Colorful weaves of electronica-flavored jazz in some parts enchantingly infused with seductive scents of Indian classical music, ambient or African music, assemble a genre-defying unique whole dynamic in mood and structure and full of spaciousness and mystical wonder.
Mammal Hands are the fresh new blood on the always refreshing Manchester-based imprint, Gondwana. The three creative minds who assemble the group are: Jordan Smart (saxophone), Nick Smart (piano) and Jesse Barrett (drums and tabla). That’s right, no bass. Not many groups can pull things off with a bassless lineup, but these guys certainly pull things off. A bass might add more spice to their music, but why fix something if it isn’t broken and even works brilliantly? These guys are young, talented, highly expressive and think outside of the box. With Animalia they bring something new, bold and exciting into the far-reaching jazz arena.
Animalia is an intricate yet catchy and haunting sonic web. A debut album that captivatingly and gracefully combines influences from many corners of the musical spectrum. Colorful weaves of electronica-flavored jazz in some parts enchantingly infused with seductive scents of Indian classical music, ambient or African music, assemble a genre-defying unique whole dynamic in mood and structure and full of spaciousness and mystical wonder. Nick Smart’s piano lines are sublimely fluid and just utterly beautiful. Barrett’s drum patterns are so vibrant and evocative yet never bombastic, his spell is often felt more than heard. Jordan Smart’s saxophone streams are ethereal and mind-bending—they spiral, stretch, twist and croon. There are no empty technique displays or exhausting endless solos here, the compositions are driven by melodious and intense dialogues.
Bassist Nick Blacka of GoGo Penguin (another Gondwana marvel) was the one who recommended Mammal Hands to Gondwana’s boss Matthew Halsall, who immediately signed the group and later on produced what is now being revealed to the world as Animalia. GoGo Penguin, Marcin Wasilewski Trio, e.s.t., Portico Quartet, Pharoah Sanders, but also Floex, Bonobo and Steve Reich come to mind when diving in the depths of Animalia. Among other things, elements of what the Smart brothers and Barrett like about some of these great artists and bands shaped the way they do things, but not to the extent of sounding like any of them.
As usual from Gondwana, quality production intensifies and articulates the soul of things. Animalia is a breath of fresh air and surely a harbinger of even more adventurous things to come from Mammal Hands. Once again Gondwana offers innovative music that stays with you long after the album has finished playing. Highly recommended!
Animalia is available on Gondwana.
