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'Measures' is the second album from the Nostalgia 77 & The Monster guise, bringing a flavoursome take on instrumental jazz. The collection of songs sees Ben Lamdin's long time collaborator, bass player and arranger Riaan Vosloo stepping to the fore, bringing six original compositions. The album also contains nods to the two dominant influences on this group over the years, in renditions of Sun Ra's otherworldly "An Island In The Sun" and British firebrand (and previous Nostalgia 77 collaborator) Keith Tippett's "Thoughts To Geoff".
Nostalgia 77 and the Monster is the second incarnation of the Nostalgia 77 Live band, his original Nostalgia 77 Octet having been disbanded after the death of drummer Graham Fox. Lamdin and Vosloo's aim was to produce an album ranging from the chaotic to the meditative. On 'Measures', Vosloo's writing strikes a delicate balance between strong themes and free space for the improvisers - a perfect canvas for the impressive cast of Kit Downes (piano), James Allsopp (reeds), Fulvio Sigurta (trumpet), Tim Giles (drums) and Vosloo himself on bass. The record captures the fiery fluidity of the band's live performances.
A regular name in the music press for more than a decade, Nostalgia 77's recent work has raised his profile to a new level. February's 2014's bluesy 'A Journey Too Far' solo LP and September's intrepid jazz/dub exploration 'In The Kingdom Of Dub' (with Prince Fatty) have been lauded everywhere from The Wire to Clash, Q, DJ Mag, Metro and Blues & Soul, and the latter gave rise to Nostalgia 77's first BBC 6Music Playlist for the "Medicine Chest Dub" single. He was recruited to produce long time fan Jamie Cullum's return to Jazz this year, a record which has been met with critical acclaim and has charted across Europe. |
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