.30pm       Crescent Arts Centre, 2-4 University Rd, Belfast

Monday 26th - 8.30pm       The Blue Lamp, 121 Gallowgate, Aberdeen AB25 1BU

Tuesday 27th -  8pm         The Cluny, 36 Lime Street, Newcastle NE1 2PQ

Weds. 28th - 8.30pm         Swansea Jazzland St. James Social Club, St. James Crescent SA1 6DR

Thurs 29th - 7.15pm         Ronnie Scott’s 47 Frith St, Soho, London W1D 4HT *LAUNCH NIGHT*

Thurs 29th - 8.30pm         The Spice of Life, 6 Moor Street, London W1D 5NA   *LAUNCH NIGHT*

Friday 30th -  8pm           Great Northern Hotel, Station Approach, Peterborough PE1 1QL

 

 

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