"The Roller Trio are
the latest group of technically awesome young genre-bending firebrands
to have emerged from the whirring production line of Leeds's new-music
scene. Like that city's now famous (and sometimes feared) thrash-improv
outfit, trioVD,
the Rollers lineup comprises sax, guitar and drums, and they similarly
favour a good deal of mesmeric, tightly wound, interlocking-rhythm
music. But the group that hip DJ Gilles Peterson has already labelled "the new sound of UK jazz"
are less raw and more patiently lyrical than trioVD. At times they even
sound content to investigate regular, straight swing without sounding
like they want to blast it to pieces. Saxophonist James Mainwaring is a
resourceful exponent of John Zornian squealings, growling split-note
sounds and almost-romantic tenor ruminations, while guitarist Luke
Wynter veers between spacey, echoing ambiance and rock hooks that could
have slotted into Jungle Boogie, and drummer Luke Reddin-Williams is
flawless when ticking off the intricate twists of the themes, and
hog-wild in the free-improv eruptions. Each piece evolves intriguingly –
raw noises swap with cool melodies; glowering, Spanish-sounding pieces
unleash tenor-sax whirls; blurting stop-start motifs ease in and out of
swing grooves – and the trio's formidable playing and composing power
suggest a very bright future." -John Fordham guardian.co.uk
