Brian Molley Quartet

“Clock”

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Scottish reeds player Brian Molley was a founding member of the acclaimed reeds/brass group Brass Jaw and appeared on their début album “Burn” back in 2006. Since those days Molley has been a busy figure on the Scottish music scene appearing with a wide variety of jazz, classical and pop ensembles including the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra.

One of Molley’s longest running engagements has been as a member of drummer Stu Brown’s Twisted Toons project, the critically acclaimed interpretation of the music of composer and musical inventor Raymond Scott, the man best known for the soundtracks of Bugs Bunny and other Loony Tunes cartoons. Brown released the album “Twisted Toons” in 2009 and the success of the project has ensured that he has toured it extensively (I caught his sextet, featuring Molley at Black Mountain Jazz in Abergavenny in 2012) including several prestigious jazz festival appearances including Cheltenham, Manchester, Gateshead and London. 

Brown returns the favour by filling the drum stool on “Clock”, Molley’s début recording as a leader.  The rest of the line up features other leading names from the Scottish jazz scene including another long term associate in the form of bassist Mario Caribe, Brazil born but a long time Edinburgh resident and a corner stone of the Scottish music scene. The pianist on the album is Tom Gibbs, a rising star who made a big impression with his own début album “Fear Of Flying” (Whirlwind Recordings) , which is reviewed elsewhere on this site. Gibbs is also the pianist in Brown’s Raymond Scott project and can also be heard on the “Twisted Toons” album.

“Clock” is a modern mainstream album that features a series of Molley original compositions alongside a couple of standards, Irving Berlin’s “What’ll I Do” and “Get Happy” written by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler. Molley plays tenor and soprano saxophones, clarinet and bass clarinet and even provides a little additional piano. However he’s best known for his work on tenor and it’s this aspect of his playing that is featured on the lively Latin opener “Cara y Cruz” which also features a vivacious piano solo from Gibbs and an admirable mastery of Latin rhythms from Caribe and Brown as they negotiate the tunes many changes of pace.

A spirited, celebratory take on “Get Happy” is another reminder of Molley’s fluency as a tenor soloist, a certain edge to his tone giving the song an agreeable bite. There’s another strong showing from Gibbs and more admirable work from Caribe and Brown.

The brief “Destinesia” offers a welcome change of mood and pace. It’s a brief meditation that finds Molley overdubbing himself on several horns with his brooding bass clarinet initially setting the tone. Taken as a whole the piece is an exquisitely crafted miniature that acts as an overture for the following “Destinesia (of Fred and George)”, a lovely ballad featuring a delightfully melodic double bass solo from Caribe and flowingly lyrical statements from Gibbs on piano and Molley on tenor sax. Apparently the Fred and George of the title are Chopin and Sand respectively. 

The meditative mood is maintained on the beautiful “Iris and her Bow”, the title a reference to Greek mythology (Iris was the goddess of the rainbow), the style a dramatically slowed down bossa nova. It’s a delightful showcase for Molley’s abilities as a ballad player, his tone is warm, rounded and eloquent throughout and he receives immaculate support from Gibbs, Caribe and Brown. The pianist is again at his most lyrical and Brown’s work with mallets and brushes is superbly judged with Caribe’s richly resonant bass the perfect foil.

The album picks up pace again as Molley switches to soprano sax for the fast moving “Chance on Chan”, the title referencing jazz great Charlie Parker’s common law wife. The music is appropriately pacey and full of boppish hooks and phrases with sparkling solos coming from Molley and Gibbs as Caribe and Brown keep things moving. The rhythm section also get to enjoy their own cameos on a series of lively bass and drum exchanges.

“What’ll I Do” is another fine example of Molley’s skill as a tenor sax balladeer on a pared down arrangement that convinces through its simplicity. Molley’s delivery is warm, sparse and eloquent, devoid of any unnecessary embellishment and speaking directly to the listener. Gibbs, Caribe and Brown offer sympathetic support with the pianist’s solo mirroring the delicacy of Molley’s own playing. Caribe and Brown, the former making occasional judicious use of the bow, the latter at his most painterly courtesy of his delicately detailed brushwork, are fully attuned to the leader’s aesthetic throughout.

On “When I Talk About Swimming” Caribe’s bass is almost funky as Molley doubles on tenor sax and clarinet, overdubbing himself above Brown’s infectious grooves. Gibbs piano solo is percussive and inventive and Molley’s forceful tenor solo represents some of his most muscular playing of the set. 

The album is bookended by “Parapraxis”, a playful outing that once again dips into the quartet’s Latin side with exuberant solos from Molley and Gibbs and a rousing drum feature from the excellent Brown.

Except that it’s not quite the end as “Um, Dois, Tres” is presented as a bonus track, a brief but jaunty Latin excursion featuring Molley’s mercurial clarinet and with Caribe appearing on guitar and cavaquinho. I’m writing this review in the depths of the British winter and this piece presents a tantalising glimpse of Brazilian sunshine, a bonus track indeed.

On first listening I was inclined to dismiss “Clock” as a rather routine modern mainstream album but repeated exposures have revealed hidden depths. In truth it’s an extremely well crafted piece of work that tackles a variety of jazz and Latin styles but remains firmly rooted in the former. There’s a pleasing variation of mood, style and pace and Stuart Hamilton’s recording is immaculate and serves all four musicians well. But however much Gibbs, Caribe and Brown impress (and they do), it’s still Molley’s album, a good showcase for his writing talents and an even better one for his playing across an impressive range of reed instruments but particularly his trusty tenor. “Clock” suggests even better things to come but in the meantime establishes Brian Molley as a composer, bandleader and soloist to be reckoned with.

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