REVIEW: Will Glaser / Climbing in Circles

Sandy Brown Jazz takes a look at Will’s latest release.

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Will Glaser (drums, percussion); Matthew Herd (saxophone); Liam Noble (piano)

'Will Glaser is a Nottinghamshire born drummer and percussionist, mixes an eclectic range of influences in a drumming style that is musical, melodic and deeply rooted in the Jazz tradition. His inspiration draws on every corner of Jazz history, from traditional and early Jazz styles and New Orleans music to Free Jazz and improvised music, but also Rock music, experimental music, singer songwriters and pretty much anything that makes a sound. Will's playing style is a charming combination of both the familiar and surprising. Will moved to London in 2010 to study Jazz at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. After graduating in 2014 he quickly became an in-demand sideman for a startling array of British and International Jazz musicians. The exhaustive list includes Soweto Kinch, Yazz Ahmed, Kit Downes, Nikki Iles, Dame Clio Lane, Alex Garnett, Laura Jurd, Empirical, Ian Shaw, and Jason Rebello, to mention just a few.Climbing in Circles, Will's latest, is the culmination of a three-year project, exploring his musical relationships with Matthew Herd (sax) and Liam Noble (piano). This third album sees the joining of Liam and Matt in a bass-less trio setting, the logical conclusion after Will's two previous duo releases. For this record, Will chose to depart from the same choice of repertoire as recorded previously, as the new tune choices represent the musical growth of these partnerships. Threaded together by explorative improvisations, the trio plays tunes from a range of sources.some standard repertoire, a Tom Waits song, a Paul Motion tune and a Don Cherry composition. In this very intimate setting, these musicians explore all the possibilities of this slightly unusual ensemble. Explorations in sound and colour give way to heavy grooves and walls of energy, strong melodies and transportive atmospheres which link improvisation and compositions alike.Will describes the project: "This album means an awful lot to me. Playing with Liam Noble and Matt Herd is such a trip. I guess this record sums up everything I love about music. We play standards and compositions from my heroes, and spontaneously create new music in the moment," explains Glaser. "I really feel I can be myself with Liam and Matt. We are all drawing from this large bag of great music we all love so nothing is really off the cards. When we play the tunes it's with this very open mindset of seeing what will happen. It always feels really open and new things surprise me every time. When we play free, they come out like miniature compositions." (album notes).

Details and Samples : Video for I'm An Old Cowhand : Promotional Video : Listen to Jitterbug Waltz :


Dave O'Higgins in Sandy Brown Jazz

A snapshot of Dave in action.

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Dave O'Higgins is usually a busy musician. He toured and recorded with the Brubeck family on The Brubecks Play Brubeck project celebrating Dave Brubeck's centennial this year and he recently released the His 'n' Hers album with his wife, Judith.

But going back to an album that he recorded with guitarist Rob Luft, here is a video of I'll Wait And Pray from the album O'Higgins & Luft Play Monk & Trane released in October last year - click on the picture.

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