Frank Harrison is saxophonist Gilad Atzmon's regular pianist, so UK audiences often hear him skilfully navigating middle-eastern, north African and southern European folk music. But he's currently touring this elegant, straightahead jazz with the subtle, Barcelona-based Irish drummer Stephen Keogh and the agile former Monty Alexander bassist Davide Petrocca. With its softly swinging grooves under songs by Gershwin or Jobim, plenty of bass solos and a predominantly throttled-back feel, this sounds pretty familiar – but Harrison's delicate touch and thoughtful narrative-building lift it above the crowd. The opening Autumn Leaves prevaricates at first, teasingly hinting at harmonies that eventually coalesce into the classic theme. Then it becomes a piano improvisation, full of sly timing, feints and weaves. Jobim's Dindi develops over Keogh's bustling snare-drum pattern and a single repeating bass note. How Long Has This Been Going On? is a patient ballad exposition that intensifies melodically without losing the mood. You and the Night and the Music appears out of hesitant doodlings, preoccupied brushwork and faintly agitated, morse-code stutters. It's a set of classy variations on a jazz method that goes back decades.
John Fordham / guardian.co.uk,
