COMPOSERS: Robson,Siegel
LABELS: Babel
WORKS: Assorted
PERFORMER: Julian Siegel (sax), Phil Robson (guitar), Thaddeus Kelly (bass), Gene Calderazzo (drums)
CATALOGUE NO: BDV2983
This is the fourth album from London-based Partisans and it’s sure to sustain the buzz that surrounds the band. The restless, almost reckless energy exuded in the quartet’s modern jazz fusion makes for delirious listening.
Robson and Siegel share the writing credits but the sound is a truly collective effort, with everyone keeping their ears wide open for the next soloist.
And what sound: Calderazzo’s torrential drumming provides an almighty pulse over which Robson simply shreds the guitar while Siegel strews sheets of sax. In the background, meanwhile, electronica bleeps and whirrs.
The main reason the music has such impact, however, is that the guys are technically brilliant, giving sharp focus as well as raw power. In a consistently thrilling set the standouts for me are the angsty white funk of the title track and the nicely bass-heavy, thunderous take on the Ellington standard ‘Prelude to a Kiss’. Garry Booth