The Jazz Defenders

Bristol's jazz daddies The Jazz Defenders drop their second album for Haggis Records and it's a real departure from their debut release. Whereas that album was a homage to the late 1950s/early 1960s classic jazz style known as hard bop, this release moves into new territory with hip-hop/jazz, cinema soundtrack flavours, Latin rhythms and soul-jazz all upfront in the mix.

The classic sound that has inspired the band this time is very much from the mid-late 1960s era and the merging of soul and funk beats with jazz solos/improvisation. Tracks like "Wagger Jaunt" and "Munch" nod to the piano and organ-led soul-jazz of artists like Ramsey Lewis, Herbie Hancock, Reuben Wilson, and Jimmy Smith. Meanwhile "Saudade" and "Love's Vestige" feature Brazilian bossa rhythms but with some added film soundtrack overtones. Speaking of movie soundtracks, "The Oracle'' is a pure homage to the classic cinematic compositions of maestros like John Barry(James Bond, The Ipcress File) or Lalo Schifrin (Mission Impossible, Bullitt) right down to the very impressive string arrangement, beautifully scored and orchestrated by band leader George Cooper.

PERSONNEL:

• George Cooper - (piano, organ, wurlitzer & percussion)
• Will Harris - (double & electric bass)
• Ian Matthews - (drums)
• Nick Malcolm - (trumpet & flugelhorn)
• Nicholas Dover - (tenor sax)

• Doc Brown - (vocals on B1)
• Herbal T - (vocals on B5)
• John Pearce - (violin on A3 & B4)
• Atholl Ransome - (flute on B4)
• Leigh Coleman - (ocals on B1)

TRACKS:

• SIDE A
• A1. Wagger Jaunt
• A2. Munch
• A3. The Oracle
• A4. Twilight
• A5. Love's Vestige

• SIDE B
• B1. Perfectly Imperfect (feat Doc Brown)
• B2. Reprise Queen Bee
• B3. From The Ashes
• B4. Saudade
• B5. Live Slow (feat Herbal T)