We’re becoming accustomed to (and very much enjoying) the ride set in motion by the ever-precipitating surge of jazz and music of its influence, over the last few years; and multi-platform music organisation Jazz re:freshed, arguably, have been central to many watershed moments and developing artists rising out of the movement.
To their trusted ranks they add talented London-based pianist Sarah Tandy, who describes her imminent debut album Infection in the Sentence as her search to “find a continuum between the jazz music which I grew up listening to, and the multi-faceted, genre-melting sounds of present-day London”. With the help of long-standing musical collaborators she spent many hours playing on stage with – Femi Koleoso (Ezra Collective), bass player Mutale Chashi (Kokoroko and Jorja Smith) and saxophonist Binker Golding (Binker & Moses) – during her residency at Servants Jazz Quarters, Sarah finds a beautiful balance in her writing, that not only lets her finger work shine, but highlights the individual personalities of her band members.
In ‘Under The Skin’, echoes of Wayne Shorter’s Footprints come through in Tandy’s minor harmonic patterns and Binker’s subtle phrasing. A clever cross of afro-infused drum rhythms and straighter ride swing provide ample space for Keleoso to showcase his unmistakeable flair and Mutale’s equally impressive dexterity. This is all before Tandy herself makes light work holding her crew together, leading with a masterful web of off-beat stabs and shifting melodic shapes. A rising force to be reckoned with.
Infection in the Sentence is released via Jazz re:freshed on 8th March .
