Paul Edis Sextet

“Mr Hipster”

(Edis Music)

This self released album by the Newcastle based pianist and composer Paul Edis represents a follow up to his acclaimed 2012 sextet release “There Will be Time” which appeared on the Jazzaction record label. “There Will Be Time” attracted the attention of the national jazz media and made Jazzwise Magazine’s “Best of” list for 2012.

“Mr Hipster” features exactly the same band as its predecessor with Edis joined by his regular trio rhythm partners Mick Shoulder (bass) and Adam Sinclair (drums) plus three of the North East’s most celebrated horn players in the shapes of Graham Hardy (trumpet), Graeme Wilson (saxophones) and Chris Hibbard (trombone). The début was much influenced by the classic “Blue Note” sound but “Mr Hipster” finds Edis expanding his stylistic palette further on a set of eleven originals.

Edis is a highly versatile musician, classically trained but with the ability to excel in a variety of musical contexts. He plays electric keyboards in bassist Andy Champion’s acclaimed prog jazz ensemble ACV, has accompanied jazz vocalist Ruth Lambert and worked with Newcastle based jazz/funk/soul outfit Nick Pride & the Pimptones. The trio of Edis, Sinclair and Shoulder are the North East’s “first call” rhythm team for visiting soloists of the calibre of trumpeters Steve Waterman and Jon Faddis and saxophonists Tim Garland, Alan Barnes, Julian Siegel, Tony Kofi, Simon Spillett, Greg Abate and Iain Ballamy. In 2013 he released the solo piano album “Not Like Me”, a fascinating exploration of both his jazz and his classical roots on an intriguing selection of original compositions and inspired covers. A review of this digital only release can be found elsewhere on this site.

Edis has also written a number of contemporary classical pieces for a variety of instruments, details of which can be found at http://www.pauledis.co.uk, together with details of his work as an arranger for big bands, brass bands, pop groups and theatrical productions

Edis is a musician who has always liked to inject a dash of humour into his music and this tendency is reflected in the album packaging with its tongue-in-cheek liner notes and listings of the group members’ extra curricular interests from steam trains to singing bowls. It’s also reflected in Alastair Graham’s artwork and in some of the tune titles.

The album commences with “The Timothys”, a piece that combines a warm sense of English whimsy with the harder edged “Blue Note” style sound that has come to characterise the sextet. There’s more than a hint of the Northern brass band tradition in the opening exchanges before fluent solos from Hardy and Hibbard steer the music in a more obviously jazz direction with a groove that also borrows from the South African Townships. There’s an engaging passage of solo piano mid tune before Edis is joined by bass and drums with Sinclair also being featured prominently. It all makes for a pleasingly quirky and engaging start.

Next up is the title track, of which the liner notes declare “you will find that Mr Hipster is a close relative of the Pink Panther”. It’s a fair observation as the clipped rhythms allude to the Panther theme but Mr Hipster soon asserts his own identity via a playful group arrangement and uplifting solos from Hibbard and Edis.

“Eastern” sees events taking a darker turn as interior piano scrapings, mallet rumbles and eerie arco bass introduce the piece. It evolves into a spacious, linear ballad featuring sparse but lyrical piano and carefully muted horns. Wilson’s tenor solo combines tenderness with fluency and Edis exhibits similar qualities on his own expansive solo. A version of the piece also appeared on the solo piano album “Not Like Me”.

“Serial for Breakfast” is as playful as the punning title might suggest with a quirky group horn arrangement and a shuffling New Orleans style beat framing effusive solos from Wilson and Hibbard.  Considering that one of the inspirations behind this piece was the notoriously prickly Arnold Schoenberg it’s actually great fun.

“Knight Errant” is even more eclectic as Edis’ solemn solo piano introduction mutates into a Moorish style section featuring Hardy’s trumpet. This in turn leads to a sparkling trumpet/piano duet before an extended passage of solo piano leads back to the Moorish theme, this time featuring Sinclair’s military style drumming, all this capped by a coda that mixes flamenco inspired hand-claps with a whistled melody that sounds as if it may have been borrowed from a Spaghetti Western. 

“Ah Um” is a Charles Mingus homage featuring the warmly rounded but surprisingly agile sounds Hibbard’s trombone alongside Edis’ piano. There’s more than a hint of Mingus inspired dissonance and something of a feature for Sinclair in the Dannie Richmond role.

“Dorian Grey” is a handsome composition that frames beautiful solos from Wilson on tenor plus Shoulder on wonderfully melodic bass. Edis is flowingly lyrical and there’s a well crafted arrangement that hints at Edis’ work with larger ensembles.

“Missing You” is a true ballad that begins gently in piano trio mode before the velvety flugel horn of Graham Hardy is introduced to the proceedings, softly floating above sparse piano chording, quietly purring bass and delicately brushed drums. There’s another delightfully tuneful bass solo from Shoulder and a short but mellifluous passage featuring all three horns.

Apparently Lord John Prescott was the inspiration behind the wonderfully titled “Better Than A Punch In The Face”, an unpretentiously swinging piece that this time features Hardy on hard hitting, brassy trumpet, another excellent example of the versatility of all the musicians involved with this sextet. Edis, Shoulder and Sinclair are a great team and the three swing effortlessly throughout the leader’s solo. Shoulder gets another turn in the spotlight as does the excellent Sinclair who also acted as the album’s engineer and (with Edis) co-producer.

“Lost In Translation” mixes Horace Silver inspired melodies and rhythms with Mingus style vamps to good effect. Hardy is fluently elegant on his trumpet solo, contrasting nicely with Wilson’s raspingly rumbustious baritone feature complete with hand-claps on the backbeat.

The beautiful waltz “Vignette” first appeared on the solo piano album “Not Like Me”. Rearranged for sextet it is equally lovely with carefully crafted contributions from muted trumpet and tenor sax before the album closes with the gentle sound of Edis’ unaccompanied piano. 

“Mr Hipster” represents another impressive statement from Edis. His numerous influences cohere to create a convincing whole and the entire album is shot through with a sense of fun that can only add to its appeal. The writing and arranging is consistently witty, varied and inventive and the playing by all six musicians is excellent throughout with Sinclair’s engineering skills consistently bringing out the best qualities of the band.

A look at Lance Liddell’s Bebop Spoken Here website (http://www.lance-bebopspokenhere.blogspot.com)    suggests that the Edis sextet are already hugely popular in their native North East. Like the South Walian pianist Dave Jones Paul Edis is far more than just a good “regional” musician. He and his excellent sextet deserve to be appreciated on the national stage.

COMMENTS;

From Paul Edis via email;

Dear Ian,
Thanks for the positive review! I’m glad you obviously enjoyed the album. It’s a great start to 2015 to read such an in depth analysis/reflection.
I am hoping to get myself (and the band if possible) on the road more this year to build a national profile, so hopefully I might see you sometime at a gig down there..!
All the best for the new year.
Paul.

 

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