Tritone is the latest album from legendary London based trio The Near Jazz Experience who are of course Terry Edwards, Mark Bedford and Simon Charterton, this time around they have onboard special guests Mike Garson, Matt Johnson, Oliver Cherer and Paul Cuddeford. This is the trio's first album for Dimple Discs.
The album opens with the funky strut of Astro Disco that takes them gently towards outer space on a saxophone fuelled rocket, a deeply funky bassline and Simon Charterton's pinpoint extremely restrained drumming.
Tuba Cop takes skittery drumming and slow deep tuba notes with what feels almost like a 70's Bernard Hermann score, they go to the darkest corners of Whitechapel looking to Cop that immaculate hit once more.
A Head describes the bands playing perfectly on this tune, they are going straight A Head for once, no deviations or detours, yeah right. The sax hits high and low gently weaving a way through, with guitar freaking out in the background moving across the speakers.
Bebinca Beat has some African drumming and is Terry playing clarinet, weaving his way through a souk before the synths and Mark Bedford's sinuous bass comes in to herald some tambourine, it may be time for some mint tea and a hookah.
Midwinter is flute led stroll across a snowy plain, the bass slowly marking out the careful steps as you try to not to slip on the icy cymbals, this really needs to be heard of ice-cold day.
Funky Kino takes us to one of the Near Jazz Experiences homes at the Kino Theatre in St Leonards, this has a slow beat and waves of strings coming into soundtrack what could have been a Bollywood noir full of intrigue.
Evermore is certainly not about the battle of Evermore, this has a laid-back peaceful edge to the drums and bass with delicate sax decoration from Terry.
Burner is a word that has a variety of meanings, it would appear this tune is a deep space funk for a slow Burner of a bonfire, rather than the sort of Burner whose inhaling on a huge great spliff. This may leave you intensely chilled out.
Tritone feels like part of suite in thirds, a quite spectral keyboard part comes through the centre of Simon's slow bass drums and ethereal synths waft across the speakers, before outer space noises come into transport us elsewhere.
Character Actor features Mike Garson tinkling away like the lad insane he always was, while the Experience bring a funky stew to life with Terry's twin sax attack preparing for what sounds like the countdown to another mission.
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