Joshua Cavanagh-Brierley

“The Mild Mannered and the Mortal”

(Efpi Records FP058)

Joshua Cavanagh-Brierley – double bass, Graham South, Olivia Cuttill – trumpets, Kyran Matthews – tenor sax, Ellie Smith – trombone, Richard Jones – piano, Johnny Hunter – drums

Joshua Cavanagh-Brierley is a bassist and composer based in Manchester. “The Mild Mannered and the Mortal” represents his fourth album as a leader and follows the digital only releases “Joshua Cavanagh-Brierley” (2014) and “I Want To Be Everything” (2015,) plus “Joy In Bewilderment” (2021), which is also available in the CD format. The last named of these, which featured a twelve piece ensemble plus a guest appearance from the great American saxophonist Chris Potter, is reviewed here;

Cavanagh-Brierley is also a member of the piano trio Angle Shades, featuring pianist Richard Jones and drummer Johnny Hunter. Originally known as the Richard Jones Trio the group released its debut album “Angle Shades” in 2021, following this in 2025 with “Twirler”, which is credited to Angle Shades. My review of the 2021 recording can be found here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/joshua-cavanagh-brierley-joy-in-bewilderment

In addition to his output as a leader or co-leader Cavanagh-Brierley has also worked with vocalists Nishla Smith, Janileigh Cohen and Caoilfhionn Rose Birley, trumpeter Matthew Halsall, pianist Daniel Wellens, the duo Skeltr and larger ensembles such as Beats & Pieces Big Band, Kaleidoscope Orchestra, Manchester Concert Orchestra and Manchester Camerata Orchestra. In addition he has worked with the American popular composer Frank Wildhorn and played for touring productions of West Side Story and Motown, The Musical.

The personnel on the new album is a core sextet centred around the Angle Shades trio of Cavanagh-Brierley, Jones and Hunter. To this nucleus he has added the three horn front line of tenor saxophonist Kyran Matthews, trombonist Ellie Smith and trumpeter Graham South. Guest trumpeter Olivia Cuttill replaces South on one track.

Cavanagh-Brierley says of the core line-up;
 “As cheesy as it sounds, after playing with these musicians so often and for so long, I know their sounds and personalities so well that the music kind of wrote itself”

The album features eight new original compositions by the leader that draw inspiration from the late, great bassist and composer Charles Mingus. It was recorded in Manchester in March 2024 in a ‘live in the studio’ situation with all the musicians in the same room, as opposed to isolation booths, thus creating a warm, vibrant ensemble sound.

Although Cavanagh-Brierley has written for larger ensembles in the past the sextet still produces a remarkably rich and full sound with meticulous orchestration playing a central role in the writing. This is particularly evident on album opener “Elvin’s Lullaby” where the ensemble playing is rich in terms of colour and texture, with Jones’ piano weaving its way between the long melody lines of the horns.  Trumpeter Graham South eventually emerges as the featured instrumentalist, his soloing fluent and expansive, his tone almost flugel like at times.

On “25 O’clock” the ensemble sounds even more like a ‘mini big band’, the ensemble sound bright, punchy and hard hitting, with drummer Hunter asserting himself much more. Kyran Matthews delivers a powerful and earthy tenor sax solo and is given suitably muscular support by the members of Angle Shades. Trumpet and trombone eventually return to the mix and there’s some excellent interplay between the horns as Matthews continues to torture his tenor.  A sudden change of pace follows with the piece ending more quietly, the music gradually becoming more abstract and fragmented, gently drifting into free jazz territory.

“Can’t Get A Luckin’” includes Cavanagh-Brierley’s first solo of the set, an impressively dexterous offering as he takes over from opening soloist South. In time Matthews succeeds the bassist to deliver an extended tenor sax solo on a piece that embraces a number of changes with regard to style and pace during the course of its twelve and a half minute duration.

Olivia Cuttill replaces South for “Rich and Catherine”, a gorgeously poised ensemble piece with warm, rich, lush textures and an underlying sense of melancholy lyricism. As the guest soloist Cuttill plays with great emotion and fluency as the momentum of the piece gradually begins to build, with Hunter introducing a slow march rhythm towards the close.

As its title might suggest “Lift Off” increases the pace once more, a strident piece that again casts the sextet in the role of a mini-big band. There’s a definite Mingus like quality about the music here as the three horns carouse above the vibrant rhythms generated by the Angle Shades axis, with Hunter a particularly busy presence. Smith enjoys the first substantial trombone solo of the set and Matthews is also featured with an expansive tenor work out as the piece gradually builds to a rousing collective finale.

What is effectively the title track appears as “The Mild Mannered are the Mortal”, which again finds the sextet sounding like a substantially larger ensemble. Like many of Cavanagh-Brierley’s compositions the piece moves through a series of dynamic and stylistic variations. Cavanagh-Brierley’s pieces typically feature unexpected twists and turns, which helps to both engage the listener and to keep the band members on their toes. The featured soloists here are the leader on double bass and Jones on piano, the latter stretching out joyously and expansively for the first time. Hitherto content to operate as an ensemble player Jones really comes into his own here and the piece represents something of a pianistic tour de force.

The Mingus inspired “Toby Would’ve Hated This” features the deep resonances of Smith’s trombone and the leader’s arco bass, before Jones stretches out once more. The piece concludes with an extended passage of particularly impressive ensemble playing.

The album concludes with “Mr. Relaxed”, a character who actually turns out to be rather more animated than his name might suggest. Some vivacious ensemble interplay is followed by a similarly lithe and lively trumpet solo from South. Jones then takes over at the piano to deliver a dazzling solo in the company of his Angle Shades colleagues that emphasises the tight rapport between himself, Cavanagh-Brierley and the consistently excellent Hunter. Matthews then proceeds to tear things up on tenor. The Manchester based saxophonist represents an exciting new discovery for me and makes a hugely impressive contribution throughout the album. He’s a musician whose playing I’d also like to hear in other jazz contexts. I believe that he leads his own groups in addition to being a prolific sideman throughout the north of England.

“The Mild Mannered and the Mortal” represents another impressive offering from Cavanagh-Brierley with regard to both the writing and the playing. The compositions are intelligent and well orchestrated but with sufficient space for the soloists to express themselves, all of whom do so eloquently. Cavanagh-Brierley finds room for a couple of features of his own and also forms an impressive rhythm team with Hunter, the drummer representing a distinctive but supportive presence throughout the recording, always delivering just what the music requires at any given moment.

Most of the compositions are lengthy and the album features well over an hour of music, which can almost be too much in one sitting – not that one would wish to sacrifice any of it. It would certainly be interesting to hear it performed live and the recording represents a welcome addition to the catalogue of both Cavanagh-Brierley and Efpi Records.

Album available here;
https://efpirecords.bandcamp.com/music

See also;
https://www.joshuacavanaghbrierley.com/

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