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Arnie Somogyi's Ambulance - Accident and Insurgency - The Scotsman

18 January 2008
The Scotsman
Kenny Mathieson

INTELLIGENT and probing contemporary jazz from the bassist and his cohorts, although he might be thought to be hedging his bets by stressing that their aim was to sound like a band while nonetheless retaining his name on the cover. No matter. That stated musical aim is fully achieved in the course of 11 varied and exploratory compositions or - in the case of the four more experimental segments of the Orford Ness Suite - improvisations. American trumpeter Eddie Henderson adds his distinctive sound and sensibility to the regular line-up, in which the bassist is joined by saxophonists Paul Booth and Rob Townsend, Tim Lapthorn on piano, and drummer Dave Smith. The music was developed and inspired by a residency at Snape Maltings near Aldeburgh (Benjamin Britten territory), and reveals an engaging sense of invention in its manipulations of instrumental sonority and timbre, chordal developments and shifts in tempo.

Arnie Somogyi's Ambulance - Accident and Insurgency - The Scotsman

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