Dom Franks' StrayHorn - Native Tongues (Soulito Records 2011)

Lyrical, blues-soaked post-bop saxophonist Dom Franks leads a set of groove-driven but melodic contemporary jazz featuring UK keyboard star Alex Steele, double bassist Will Harris and dynamic young jazz / rock drummer Matthew Jones (of Phantom Limb fame).


StrayHorn quartet was formed in 2010 to play the original groove-driven compositions of Cheltenham-based saxophonist Dom Franks, a former winner of the Daily Telegraph Young Jazz Musician competition. The band honed its sound through appearances around the West - notably at the Cheltenham and Stroud Jazz Festivals - into a lean, but melodic take on contemporary jazz. StrayHorn’s sound is built from the supple Afro-tinged rhythms of young Bristol-based drummer Matthew Jones (Phantom Limb), supplemented by acoustic bassist Will Harris and Cheltenham piano powerhouse Alex Steele. With stylistic influences including Kenny Garret’s energetic post-bop, the harmonic language of British pastoral composers and the African drumming of the Parisian Goutte-d’Or, where Dom lived for a time, StrayHorn’s sound is modern, but accessible jazz, with melodies that linger.

Dom Franks - alto and soprano saxophones
Alex Steele - piano
Will Harris - acoustic bass
Matthew Jones - drums


CDBABY