Tom Barford: Bloomer

Edition Records

Winner of the 2017 Kenny Wheeler Jazz Prize, young saxophonist Tom Barford makes a highly convincing recording debut with this quintet featuring Rupert Cox on piano, guitarist Billy Marrow, drummer Dave Story and bassist Flo Moore. The title track gives a purposeful taste of things to come in terms of dynamic range and lyricism. F Step sees tenor sax rejoicing over a funky rhythm section and scuzzily voluble guitar before piano cascades around a muted bass and drum path, while sax and guitar drift over glimmers of piano in Space to Dream. Razztwizzler combines muscular tenor sax with swirling organ and gutsy guitar work, while soprano sax dances through Phizzwizard (a predilection here for Bfg-inspired titles), and is escorted companionably along by strolling piano accompaniment in Music for an Imaginary Film. The brief but expressive Ideology, meanwhile, is a tribute to saxophonist (and album producer) Iain Ballamy.