# CD review: The Calum Gourlay Quartet – New Ears 2019: Video, CD cover

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2019/12/09/cd-review-the-calum-gourlay-quartet-new-ears-2019-video-cd-cover/
- Published: 2019-12-09T17:19:49+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**Composer, band leader and double bass virtuoso Calum Gourlay reinforces his place
as one of the UK’s leading young musicians with this quartet outing of original 
material – craftily arranged and beautifully performed.**

Originally hailing from Glasgow, Calum Gourlay has for some years been a mainstay
of the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and the Tommy Smith Quartet. More recently
Gourlay has been London-based and making an impact with his quartet Thelonious (
performing the music of Monk, naturally) and his monthly big band residency at the
Vortex. This new quartet, once again in a ‘chordless’ format like Thelonious, was
started this year to focus on Gourlay’s own compositions and has been performing
around the UK this autumn.

The thinking behind big band arranging is clearly audible on this CD, even though
the band has only four members. In opting for a tenor saxophone/trombone line-up,
Gourlay is following in an important yet often unrecognised tradition – the brass
instrument is more strictly named the ‘tenor trombone’ and sounds at much the same
pitch as the tenor sax, which makes for mellifluous harmonies and juicy counterpoints.
Indeed, Sonny Rollins has paired his tenor with the trombones of JJ Johnson and 
latterly Clifton Anderson, to great effect.

Gourlay has picked the line-up from his contemporaries, and so we get not one but
four relatively fresh voices to enjoy. Helena Kay brings a smooth tone and carefully
judged tonality to her tenor saxophone performances here, while Kieron McLeod can
inject a harder edge to mix with some nifty trombone slide work. Drummer James Maddren
brings his customary vast dynamic range to the proceedings, always busy and never
rushed, making a great contribution.

The seven tracks are all Gourlay originals, and show good judgement from the composer/
arranger in terms of resource deployment with considerable care given to arrangements
not just in the head sections but through the tunes as they are developed. The opening
Be Minor starts with a rolling pulse and we immediately get a taste of Gourlay’s
delicious bass tone. The strong melody interweaves thematic statements with faster
passages, leading into a twin-horn extended acapella solo which both projects the
soloists and allows the listener to appreciate the rhythm players as they rejoin.
Gourlay takes his own solo, a beautifully worked passage backed by Maddren’s shimmering
percussion.

Blue Fugates is one of the most satisfying tracks on the album. Gourlay has described
this as being like a blues-gone-wrong, and it achieved that aim with room to spare–
each individual harmonic shift sounds utterly bluesy, yet it’s all well away from
the classic 12-bar format. Once again the horns surprise us with written passages
in the middle of the piece, picking up the momentum and giving a platform for another
ringing dinging bass solo. Trinity gives a wealth of harmony work to the horns along
an extended chord sequence, with Kay showing her double-density playing before McLeod
duets with Maddren to good effect.

I have a sense that in years to come we may be looking back on this CD as an important
step in the career of all four of these musicians. For now, enjoy the sounds and
talents as they develop before our eyes and ears.

01. Be Minor
 02. Blue Fugates 03. New Ears 04. Solstice 05. Ro 06. Emotional Trombone
07. Trinity

**Calum Gourlay – bass; **

**Helena Kay – tenor sax; **

**Kieran McLeod – trombone; **

**James Maddren – drums.**

![Картинки по запросу "The Calum Gourlay Quartet - New Ears""](https://i0.wp.com/
musicrider.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/The-Calum-Gourlay-Quartet.jpg?w=640&ssl
=1)

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