Odd Man Out

NICK HEMPTON: Odd Man Out
Posi-Tone, 2013

STRAIGHTAHEAD JAZZ – Sax man with a big tone, leading a solid quartet (or quintet on some tracks, with Michael Dease on trombone). Mostly original tunes, but all have a classic sound, several with a film-noir or crime-movie air about them. Many of the tunes swing hard, and Hempton’s punchy approach gives them all a certain swagger. Nice work; this is a very listenable set from start to finish.

All quite good. Fo’s Picks: 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10

1. 4:45 – medium swinger: alto sax blows strong, trombone digs into it
2. 5:45 – sneaky intro, then laid back tenor sax, energy builds up & falls back
3. 4:37 – upbeat 12-bar blues swinger: tenor rolls over snappy rhythm
4. 5:25 – lovely Ellingtonian ballad gets a hard edge… just sax & piano
5. 6:38 – sneaky slide: bluesy tenor & muted trombone, a hint of crime-jazz
6. 4:56 – bustling bop with a spiraling bridge: trombone & sax eat it up
7. 5:58 – noir ballad, nice & lazy with a greasy alto sound, elegant piano
8. 7:43 – low, snappy groove: tight horns in the theme, nice bluesy solos
9. 5:33 – aftermath of a bike crash… slowly assembles into march, samba
10. 6:48 – noir ballad, late-night in the big bad city: good piano & sax breaks
11. 5:57 – a western cowpoke bassline lightens up this relaxed blues

[ Fo ] - 15 September 2013