Outhouse
Outhouse
BDV 2873
1. The Tin Box
2. Spiders
3. Japaseloho
4.Pig
5. The Foreign Meat
6. MU
7. Zmerish
8. Canvas
Mark Hanslip (tenor Saxophone)
Robin Fincker (tenor Saxophone/ clarinet)
Johnny Brierley (bass)
Dave Smith (drums & percussion)
Special Guests:
Jeanne Added - voice on 5,7,8
Kaw Secka - Tama on 4
"innovative two-sax core quartet... serious but exuberant contemporary jazz, and drummer Smith is its inspirational heartbeat."
(The Guardian)****
"It's a coherent and well-structured set - and a stunning debut"
(Jazzwise Magazine) ****
“Leading the pack for 2008 are Outhouse whose edgy Downtown-influenced two-horn attack is twisted in wild new directions by their deep interest in the Wolof drumming traditions of west Africa."
(Jon Newey, Editor, Jazzwise)
Outhouse grew out of a series of improvised-music sessions... in a North London outhouse. Rehearsal space is, after all, vital to a band built on the principle of a collective and one that deconstructs and rebuilds their music on a daily basis. Blurring the distinctions between improvised and compositional music, the band represent a new wave of British jazz, building not just on the new wave of ‘anything goes' post-jazz led by original Babel bands Partisans, Polar Bear, Acoustic Ladyland through to Led Bib. But also on the free jazz traditions of Evan Parker and John Edwards and an organic absorption of African drum traditions that has been developed in an exchange collaboration with Gambian Saba drummers.
Their eponymous debut album was released on Babel in May and consists of all original compositions by the band.
All four are twenty-something music school graduates: Dave Smith (drums), Robin Fincker (tenor sax/clarinet), Mark Hanslip (tenor sax) and Johnny Brierley (double bass). Along with bands like Fraud and Alcyona they are part of the North London based community LOOP who are putting a new energy into the UK scene, a generation inspired by the previously acclaimed F-IRE Collective.
“We prefer to use compositions as frameworks,” explains Robin. “Everything is open for question.” At times the exposed, chordal instrument-free line up enables the music to be continuously deconstructed and rebuilt, aiming to blur the line between improvised and pre-written melodies, grooves and forms. And at others the band curl sinuous nuances of melody around deeply hypnotic African drum patterns from Dave Smith.
Tipped by Jazzwise to be the next best thing in UK jazz Outhouse's many influences include Ornette Coleman, The Hask Collective, Doudou Ndiaye Rose, Alas No Axis, Tim Berne, Ellery Eskelin, Evan Parker, The Roots and many many more.
Outhouse has an ongoing collaborative project with Wolof percussionists from The Gambia and Senegal . Outhouse Ruhabi will include Kaw Secka who plays Tamna drum on the track Pig on Outhouse's new album. In December 2007 the band went on a three week trip to Gambia to study and play with 5 Wolof drummers. For the second part of the project the Wolof drummers brought their sabar drums to the UK and formed Outhouse Ruhabi, an offshoot of Outhouse, touring around the country this spring including performances at the prestigious ICA in London and at the Cheltenham International Jazz Festival in May.
What the press also say:
Outhouse is "one of the most dependably rousing outfits currently operating on the London scene." says Chris Parker
Daniel Spicer ensures that "the hype is justified"! (Jazzwise, 3 page feature this month)
“Great to see a band take the influence of Tim Berne and the vibrant new music scene in New York into new areas: great compositions, great playing and a sense of a real working co-operative.” pianist Liam Noble
“…bands such as Acoustic Ladyland, Polar Bear, Fraud, Partisans, Gwilym Simock's trio etc. etc. can be relied on to fill the Vortex to capacity; on this gig's evidence, Outhouse must now be added to this growing list…the band's live sound, it should be emphasised, is viscerally exciting, rumbustious and subtle by turns, and they've won their popularity the old-fashioned way: by dedication to their craft.” Chris Parker, live review, Vortex Jazz club March 2008
For more info and biogs of the band members click here
Purchase the album from our mail order store here
or click on sleeve
Download this album for £5.99 or buy individual tracks for 79p or first listen to one minute samples from our new download store (high quality mp3s at 320kbps) here