Alex Clarke Quartet: Only A Year

Rating: ★★★

Record and Artist Details

Musicians:

Dave Green (b)
Clark Tracey
David Newton (p)
Alex Clarke (as, ts)

Label:

Stray Horn

Dec/Jan/2022/2023

Media Format:

CD

Catalogue Number:

SHR001

RecordDate:

Rec. 4 May 2022

Clarke is only in her early 20s, but is already a player of consequence. Having dropped out of music college after a year, she has taken a more traditional route: that of getting stuck in to the business of learning her craft and working. Her date sheet is impressive as is her willingness to travel. She has also along the way attracted the attention and the support of Newton, Green and Tracey, not only for this album but also at the recent Swanage jazz festival. They rate her, I know.

She is articulate on both her horns, with the edge in fluency on the alto, this betraying something of Phil Woods’ approach in both sound and execution and all the better for it. This is first manifest on ‘Brazilian Affair’, incidentally, a piece by Woods, and is continued, most decisively, by her very fleet reading of ‘It's You Or No One’, with Newton at his incisive best.

Her tenor is chunkier, nearer the broad mainstream in tone and style. The duo version of Strayhorn's ‘Ballad For Very Tired And Very Sad Lotus Eaters’ with Newton, is reverential, Clarke allowing her tenor tone to billow and ebb in pursuit of the melody, Newton impeccable in support. Garner's ‘Shake It But Don't Break It’ is more robust, as is her own ‘Beetroots Burn’, this edging into r&b, the tenor quite gutsy, Tracey pushing hard. Clarke is a rising star according to the British Jazz Awards and here's the evidence. As Scott Hamilton says, "She sounds comfortable and inspired". And he's right.

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