Daniel Casimir

★★★★ Boxed In JAZZ RE: FRESHED. CD/DL/LP

Rising UK jazz bassist’s first solo flight.

Solid and dependable but never too predictable, Casimir’s supple bass lines have been the musical bedrock upon which Nubya Garcia has built her success. As well as being a trusted member of the saxophonist’s road band, conservatory-trained Casimir has appeared on all of Garcia’s recordings. Here she reciprocates in a supporting role on the bassist’s debut, which reveals his talents as a writer and arranger. It’s an audacious collection featuring strings, brass and singer Ria Moran, whose honeyed tone lights up the tracks New Waters and Get Even. The album’s keystone is the haunting Safe, an episodic, three-part piece inspired by writer Derek Owusu’s anthology of that name in which essays explore being black, British and male. The album’s title, by the way, is an ironic misnomer: Casimir sounds anything but boxed in on this expansive set.