The Greg Foat Group: Cityscapes Vinyl 10″ (Record Store Day) The Greg Foat Group

Record Store Day Exclusive. Limited edition pressing of previously unreleased tracks from The Greg Foat Group just for RSD 2016! This one follows a string of albums for Jazzman (Dark Is the Sun and The Dancers at the Edge of Time) and is released in conjunction with the complimenting Landscapes 10″. From Jazzman: These pieces, which Greg Foat composed around 2002 (at the age of 23) when he was living in Stockholm, Sweden (Cityscapes), and the Isle of Wight, England (Landscapes), represent a musical journey from urban to rural environments, and manage to sound vitally contemporary. On Cityscapes opener “Ingen Reklam (Tack),” electric piano, bass, and drums lay down an insistent groove that’s joined by a scintillating brass section à la Elton Dean-era Soft Machine, with a coruscating guitar solo from Andreas Hedström. “Pluribus” is essential funk but with added oomph and a tricky time signature. Trevor Walker, who plays trumpet and flugelhorn, has been an essential, constant presence alongside Foat since the inception of the group; he’s the first to solo, eloquently, on this grooving number. “View from the Hill” is a serene piano solo, affording a very brief, quiet interlude. “Solaris (Parts 1&2)” features a gorgeous, memorable melody, and, once again, Walker solos first, before Foat follows on piano; the piece concludes by returning to the head arrangement and a fadeout ending. Cityscapes opener “Dawn” begins with a lone arco bass, wave-like piano, a hovering seagull cry from a flute, and occasional splashing cymbals. The flute on “Paper Kites” is reminiscent of the doyen of that instrument, the late, great Harold McNair. “Landscapes” begins as a slow, pastoral track with the melody gently evinced by Walker. Halfway through the number the tempo and volume pick up, transforming the piece into a real toe-tapper, with more deft soloing from trumpet and flute, all underpinned by solid piano, bass, and drums. The final number, “Dusk,” is something of a brief reprise of the opener, with an underlying arco bass and mellifluous piano closing this perfectly balanced set. Includes four-page color booklet.

• Record Store Day exclusive 2016
• Metallic Silver Sleeve
• Limited edition of 600
• music label: Jazzman Records 2016

reviewed by neck cork 04/2016