Lively free jazz outing from a quartet performing live at a venue in Hackney…those blowing their stacks in November 2019 were John Edwards, Dan Nicholls, George Crowley and Dave De Rose, and record is called Alive In The Empire (DAVE DE ROSE RECORDS DDR014). Their spirited blowing and thrashing is souped-up by the presence of Nicholls, who plays synth and adds samples and effects to the otherwise largely acoustic picnic spread, although I gather it’s largely drummer De Rose who is propelling the “Agile Experiments” project and label, which he started doing in 2015 in Brixton. Considering De Rose has a lot of ribbons in his lunchpail, including teaching, sound engineering and composition, it’s fair to say he favours a multi-panoramic approach to music production, and I expect he inculcates a truly open atmosphere at all events where he’s playing the Captain Ahab role. Hence, presence of Nicholls with his background of collaborations with avant-techno and club types such as Goldie and Squarepusher, and his project Strobes which is credited with inventing the “mathrobeat” genre. More conventional jazz fans will find a way into this electric grumpion through the sax work of Crowley (though he too adds some effects to his bell) and the always-reliable bass playing of Edwards. White vinyl-only release for this item, ensuring instant collectability for many fans…from 5th February 2020.
