The Impossible Gentlemen

“Let’s Get Deluxe”

(Basho Records SRCD 51-2)

The remarkable story of The Impossible Gentlemen began back in 2010 when the the then unnamed Anglo-American quartet featuring UK musicians Gwilym Simcock (piano) and Mike Walker (guitar) plus the American rhythm team of Steve Swallow (electric bass) and Adam Nussbaum (drums) undertook a hugely successful British and European tour. Believing that this unlikely alliance would be no more than a glorious one-off I travelled to Swansea’s Taliesin Arts centre to see the band and was hugely impressed not only with the quality of the playing but also the writing, the majority of it by Simcock and Walker. With the focus solely on original material this was no tired blowing on standards session or superstar jam, Simcock, Walker, Swallow and Nussbaum meant business.

At the end of the tour the four musicians went into engineer Curtis Schwartz’s studio in Sussex to record an album. Adopting the group name The Impossible Gentlemen the band’s eponymous début recording was a huge success, hailed by the critics and loved by the fans. Incredible as it may seem The Impossible Gentlemen became a semi-permanent working band, touring extensively and releasing a second highly acclaimed album, 2Internationally Recognised Aliens”, in 2013. This album featured former Pat Metheny Group member Steve Rodby in the producer’s chair and he also played acoustic bass on a couple of pieces, holding down the groove while Swallow was given license to roam on his custom made five string electric bass.

The initial spark for TIG came from Christine Allen of Basho Records who encouraged Walker to form a band with Steve Swallow after the the two musicians struck up a friendship while both were performing as part of the Mike Gibbs Big Band. Like its predecessors “Let’s Get Deluxe” appears on the Basho imprint but this time round serious changes are afoot. The departure of Swallow to concentrate on solo projects and work with his partner Carla Bley has seen Rodby become the band’s full time bass player as well as continuing with his production duties, this time in conjunction with Simcock and Walker. Meanwhile Simcock has expanded his role to that of multi-instrumentalist, as well as playing piano and electric keyboards he also performs on French horn, flugel horn, accordion, vibraphone, marimba and percussion. Plus The Impossible Gentlemen has become a five piece ensemble with the addition of Walker’s close friend, the Manchester based multi-reed player Iain Dixon who adds soprano and tenor sax, clarinet, bass clarinet, flute and alto flute. Interestingly Dixon’s role is primarily that of a colourist and texturalist, adding depth and substance to the arrangements rather than acting as a jazz soloist in the conventional manner.  Some pieces also feature The Crumbleton Strings led by Benedict Holland and Jennifer Langridge.

The music on “Let’s Get Deluxe” has all been written jointly by Simcock and Walker, much of it deriving from informal improvising and writing sessions at each other’s houses. Previously the pair have written individually with Swallow and Nussbaum also occasionally adding tunes to the band’s book. One of the most distinctive aspects of TIG is that it’s the two Brits who are effectively the leaders, the band have played gigs with different rhythm players but one can’t imagine an Impossible Gents show taking place without both Simcock and Walker.

In his notes to the new album Walker describes the writing process thus;
“We wanted to draw on a wider palette of sounds using melodies and counter melodies, interweaving through the improvisations to form a broader narrative as a whole. The writing process was very organic, orchestrating and further refining the improvisations between us in much the same way that we do when we play as a duo. The plan was to leave enough space within the bass and drum parts for the guys to do their own thing”.

“Let’s Get Deluxe” was recorded at the Curtis Schwartz Studio in February 2015 shortly after the band (minus Dixon) had thoroughly road tested the material on a British tour. I was lucky enough to see and review them playing this material at an outstanding concert at Wolverhampton’s Arena Theatre on 31st January 2015. I’m pleased to see that they’ll be returning to the venue, this time with Dixon in tow, on October 8th 2016. I hope to be in attendance and it’ll be interesting to report on the five piece for the first time.

Simcock has always loved the music of the American guitarist and composer Pat Metheny and during 2016 got to play with his hero as part of a new Metheny quartet featuring bassist Linda Oh and Metheny’s long serving drummer Antonio Sanchez. The music on Let’s Get Deluxe also reflects Metheny’s influence with its increasingly wide-screen orchestrations and the emphasis on colour and texture as well as pure melody. Walker also cites cites Metheny as a key influence, alongside Steely Dan and the music of Joni Mitchell. And of course the presence of Rodby, for so long the anchor of the Pat Metheny Group, is also a hugely significant factor in TIG’s new direction.

The album announces itself with the title track with its seductive bass and drum grooves allied to arresting melodies and a richly colourful arrangement featuring Dixon’s woodwinds and Simcock on a mix of acoustic and electric keyboards plus flashes of colour from some of the other elements of his instrumental arsenal. The fullness of the sound plus the anthemic nature of the theme is reminiscent of prime time PMG but ultimately the music is very much TIG’s own. The featured soloists here are Simcock with an expansively glittering acoustic piano feature, and Walker whose guitar takes flight and soars triumphantly in the closing stages of the tune.

The ballad “It Could Have Been A Simple Goodbye” has been dedicated by its composers to the memory of the great British pianist and composer John Taylor who passed away suddenly around the time that the album was being mixed. It’s a fitting tribute and features the co-leaders dovetailing effectively on piano and guitar accompanied by Nussbaum’s delicately brushed drums. With the emphasis on a wistful and lyrical melodicism the arrangement is relatively simple in comparison to some of those elsewhere on the album. Simcock concentrates in the main on acoustic piano but Walker’s sustain heavy electric guitar solo sees him heading for the stratosphere, underscored by the sound of the Crumbleton Strings.

The joky title of “A Fedora for Dora” suggests that it is primarily Walker’s work. At a little over eight minutes in duration its one of the lengthiest pieces on the album and is a steadily unfolding epic that goes through many changes and is filled with a variety of textural and dynamic contrasts. Simcock’s brass, plus the strings, play a significant part in the arrangement but the main focus still lies with guitar and acoustic piano with Walker and Simcock both taking turns to lead the band as well as doubling up on some tricky unison passages, particularly in the early stages. 

By way of contrast the charming “Miniature” would appear to be primarily a Simcock creation and the pianist has acknowledged the influence of the British composers Vaughan Williams, Delius, Britten and Elgar on its writing. Walker gently picks out the theme on guitar before being joined on piano by Simcock while Nussbaum again demonstrates the gentler side of his playing with a finely judged contribution with the brushes.

Despite the American influences and the presence in the group of both Nussbaum and Rodby TIG still sounds like a British band, something emphasised by the tune “Terrace Legend”, dedicated to Neil Baldwin, the characterful kit man of Simcock’s beloved Stoke City who was immortalised in the film “Marvellous” by actor Toby Jones. Simcock doubles masterfully on electric and acoustic keyboards and Nussbaum lays down some robust, but consistently interesting, grooves but the real highlight is a scorching Walker guitar solo. A more impressionistic episode mid tune features some of the most effective use of recorded football crowd noise since Pink Floyd’s “Fearless”. Simcock then builds up the energy levels once more with a dazzling acoustic piano solo leading to a rousing group finale.

Sampled sound also finds its way into the quirky “Dog Time” with the noise of barking and growling plus Walker’s credit for ‘dog whistle’! The tune is a twisted blues that mixes humour reminiscent of Django Bates with the earthy urgency of John Scofield in jam band mode. Simcock features effectively on electric keyboards and Dixon blasts out some meaty sax back-up but Walker is the main instrumentalist, straining at the leash and delivering a solo with genuine bite.

The optimistic “Hold Out for the Sun” boasts a jaunty, Metheny like, melody and showcases Simcock’s skill s as a multi-instrumentalist with piano, accordion, marimba and more all finding their way into the mix. But his main contribution is a sparkling piano solo which forms the centrepiece of this delightfully relaxed composition. Rodby also enjoys a brief cameo on acoustic bass while Walker contributes on both acoustic and electric guitars.

A brief passage of solo piano serves as the introduction to “Propane Jane” with its folk like melody and martial rhythms, the latter subsequently mutating into a powerful funk/rock groove fuelling a particularly fiery solo from Walker on guitar. Meanwhile Simcock doubles on an array of electric keyboards, deploying both organ and electric piano sounds.

The title of the final track, the gently wistful “Speak to Me of Home”, seems to make an oblique reference to Metheny with its allusions to two of his album titles. The arrangement features some of Dixon’s most direct playing of the set as he contributes strongly on both bass clarinet and soprano sax and solos alongside Simcock’s flowingly lyrical acoustic piano and Rodby’s melodic acoustic bass. 

“Let’s Get Deluxe”, with its highly melodic, but consistently interesting writing and arranging, sees the new look Impossible Gentlemen making remarkable progress. The orchestral, wide-screen approach works superbly well with each piece exhibiting a skilfully blended array of colour and texture while at the same time neatly sidestepping the pitfalls of over elaboration, fussiness or bombast. Simcock, Walker and their colleagues get the balance just right, adding a pleasing amount of sonic detail but without losing the essential freshness of each piece. It’s probably fair to say that it’s their best album thus far, even exceeding their superb début.

It will be interesting to see how the quintet translate these arrangements into their live performances when they embark on an extensive UK tour in October 2016. In the meantime they will playing a three night residency at London’s Pizza Express Jazz Club from 31st July to 2nd August. Please visit http://www.impossiblegentlemen.com or www.bashorecords.com for further details.
 

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