Vicky Tilson Quartet

“Mojo Risin’”

(F-ire Presents F-IRE CD79)

Vicky Tilson is a bass player and band leader currently based in Bristol. Born in Wiltshire she secured a degree in Film and Communication Studies before embarking on the post graduate jazz course at London’s Guildhall School of Music where her tutors included Paul Moylan, Steve Watts, Michael Janisch,and the late Jeff Clyne.  Since graduating in 2008 she has worked with an impressive array of UK based jazz musicians including saxophonists Jeremy Lyons, Brandon Allen, Ingrid Laubrock, Julian Siegel and Tony Kofi, trumpeters Henry Lowther, Quentin Collins and Kevin Davy, pianists Hans Koller, Liam Noble and Kate Williams, guitarists Phil Robson and Chris Allard and drummers Gene Calderazzo and Nick Smalley. Tilson also teaches bass at the Jazz Academy, the institution at which she first began her jazz studies under the influential tutelage of the late Michael Garrick. 

“Mojo Risin’” represents Tilson’s third album as a leader following the formation of her quartet back in 2009. It follows 2009’s “Picture From Jitske” and 2011’s “Tales From A Forgotten City”. The quartet features the alto saxophone of Dee Byrne, leader of her own band Entropi and co-organiser (with fellow saxophonist Cath Roberts) of the enterprising LUME jazz and improvised music events that take place at various London venues. Completing the line up are guitarist Stuart Fiddler and the Swedish born, London based drummer Reinis Axelsson.

Originally a classically trained pianist and oboist Tilson rebelled against the classical music establishment and turned increasingly towards jazz and rock. Most readers will recognise that the album title “Mojo Risin’” is a reference to the Jim Morrison lyric in the Doors song “LA Woman”.
The choice of title reflects Tilson’s growing confidence as a musician, composer and human being following earlier struggles with mental health issues such as OCD and depression. It’s an album that represents a strong, positive statement with tune titles that reflect both Tilson’s resurgent frame of mind and her socialist political principles. She refers to it as “my most personal album yet, dealing with themes of the credit crunch, patience in life, mortality, and other subjects of the human condition.”

As a jazz bassist Tilson cites the influence of fellow bassists such as Dave Holland, Dave Green, Charles Mingus and Jasper Hoiby plus the music of Michael Garrick, Joe Harriott and Empirical. But the music to be found on this latest album also has a strong rock influence with Tilson, who also plays electric bass in a variety of indie rock bands, also naming JJ Burnel, Bruce Foxton, Andy Rourke and Alex James as key inspirations. For any readers not familiar with these names these gentlemen play with The Stranglers, The Jam, The Smiths and Blur respectively.

The nine original pieces on “Mojo Risin’” are a distillation of Tilson’s jazz and rock influences and make frequent use of rock and funk rhythms and song like constructions but do so in a way that still allows plenty of scope for jazz improvisation. Given that the quartet shares a broadly similar instrumental line up to the group Partisans and the fact that Tilson has worked with both Phil Robson and Julian Siegel it comes as no surprise to discover that Tilson’s band exhibits many of the same virtues. This is apparent on the opening “Only The Brave” with its muscular funk/rock rhythms fuelling Byrne’s incisive alto solo. Meanwhile guitarist Stuart Fiddler, who gravitated to jazz from a rock and blues background makes judicious use of his various effects and delivers a solo that draws upon the sum of his influences. Tilson, who plays double bass throughout the album, also reveals her own soloing credentials with a thoughtful and melodic statement.

I assume that the title “Black Dog” refers to Tilson’s one time struggle with depression. The sound of Byrne’s alto ranges from impassioned strangulation to the positively serene. Meanwhile Fiddler’s guitar needles away insidiously and Axelsson’s drums also come to the foreground as the leader’s bass holds everything together.

“Better Late Than Never” is more relaxed, almost breezy, and includes more fine soloing from Byrne and Fiddler plus a further feature for the highly capable leader. 

The playful “Boho Chic” also mirrors this relaxed, positive frame of mind with engaging solos from Fiddler and Byrne. Like the rest of the album the tune also reveals just what a fine rhythm team Tilson and Axelsson are, the pair are supple, flexible and almost seem to function as a single entity. Axelsson also engineered the album which was recorded in analogue at London’s Cable Street Studios at Tilson’s request. “The analogue sound is unbeatable and gives the album a certain warmth that digital does not” she explains.

The near nine minute “Headlovin’” features some of the most expansive soloing of the set with Byrne laying down a marker with a powerful alto solo that simultaneously digs in and goes right out there with its high register squeals and squeaks. Fiddler mixes things up with a guitar solo that combines slippery jazz chording with the twang of rock. There’s also some effective interplay between sax and guitar as that juggernaut of a rhythm section keeps things moving before engaging in an absorbing dialogue of its own with bass and drums taking it in turn to assume the lead. Terrific stuff. The band then come back together to restate the theme and resolve the piece.

A salvo of unaccompanied drums introduces “The Eternal Ending” with its attractive sax melody and urgent rhythms. Fiddler’s feverish guitar work introduces the solos. He’s followed by Byrne who soars eloquently on alto sax before handing over to the forceful but fluent Tilson. The baton is then passed to the rampant Axelsson who ends the track as it began with an extended drum feature.

The elegant and lovely “Pas du Tout” offers a welcome change of pace and represents something of a pause for breath in the wake of the restless energy of the album thus far. It allows for more expressive and reflective solos from Fiddler, Byrne and Tilson but there’s still the feeling of a repressed urgency bubbling below the surface.

The title of “The Crunch” is doubtless a reference to the economic travails of the last seven years or so. It’s highly rhythmic with Axelsson’s drums prominent in the mix but there are also moments when Byrne’s alto infuses the piece with a more conventional jazz feel. At other times she adopts a more aggressive,  almost avant garde approach with a squalling, angry solo. Fiddler’s spiralling guitar solo draws on many sources including a discernible African influence.

Rhythmic drive also characterises “The Kicker”, which closes the album. Not to be confused with the Joe Henderson tune of the same name the piece incorporates driving, sometimes funky rhythms that propel urgent, inventive incisive solos from Byrne and Fiddler. It’s a high octane conclusion to an energetic and tightly focussed album.

“Mojo Risin’” represents an impressive statement of intent from Tilson. The music is assertive and tightly focussed with some memorable hooks and riffs and the playing by all four musicians is excellent throughout. The album may be a bit too “rock” for some jazz purists and a little short on light and shade but fans of Partisans and other contemporary jazz groups should find much to enjoy here.  As Stephen Graham commented in his review for the Marlbank site this is music that is very much about the here and now.
It’s a release that’s very much up my alley and I certainly took a great deal of pleasure from listening to it. The bristling energy also suggests that the Vicky Tilson Quartet is likely to be a highly exciting live proposition. For details of dates please visit http://www.vickytilson.com     

 

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