Ant Law

“Unified Theories”

(Self Released)

Ant Law – guitars, Will Vinson – alto sax, Gwilym Simcock – piano, Orlando le Fleming – bass, Ernesto Simpson – drums
with Brigitte Beraha – voice (tracks 1,7,10)

On 21st November 2024 I enjoyed an excellent performance by an all star quintet led by the British guitarist and composer Ant Law at the Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho as part of that year’s EFG London Jazz Festival.

Billed as the ‘Unified Theories Quintet’ the band lined up as above, but without Beraha and with Ferg Ireland replacing Orlando le Fleming on bass, who was playing just round the corner at Ronnie Scott’s with the Israeli pianist and composer Shai Maestro. My reviews of both the Law and Maestro shows can be found as part of my Festival coverage here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/features/article/efg-london-jazz-festival-2024-thursday-21-11-2024

Law’s set included several of the compositions to be found on this recent album, which was released in June 2025. It’s a lengthy recording that also includes several other pieces that didn’t get an airing at the Pizza and it’s an album that I’ve been meaning to take a look at for time – still better late than never.

Law has featured regularly on the Jazzmann web pages over many years, as the leader of his own quintet (the albums “Zero Sum World” from 2015 and “Life I Know” are reviewed elsewhere on these web pages), as a member of Trio HLK with pianist Rich Harrold and drummer / percussionist Rich Kass (2024’s “Anthropometricks” is also the subject of a review), and as co-leader with saxophonist Alex Hitchcock of the “Same Moon In The Same World” project, which began as a series of online collaborations with an illustrious cast of musicians, many of them American, during the lockdown era.

Law is also a prolific sideman who has worked with saxophonists Emma Rawicz,  Tim Garland, Paul Riley and Alam Nathoo, trumpeter Henry Spencer, pianist Scott Flanigan,  bassists Matt Ridley and Ferg Ireland and drummers Ollie Howell and Marc Michel. He has also collaborated with the band Partikel, led by saxophonist and composer Duncan Eagles.

He is also published author, having written a book on the subject of the “Perfect Fourths” system of guitar tuning titled “Third Millennium Guitar; An Introduction”.

One of Law’s most recent projects has been his duo with vocalist and lyricist Brigitte Beraha, the pair releasing the album “Ensconced” in 2024. Review here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/ant-law-and-brigitte-beraha-ensconced

There’s a degree of continuity between the duo project with Beraha and the Unified Theories Quintet in that two of the tracks from “Ensconced” are revisited in different forms on the new album.

Law explains the title of the new album this;
“’Unified Theories’ has a double meaning. The first refers to people in the world, or in this case these six musicians, deciding on agreed common ground as a starting point, a ‘unified theory’ – rather than focussing on differences. Much of the music however evolved from musical experiments or ‘theories’. This is the second meaning”.

Law’s music is frequently complex and is often based on mathematical constructs and principles, yet it still remains eminently accessible to the discerning listener. These qualities are very much in evidence on his four previous albums as a leader, plus his collaborations with Beraha and Hitchcock.

“Unified Theories” continues this lineage in the company of a new five piece ‘supergroup’ featuring two British born musicians who have made their mark on the New York jazz scene, bassist Orlando le Fleming and alto saxophonist Will Vinson. Pianist Gwilym Simcock also has an international reputation and has recorded for the German record label ACT in addition to touring globally with American guitar superstar Pat Metheny. The new quintet is completed by the Cuban born, London drummer and percussionist Ernesto Simpson, previously heard with saxophonist Paul Booth and guitarist Phil Robson, among others.

The new album commences with “A to Z”, a song that appears in a different form on the “Ensconced” recording and which was performed as an instrumental at the Pizza. Vinson sits out but this new version features the voice and lyrics of the always excellent Beraha in addition to instrumental solos from le Fleming on double bass and the leader on acoustic guitar.

Law explains that the premise behind “Colours”, another piece that was performed last November is; “what happens if we use this melodic palette, but incorporate some wrong colours?”. It’s a piece that features some tricky, bustling melodic lines led by Vinson’s alto, underscored by similarly busy rhythms. Law breaks ranks to deliver an agile electric guitar solo, fuelled by Simpson’s energetic drumming. Vinson later takes flight on alto on a fast moving piece that combines an urgent,  bristling energy with a high level of musical sophistication. Great stuff, even it does leave you feeling breathless.

“Parity” embraces a kind of cerebral funk alongside typically complex unison melody lines. There’s some impressively tight and cohesive ensemble playing in addition to a concise double bass solo from le Fleming followed by more expansive and exploratory solos from the leader on electric guitar and Vinson on alto sax. For all their complexities Law’s compositions act as excellent vehicles for improvisation and these recorded versions are often substantially different to the live performances of the same pieces at the Pizza.

“Tbilisi” bustles along like updated 21st century bebop while adding further layers of complexity. Law delivers a dazzlingly slippery guitar solo, fuelled by busy and relentless bass and drum grooves. Simcock and Vinson also deliver dizzying solos and there’s a lively feature for Simpson towards the close. “Well shit! Look at that” declares somebody at the end of the piece, which sums up this outpouring of energy pretty nicely.

There’s more light and shade on the near ten minute epic “Ballroom” with its impressionistic intro featuring Law’s shimmering guitar atmospherics alongside, piano, alto, double bass and brushed drums. It’s a piece that evolves slowly and unhurriedly with Law combining electric and acoustic guitar sounds. Attractively melodic passages are juxtaposed with darker, heavier moments exhibiting a real avant rock power, with the leader’s guitar muscling its way to the fore. Vinson responds in kind and le Fleming lays down some thunderous bass lines.

“Nikumaroro” is named for a Pacific island, but only Law could come up with a tune based around a rhythmic cycle inspired by the shape of the said island. Needless to say it’s a mind bogglingly complex piece, but in this all star quintet Law has musicians who are more than capable of responding to the challenge. The composer takes the first solo, his fleet fingered, slippery lead guitar lines underpinned by fractured rhythms. Simcock’s piano solo sails further into free jazz waters before Vinson’s alto takes flight, fuelled by Simpson’s increasingly dynamic drumming. There are also some dazzling unison melody lines on what is something of a white knuckle listening experience.

“Where Would We Be?” re-introduces Beraha, at first singing wordlessly, with her breathy vocals effectively functioning as an additional instrument. Later she sings her own lyrics on a song presumably written specifically for this project as it doesn’t appear on “Ensconced”. Her Norma Winstone like vocals and words are augmented by elegant instrumental solos from Vinson and Simcock, with the pianist stretching out at considerable length. Law undertakes a short but graceful guitar excursion before Beraha returns.

Another of those “experiments” or “theories” provides the inspiration for “Stereopticon”, with Law asking the question “what if we combine two tonal centres?”. I’m no music theorist but the answer is both fascinating and surprisingly accessible, moving through a number of distinct phases. An atmospheric rubato style intro with le Fleming’s bass prominent in the arrangement gives way to a more upbeat section fuelled by bass and drums that features some tricky unison melody lines and fast paced but supremely fluent instrumental soloing from Vinson on alto,  followed by Law on guitar.  Simcock is featured more prominently as the energy dissipates leading to a more reflective final section featuring a closing passage of unaccompanied piano.

Le Fleming’s double bass introduces “Octopus Pyjama”, which embraces a kind of cerebral, odd meter funk among its other complexities. Vinson gives a powerful performance on alto as he shares the solos with Law on guitar and Simcock at the piano, both of whom stretch out expansively.  Simpson is featured towards the close with a rousing drum fusillade.

The lovely ballad “Ensconced” lowers the temperature once more, an intimate performance of the title track from Law and Beraha’s duo album, but with the voice here augmented by guitar, piano, alto sax and eventually bass and drums. As a song it works equally effectively in this expanded format.
The album concludes with an alternate take on “Nikumaroro” that incorporates significantly different solos, particularly from Simcock. It’s interesting to compare and contrast and this fascinating and highly energetic group performance more than justifies its inclusion here.

Featuring nearly seventy seven minutes of music “Unified Theories” certainly represents excellent value for money. But one never gets the impression that there’s too much music here, not even with the alternative take at the end. Law’s complex and intriguing compositions need space to give full expression both to the writing and to the individual soloing of this stellar group of musicians. They need room to develop and grow and on this self released album they get it. Law has ideas to burn and he’s more than justified in getting all of them out there.

Last year’s single EFG LJF set was effectively a taster for the album and having now heard the recording I’d love to see the band live again, preferably over the course of two sets, thus allowing them to perform the whole album. Ant Law’s music may be complex and sophisticated but it can also be powerful and exciting. This album delivers on that premise, with Vinson and le Fleming both bringing a bit of genuine New York attitude back to the UK with them and channelling it through this quintet. But ultimately the triumph is Law’s as intelligent writing and supremely accomplished playing combine to create something very special.

“Unified Theories” is available here;
https://antlaw.bandcamp.com/music

 

 

 

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