Bassist Steve Rodby will be joining The Impossible Gentlemen when the acclaimed band tours again this year.
Dates have still to be announced for the full tour, but the Brecon Jazz Festival in Wales has confirmed that the band will be appearing on the closing night of the festival on 11 August with besides Rodby in the line-up new drummer, the Chicagoan Mark Walker from the jazz and new age band Oregon, taking Adam Nussbaum’s place.
Rodby has produced the latest Basho Records album expected this year, The Impossible Gentlemen’s second outing for Basho records, the north London based label that’s also home to Kit Downes, whose quintet release is a priority in early-2013 http://marlbank.tumblr.com/post/39377045983/1683.
The bassist in the Pat Metheny Group for long periods during the last 30 years, Rodby, 58, who was born in Joliet, Illinois, has produced records for Oregon, Eliane Elias, the Jim Hall & Pat Metheny duo album, and Pat Metheny Trio albums among many others.
The new IG album was recorded last summer in Sussex following a four-night club residency at London’s Pizza Express Jazz Club in June.
During that lengthy stint The Impossible Gentlemen unveiled new songs from the album they were about to record.
Just three years old now the Gentlemen on their debut were five-string electric bass legend Steve Swallow, distinguished former Sco drummer Adam Nussbaum, piano star Gwilym Simcock, and north west jazz guitar cult hero Mike Walker.
Steve Swallow added new material to the band book performed at the Soho club with an untitled ballad on one night, and other tunes included Walker’s ‘The Slither Of Other Lovers’ and ‘Modern Day Heroes’.
Swallow said at the time, reported exclusively on downbeat.com, the tunes for the record “have very asymmetrical structures but keep their integrity. We have eight new tunes that we’ve worked up in the last eight to 10 days. I have to go through that door so they seem natural like they’re in 4/4 even if they’re not. Moving ahead, it’s a conscious decision to extend.” SG
Steve Rodby above
Update (6/3/13): The Impossible Gentlemen tour dates in the autumn are now understood to be 10-25 October. Founder member Adam Nussbaum will be on drums again for the October dates.