The Weave

“The Weave”

(Rufus Albino Records)

The Weave is a new band from Liverpool who recorded this, their début album in August 2012. It was initially released in January 2013 and has created something of a buzz with airplay coming on Mark Radcliffe’s Radio 2 Music Box show and on Radio Three’s “Late Junction. Successful summer appearances at the Liverpool, Manchester and Congleton jazz festivals and reviews in the national jazz press have also increased awareness and London based publicists Futureproof Promotions are currently giving the album a second push.

The Weave is the brainchild of trumpeter and leader Martin Smith who writes the bulk of the group’s material. Like his band mates Smith is an experienced session musician as well as being a leading figure on Liverpool’s small but vibrant jazz scene. A highly versatile player his trumpet heroes include such diverse stylists as Brits Digby Fairweather and Ian Carr and Americans Bobby Shew and Marvin Stamm. The album cover is a depiction of “Over My Shoulder” an artwork by Miles Davis, another inevitable influence.

The Weave actually boasts a twin trumpet front line with Smith being joined by Anthony Peers. The rest of the six man group comprises of guitarist Anthony Ormesher, keyboard player Rob Stringer, bassist Hugo “Harry” Harrison, drummer Tilo Pirnbaum with percussionist Stuart Hardcastle guesting. Of these musicians Ormesher is the one name that I was previously familiar with thanks to his excellent work with Manchester’s Magic Hat Ensemble led by trumpeter (yet another one!) Steve Chadwick. The Magic Hatters seem to bring a peculiarly North West attitude to their music and with Ormesher a common link it’s something that I also hear reflected in The Weave. There’s a certain gritty toughness and self confidence about the sound of both groups, but a touch of humour and irreverence too, it all makes for a beguiling combination. Both bands deploy an effective combination of retro styles and contemporary sensibilities, the Hatters through their inspired arrangements of jazz and bebop standards, The Weave through their original material.

This début album is an impressively varied collection with its roots in the bebop area but with its soul very much in the here and now. The humour implicit in the group’s titles sometimes suggests an indie rock mentality beginning with opener “Thou Spak A Mouthful” which mixes bebop derived horns with contemporary hip hop inspired rhythms. There’s some ebullient open horn trumpet soloing, presumably by Smith, the cover doesn’t list the soloists individually. It’s easier to pinpoint first Ormesher on guitar, then the excellent Stringer who solos imaginatively and effectively on piano making colourful use of the instrument’s lower registers.

“Caresser Caress Her” adds Latin rhythms to the equation with Hardcastle’s percussion an exotic additional ingredient. Based around a breezy, insistent horn phrase the piece is possessed of the easy melodiousness that defines much of Smith’s writing. Stringer is again in inspired form, soloing with real joy and complementing Ormesher’s cool elegance on the guitar. Needless to say there’s some marvellously fluent trumpet too. 

“Never Better” is genuinely moving original ballad with a typically memorable Smith melody. There’s some fine introductory interplay between the two trumpets, a deeply resonant solo from Harrison on double bass, and an elegant Milesian solo on muted trumpet. Meanwhile pianist Stringer reveals a more lyrical side to his playing.

“Hollie Dancer” expands upon a tricky but infectious bebop style theme to incorporate pithy, enjoyable solos for trumpet (at first with bass accompaniment only), guitar and piano and further thrilling exchanges between the instruments leading to a series of colourful drum breaks from Purnbaum.

The intriguingly titled “The Ballad Of Bernard Swimmins” turns out not to be a ballad at all but instead a relentlessly catchy item with ska and reggae undertones plus a diverting and effective monologue written and performed by the poet Simon James. Delivering his words in a proudly   Liverpudlian accent James references nature, philosophy jazz and prog rock history plus er… Maurice Chevalier. You really do have to hear it.

“As Within” is the album’s only joint composition, a piece written by Smith and Ormesher. It broods quietly and atmospherically, a kind of abstract ballad full of rich horn textures, Ormesher’s own ice crystal guitar and Stringer’s similarly glacial piano.

Now we come to the marvellously titled “Cold, Wet And Sockless”, the piece that has been picked up on by Mark Radcliffe and understandably so. Building from Stringer’s piano arpeggios it’s relentlessly catchy, breezy and infectious with Pirnbaum’s rapidly brushed “train like” grooves pushing it along. In those far off days when instrumentals actually made it into the pop charts an edited version might have been a contender. Ormesher’s fluently elegant solo and a similar trumpet episode keep it all firmly rooted in the jazz tradition and an exuberant Stringer is in terrific form too. 

I’m assuming that the piece “Abram’s Air” is a tribute to trumpeter, composer and educator Abram Wilson who sadly and prematurely passed away just a couple of months before this recording was made. It begins with a gently reflective solo piano introduction before metamorphosing into a New Orleans style funeral march, representing the Weave’s take on the music of Wilson’s home city. Initially there’s an appropriately sombre feel to the music before it mutates into a “second line” section full of bluesy, growling, plunger muted trumpets. I’d like to think that Wilson himself would have enjoyed this homage to the Crescent City.

The brief, closing “Apart From That Mrs Lincoln” also honours previous jazz eras, not moving too far from New Orleans in the process and including short features for bass and drums. I guess Louis Armstrong influenced Smith too. 

With its mix of jazz styles, highly melodic writing and classy, confident playing this a thoroughly assured début from The Weave and it’s easy to see why the group and album have received such a positive reaction. I’d wager that they’re also likely to be an excellent live proposition and jazz fans in the North of England will have plenty of chance to see them in the coming months. Listings below. Congratulations to Martin Smith and his colleagues for producing this highly enjoyable album. The buzz will no doubt continue to grow.

Forthcoming live dates 2013/14;

Mello Mello, Liverpool (Sep 18); The Old Clee Club, Grimsby (Oct 23); Davenham Theatre, Davenham (Oct 24); Seven Arts, Leeds (Oct 27); Saltburn By The Sea Community Hall, Saltburn (Nov 1); Teignmouth Jazz Festival, Teignmouth (Nov 16); Bradford Irish Club, Bradford (Jan 3); Jazz On A Winter’s Weekend - The Royal Clifton Hotel, Southport (Feb 1); Scarborough Jazz - The Cask Inn, Scarborough (Apr 23)

More information at http://www.theweavemusic.com

 

 

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