Glasshopper

“I’m Not Telling You Anything”

(Clonmell Jazz Social CJS005)

Jonathan Chung – tenor saxophone, effects, James Kitchman – guitar, effects, Corrie Dick – drums

“I’m Not Telling You Anything” is the keenly awaited second album from Glasshopper, the trio led by the Glasgow born, London based saxophonist and composer Jonathan Chung and featuring guitarist James Kitchman and drummer Corrie Dick.

I first encountered Glasshopper’s music in 2017 when  I was fortunate enough to witness an appearance by the group at that year’s EFG London Jazz Festival. The trio performed at one of the free lunchtime sessions at the Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho, coming in as a late replacement for another group, and acquitted themselves superbly. The core trio of Chung, Kitchman and Dick were joined by guests Ed Begley (vocals) and Alex Bonney (electronics) and their blend of contemporary electro-jazz proved to be both compelling and exciting. My account of that performance can be found as part of my Festival coverage here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/features/article/efg-london-jazz-festival-tuesday-november-14th-2017

At that time Glasshopper had released an EP, which had been recorded in 2016, and which remains available on the trio’s Bandcamp page alongside the digital tracks “Tilly”, recorded in 2015. and 2017’s “Amber Hill”, originally recorded for BBC Radio Scotland. 

I was highly impressed by the EP and also by Glasshopper’s eagerly anticipated debut album “Fortune Rules” (2020), which included new versions of the three pieces on the EP in addition to a number of newer compositions. The album included guest appearances by vocalists Sylvia Silas, Ed Begley and trumpeter Mike Soper.

Mixing acoustic and electric instrumental sounds with that of the human voice and drawing on the world of literature for inspiration “Fortune Rules” saw the trio creating a distinctive group sound that borrowed from jazz, rock, electronica and more. It represented an impressive debut and my review of the album, which forms the basis for much of the above biographical detail can be found here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/glasshopper-fortune-rules

Of Chinese / Scottish heritage Chung studied in both Glasgow and Leeds before completing a Jazz Masters at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where his tutors included Pete Churchill and Barak Schmool. It was here that he was re-united with his fellow Scot, Corrie Dick, who in turn introduced him to Kitchman, the three of them forming Glasshopper back in 2014. Chung has also performed with Andrew Linham’s Jazz Orchestra and appears on that ensemble’s excellent 2018 album “Weapons of Mass Distraction”. Review here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/the-andrew-linham-jazz-orchestra-weapons-of-mass-distraction

Chung has become a prolific sideman, working across a variety of musical genres, these influences feeding back into the music of Glasshopper. In 2019 he was selected as a Serious ‘Take Five’ artist, an award that has helped him to develop his career.

Originally from the North East of England guitarist James Kitchman leads his own quartet featuring pianist Bruno Heinen, bassist Tom McCredie and drummer Shane Forbes. “First Quartet”, Kitchman’s debut album with this quartet was released to considerable critical acclaim in 2022. Review here;

Kitchman and Heinen have also worked together as a duo, releasing the album “Rain Shadows” in 2023. Review here;

Corrie Dick is well known to jazz audiences as the regular drummer on trumpeter Laura Jurd’s various projects, most notably her Mercury Music Prize nominated quartet Dinosaur. His playing has also been heard in groups led by guitarist Rob Luft, pianist Elliot Galvin, bassist Jasper Hoiby, saxophonist Andrew Baker and harmonica / keyboard player Adam Glasser.

But Dick is far more than just one of the best drummers of his generation. He’s also a composer and bandleader with two album releases under his own name, “Impossible Things” (2015) and “Sun Swells” (2022). These recordings feature a mix of songs and instrumentals and include elements of jazz, rock, folk and world music. It’s an eclectic mix that reflects Dick’s broad range of influences. A live performance by Dick and his Sun Swells group at the Marr’s Bar in Worcester is reviewed here;

“I’m Not Telling You Anything” focusses on the sound of the core Glasshopper trio. The album takes its title from a phrase regularly deployed by Chung’s famously feisty 92 year old Scottish grandmother.

Musically Glasshopper draw inspiration from artists as varied as Jan Garbarek, Evan Parker, Joe Lovano, Polar Bear, Paul Motian, Robert Stillman, Radiohead, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Bjork and Faust.

All of the material is composed by Chung, who wrote most of it in 2022 just after the pandemic. He has spoken of the music representing a release, giving vent to the “pent up energy collected during that time”. The trio’s approach is generally louder and more direct than it was on their debut album and Chung has also injected an element of musical humour that reflects the trio’s musical relationship.

The album commences with “A New Thing”, which very much represents a statement of intent with its buoyant, rock influenced grooves, jangling guitar and honking tenor sax, with Chung and Kitchman both deploying a range of swirling electronic effects. There’s a real indie rock sensibility here, with Dick delivering a dynamic performance behind the kit. However in Glasshopper’s musical world nothing is ever quite what it seems and the music slows down as the piece enters its second phase, the sound now more obviously jazz focussed with the interplay between Chung and Kitchman earning comparisons with that of Jan Garbarek and Bill Frisell on Garbarek’s 1981 album “Paths, Prints”.

Something of that musical humour of which Chung speaks is reflected in the ironic title of “Major Hit”. It even extends into the music, which takes its cue from Faust’s “It’s A Rainy Day Sunshine Girl” and features an exaggeratedly inflexible, metronomic groove, this providing the backdrop for Chung’s tenor sax musings.

Introduced by Dick at the drums “When You Find” features the intricate interplay of tenor sax and guitar, with Kitchman again deploying his effects wisely. There’s a rock sensibility within a jazz framework and the music attains an impressive power as the track progresses, while occasionally slipping into more abstract free jazz moments. At times it sounds like like a meeting between Polar Bear and Bill Frisell.

“Take Out The Sun” was written by Chung in response to the death of his partner’s father. Appropriately it’s more reflective and melancholic than anything else we’ve heard thus far with long, baleful sax melody lines combining with the shimmer of effects laden guitar and the mallet driven rumble of Dick’s drums. Subsequently sharp, staccato, foghorn like blasts suggest an anger at that loss before the music shears off into a more abstract, improvised section. It’s not a ballad or lament in the conventional sense, some of the music is too angry and abrasive for that.

As its title suggests “Grunge” is one of the album’s rockiest tracks as the trio explore the kind of loud / soft dynamics commonly associated with the grunge genre. The quietness comes via an unaccompanied guitar passage, the loudness through a skronking tenor sax solo, with Dick giving another powerful performance behind the kit.

“Music Stands” begins with Glasshopper in mellow mood as guitar and sax float gently above a brushed drum groove. There’s something of a folk / Americana feel to the music, which gradually becomes more assertive, with Chung soloing on tenor sax.

The album concludes with “I Go To Bed at 10PM”, almost certainly an ironic title given the lifestyle of a touring jazz musician. Introduced by a ringing “Hard Day’s Night” style guitar chord it’s one of the rockiest pieces on the album, with vibrant, vigorous odd meter grooves fuelling the leader’s powerful tenor sax skronking, his lengthy solo exhibiting something of the influence of Pete Wareham. Kitchman turns up the distortion levels on his guitar, while somebody bellows about going to bed.

Generally a more ‘in yer face’ recording than “Fortune Rules” this latest release has also attracted a compelling amount of critical acclaim and sees Glasshopper reaching out to a wider audience. The more direct approach is likely to have an even greater appeal for rock listeners than previously,  but there is no sense that the trio are compromising either themselves or their music. As Chung says this music does indeed have that sense of release, an energy that feeds itself into these performances.

“I’m Not Telling You Anything” is a worthy addition to the lineage of British ‘punk jazz’ pioneered by Acoustic Ladyland, Polar Bear, Led Bib and others. The buzz about Glasshopper can only continue to grow.

 

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