Artist: Chris Lowe

Date of Release: 12/11/2007

Catalogue no: CDLCD01

Label: CDLQuintet

Price: £12

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Track Listing

Appearances by

Jim Hart, Larry Bartley

The Chris Lowe Quintet was formed in 2004, initially to play the music of influential yet underrated trombonist Grachan Moncur III, however this was soon expanded to include original compositions which have now come to the fore, five of the eight tracks on this album have been written by Chris. The bands repertoire also includes several reworkings of Jazz tunes from the 1920s & 30s, demonstrated on this album by 'Mood Indigo'(1930) and 'Queer Notions'(1933).

Reviews

01/07/2008 Mark Bassey

'Serving Suggestion' is a most welcome addition to the all-to-few real jazz trombone albums around at
the moment... Chris has really created a band sound with his stalwart team of Brian Edwards(tenor), Jim Hart(vibes), Larry Bartley(bass) and Nick Smalley(drums).
The new album contains five Lowe originals, fresh and forward looking yet firmly connected to the jazz tradition: hints of Monk and Ellington and at times the Dave Holland Quintet, check out 'One more thing!' with a great drum
workout from Smalley leading into a Hollandesque angular riff. I particularly liked the lively opener
'Run, Don't Walk' with some excellent solos round the band... The final track 'Bring out the Bandwiches!' is imaginatively arranged and has an especially outstanding solo from Bartley showing what a highly articulate player he is. Other delights include a lovely Brazilian piece 'Ponti io'featuring some wonderful free-flowing blowing from Lowe and Edwards. There are also a couple of imaginative re-workings: Coleman Hawkins' Queer Notions (tremendous vibes solo from Hart plus some full-bodied tenor from Edwards) and the Ellington classic 'Mood Indigo' particularly notable for Lowe's magnificent plunger mute playing (it has always seemed a great shame to me that the
venerable tradition of plunger trombone has rather demised in contemporary jazz - although for further listening, check out Malcolm Earle Smith's Vox City 5 Things are looking up and also Paul Taylor's Trombone Poetry).