Winner of the Parliamentary Jazz Award for Best Media, 2019

Review

by Ian Mann

May 13, 2010

/ ALBUM

An imaginative and colourful record and a strong contender for Bratoeff's best album yet.

Jonathan Bratoeff Quartet

“Mindscapes”

(F-ire,  F-IRECD34)

French born guitarist Jonathan Bratoeff has been a member of London’s F-ire Collective since it’s inception. He has recorded a number of albums as a leader, all of them released on the Collective’s own label. These number “Episodes” (2001), “Between Lines” (2005), the electronica influenced “Points Of Perception” (2007) and most recently the duo album “Chapters” (2009) recorded with US born drummer Chris Vatalaro. “Chapters” is reviewed elsewhere on this site but my personal favourite to date is “Points Of Perception”, a fascinating album that blends traditional jazz virtues with an innovative and forward looking contemporary approach. It’s a record with a strong pictorial quality that is impressive in it’s scope. Bratoeff is also a key member of Porpoise Corpus, the exciting young band led by keyboard player Dave O’Brien.

At first sight “Mindscapes” seems to most closely resemble “Between Lines”. Like it’s predecessor it’s a quartet album with Bratoeff and bassist Tom Mason common to both records. The earlier recording featured saxophonist Pete Wareham and drummer Sebastian Rochford, both now fully committed to their numerous other projects including Acoustic Ladyland and Polar Bear respectively. Their places in the current edition of the Jonathan Bratoeff Quartet are tenor saxophonist Mark Hanslip of Outhouse and Loop Collective fame and young drummer of the moment James Maddren who almost appears to be in almost as many bands as the legendarily busy Rochford.

The new recruits are more than a match for their illustrious predecessors. To these ears “Mindscapes” is a more adventurous record than “Between Lines”. Some of the cinematic qualities of “Points Of Perception” are apparent on “Mindscapes” with the new album covering an impressive range of moods, colours and textures. Bratoeff is clearly continuing to mature as a writer and the playing by these exceptionally talented young musicians is consistently excellent. Apart from Bratoeff’s numerous guitar effects this is essentially an acoustic band, the beats and wide-screen effects of “Points Of Perception” are absent, but the way in which Bratoeff channels his resources makes for a fascinating mix of electric and acoustic sounds. 

The material consists of eight Bratoeff originals with the exception of three pieces under the “Mindscape” title attributed to the whole group. These I suspect are the results of group improvisations with parts one to three evenly distributed across the record.

The album begins with the attractive “Bird Dance”, a breezy, highly melodic piece that highlights the interplay between Bratoeff’s nimble guitar and Hanslip’s soulful tenor. Maddren brings his customarily immaculately detailed but subtly propulsive drumming to the proceedings with the reliable Mason acting as the group’s anchor. It’s an accomplished piece of ensemble playing with the leader’s guitar subtly dominant and taking the only bona fide solo with Hanslip also featuring strongly.

The lengthy “Transition” ranges widely and adds a rock element to Bratoeff’‘s playing. A brooding, atmospheric intro featuring both guitar and tenor leads to a more rock orientated section where dense guitar chording alternates with powerful unison riffs. Bratoeff then takes a soaring solo before Hanslip takes over, blowing economically above Mason’s powerful bass groove and Maddren’s nimble drumming. As the momentum builds the intricate unison lines return but in a piece that lives up to it’s title the opening theme eventually returns leading to a shimmering coda. This is a shifting magnum opus that holds the listener’s attention throughout and demonstrates the increasing maturity of Bratoeff’s writing.

“Mindscape Part 1” is altogether more abstract and almost certainly freely improvised. Hanslip blows long lines above the leader’s FX laden guitar, some of them sounding like a distorted human voice. Mason uses his bow to both strike and bow the strings and Maddren adds extra colour with his percussion shadings. As a whole it’s eerie and vaguely unsettling.

“Fallen Colossus” marks a return to more overtly tuneful territory with it’s tricky bop inspired theme. Bratoeff’s guitar solo adds a more contemporary influence and Hanslip solos forcefully but melodically over Maddren’s fast, colourful, ever shifting drum accents. Mason, so often the backbone of the group also features strongly. 

As its title might suggest “Ephemeral Light” is more about mood creation. There is a painterly quality about Bratoeff’s writing here that provides the canvas for a moving and resonant solo from the excellent Mason. Subsequently Hanslip’s tenor smoulders above Bratoeff’s sympathetic chording and Maddren’s delicate brush work. 

Maddren and Mason’s busy odd meter grooves on “Moving Lines” provide the springboard for Bratoeff’s feverish, rock influenced soloing. Hanslip also shows up strongly and there is something of a feature for the colourful drumming of Maddren.

“Mindscape Part 2” mirrors the atmosphere of it’s predecessor but strays further into spacey, ambient territory.

“Nothing Certain” is the album’s ballad with Hanslip’s tone now warm, lush and conversational. Bratoeff brings similar qualities to his own playing and solos delicately and tastefully. Mason’s rounded bass tones and Maddren’s mainly brushed support work are appropriately sympathetic.

“Pluton N’est Plus” is similarly warm in tone but ups the tempo a little with Bratoeff’ soloing gracefully above Maddren’s immaculately detailed drum undertow. Hanslip is pithy and incisive and Mason also solos, combining a huge tone with remarkable agility.

“Mindscape Part 3” is a brief thrash, coming in at less than a minute and originally probably part of something bigger. It’s lot more listenable than the initial premise might suggest.

Mason’s solo bass introduces the closing “Echeance” with Bratoeff subsequently taking an unhurried and elegant solo.  Hanslip follows him, the two later coalescing on the almost anthemic coda.

“Mindscapes” is an imaginative, colourful record with some excellent but understated playing and is a strong contender for Bratoeff’s best album yet. It shows the leader continuing to mature as a composer in a well balanced programme that covers a wide range of moods and textures within a recognisable group sound. The three group improvisations provide a nice contrast with the more formal written material.

Bratoeff’s website suggests that the quartet have been playing together for some time and “Mindscapes” certainly suggests a band with a strong group identity, the musicians comfortable with each other’s playing. A word too for Bratoeff’s sometime musical collaborator Chris Vatalaro, who acts here as engineer and comes up with a pinpoint mix that serves the quartet well.

The Jonathan Bratoeff Quartet are currently touring in support of this album. On the recorded evidence they should be well worth seeing. Catch them if you can. Details are in our news pages or at http://www.jonathanbratoeff.com.

blog comments powered by Disqus