Angle Shades

The newly re-christened group Angle Shades present TWIRLER, the eagerly-awaited follow up to their beloved debut record. This confident, expressive and adventurous album features the tightly-knit trio revelling in the deep and surprising prospects of a classic group format; piano, double bass and drums diving and wheeling together, through moments both perfectly arranged and delightfully unexpected. The six pieces on TWIRLER (two from the pen of each musician) thrum with compelling sonic energy, at turns driving and probing, poised and contemplative or brimming with playful lightness, always ready to glide, float or twist in a new direction. Angle Shades are a trio of equal partners, all dynamic improvisers, imaginative composers and sought-after collaborators, here combining their formidable faculties and sharp-eared openness to create and capture a music all of their own.

A truly impressive line up, Angle Shades comprises three of the fastest-rising voices in the UK jazz scene. Pianist Richard Jones (Beats & Pieces Big Band, Emma Johnson’s Gravy Boat) brings his deeply lyrical and questing sound, with a freshness informed by a sideways study of the history of jazz piano. Double-bassist Joshua Cavanagh-Brierly (Matthew Halsall, Manchester Jazz Collective) lends his propulsive and rich tone, with an experienced arranger’s ear and authority. On drums, Johnny Hunter (Sloth Racket, Blind Monk Trio, Nishla Smith) traverses the territory from swing to groove to ballad, always locating the right energy with the tuned instincts of the free improviser. But this band is really much more than the sum of its considerable parts, their instinctual alchemy breathing life into a collection of inventive, diverse material.