Sean Gibbs featuring Frida Touray

“Set Me Free EP”

(Self Released)

Sean Gibbs:  Trumpet, All Compositions & Lyrics

Frida Touray: Vocals

Tom Walsh: Trumpet & Piccolo Trombone
Luke Vice-Coles: Trumpet & Soprano Trombone
Miguel Gorodi: Trumpet & Soprano Trombone
Freddie Gavita: Trumpet

Tom Dunnett: Trombone
Kieran McLeod: Trombone
Richard Foote: Trombone
Richard Henry: Bass Trombone

George Millard: Alto Saxophone
James Gardiner-Bateman: Alto Saxophone
Harben Kay: Tenor Saxophone
Riley Stone-Lonergan: Tenor Saxophone
Chris Maddock: Baritone Saxophone

Rob Brockway: Piano
Calum Gourlay: Acoustic & Electric Bass
Luke Tomlinson: Drums

Gareth Fowler: Guitar (on title track only)

A slightly belated look at this latest release by the Scottish born, London based trumpeter and composer Sean Gibbs, which was first issued in June 2026.

Gibbs has featured regularly on the Jazzmann web pages in recent years. In 2021 I reviewed his lockdown inspired album “When Will I See You Again?” , a quintet recording featuring tenor saxophonist Riley Stone-Lonergan, pianist Rob Brockway, bassist Calum Gourlay and drummer Jay Davis. 
 Featuring Gibbs’ writing exclusively the album is reviewed here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/sean-gibbs-when-can-i-see-you-again

All of the members of the quintet were part of the big band that Gibbs led on his 2022 album release “Confluence”, which is favourably reviewed here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/sean-gibbs-confluence

“Confluence” was subsequently nominated for Best Album at the 2023 Scottish Jazz Awards. 

Gibbs was born in Edinburgh and played in numerous youth jazz ensembles including The Tommy Smith Youth Jazz Orchestra and the National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland. He has maintained his links with his homeland and is currently a member of the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra (SNJO). With the SNJO he has performed with guest artists including vocalists Kurt Elling and Jazzmeia Horn, vibraphonist Joe Locke and drummer Kenny Washington.

Gibbs moved south to study on the Jazz Course at Birmingham Conservatoire, graduating with first class honours in 2015 and winning the BMus Jazz Prize. His trumpet teachers included Percy Pursglove and Richard Iles and he was also mentored by such illustrious visiting tutors as Mark Turner, Kenny Garrett, Maria Schneider, Joe Lovano, Dave Holland and the late, great John Taylor.

During his time in Birmingham Gibbs was an integral part of the city’s jazz scene appearing at such venues as the Spotted Dog in Digbeth and performing with bands such as Trope, the brass ensemble Young Pilgrims, the Birmingham Jazz Orchestra and the Mike Fletcher Jazz Orchestra. 

Gibbs was also the leader and principal composer of the Birmingham based quintet Fervour featuring fellow Conservatoire graduates Ben Lee (guitar), Andy Bunting (piano), Nick Jurd (bass) and Euan Palmer (drums). This ensemble released an excellent début album, “Taking Flight”, in 2018. Review here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/fervour-taking-flight

Gibbs both played with and conducted the Birmingham Jazz Orchestra with whom he released the 2015 album “Burns”, a set of compositions by Gibbs inspired by the works of Scotland’s national poet Robert Burns. Gibbs also appears on trumpet on a 2017 live album by the BJO featuring the writing of drummer and composer Tom Haines.

Gibbs’ discography also includes recordings by Trope, Young Pilgrims, the SNJO and the Keywork Orchestra, led by Scottish saxophonist Paul Towndrow. He is also featured on both volumes of the “Live at The Spotted Dog” compilation albums, released to help raise funds for the venue.

In 2021 he was part of the ensemble that appeared on bassist and composer Daniel Casimir’s exceptional “Boxed In” album, released on the Jazz re; freshed label. Review here; https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/daniel-casimir-boxed-in

Gibbs has also appeared with saxophonists Martin Kershaw and Stan Sulzmann, pianists Stella Roberts and Alex Maydew, trombonist Rory Ingham, vocalists Georgia Cecile and Hannah Williams, the Calum Gourlay Big Band, Jim Rattigan’s Pavillon, Eliza Carthy’s Wayward Band, the Charlie Bates Big Band and Chris Dean’s Syd Lawrence Orchestra.

As a composer he has written for the SNJO, the Birmingham Jazz Orchestra and the Greater Manchester Jazz Orchestra. His compositions have also been performed in the USA by the University of Miami’s Frost Studio Jazz Band.

“Set Me Free” sees Gibbs exploring new areas of composition as his music features vocals and lyrics for the first time. Gibbs’ words are sung by rising star vocalist Frida Touray, a singer songwriter with an EP (“Mending”, 2022) and a full length album (“Homebody”, 2025) to her credit. She has also attracted attention for her work with Lianne La Havas and with Jordan Rakei. Born in Sweden of Gambian heritage Touray is currently living and working in London.

Gibbs deploys pretty much the same nucleus of musicians that appeared on the “Confluence” recording, the line up including players fro the London, Birmingham and Scottish jazz scenes. The instrumentation sees members of the trumpet section doubling on rarely heard instruments, the piccolo and soprano variants of the trombone.

Gibbs’ song writing for this project is variously influenced by jazz, Motown, blues, and folk singer-songwriters with lyrics examining the extremes of romantic relationships, from intense joy to bitter disillusionment, but always displaying a genuine humanity.

The first of the four tracks is “Forever”, which displays something of that Motown influence as Touray’s vocals are combined with bright, punchy horn arrangements and a sturdy rock inspired backbeat generated by Calum Gourlay’s electric bass and newcomer Luke Tomlinson’s drums. The joyous lyrics celebrating the dizzying excitement of the first throes of a romantic relationship are complemented by a raunchy and incisive alto sax solo from James Gardiner-Bateman.

“Wounded Healers” represents a complete contrast, a sumptuous jazz ballad with a more introspective, but still positive, lyric. The featured instrumental soloist is Gibbs himself, with a fluent and lyrical trumpet feature. The ensemble textures are lush and rounded, harking back to the 1930s and 40s. For me it represents the outstanding track on the recording.

“Rolling On” combines big band rumbustiousness with singer-songwriter style introspection. During the gentler vocal passages Touray’s phrasing, allied to the wistfulness and purity of her delivery, sometimes reminds me of Joni Mitchell. The instrumental sections are far more robust, making for a highly effective contrast. Pianist Rob Brockway eventually emerges as the featured instrumental soloist, his feature representing a kind of coda.

Guitarist Gareth Fowler is added to the ensemble for the title track, combining with Gourlay’s electric bass to bring a funk element to the music. The Motown influence also returns on this upbeat offering, with Touray’s soulful voice again to the fore. Bright,  punchy ensemble passages featuring the massed horns are followed by a guitar solo from Fowler that has elicited favourable comparisons with the playing of Larry Carlton. It certainly sounds as if it could fit very neatly onto a Steely Dan record.

Gibbs’ new direction certainly makes for interesting listening and his customary skill and craftsmanship is evident throughout. The featured instrumental soloists and the ensemble as a whole all perform well and Touray comes across as a highly accomplished vocalist with a bright future ahead of her.

For all that it’s a release that risks falling between two stools, too pop for jazz listeners who may have enjoyed Gibbs’ instrumental recordings, but too jazzy for fans of mainstream pop and soul / r & b. It will be interesting to see which path Gibbs decides to follow from here.

Recordings by Sean Gibbs can be purchased here;
https://seangibbs.bandcamp.com/music

 

blog comments powered by Disqus