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Jim Blomfield trio
Wave Forms and Sea Changes
Pig ***1/2
Bristol scene luminary Blomfield shifts his attention from writing for quartet and septet to a trio on an album of his own compositions here, the titles of which span notions of trance, zen, a Bristol street name thrown in for good measure, a peerless pun or two, the sea and nautical pursuits. Relative newcomers, bassist Roshan ‘Tosh’ Wijetunge and drummer Mark Whitlam, joining Blomfield (best known for his work with Andy Hague and Kevin Figes) fill out the trio imaginatively, and collectively theirs is a fresh approach untouched by prevailing trio fashions. That said Blomfield acknowledges his having been influenced by Brad Mehldau and McCoy Tyner among others. It is definitely the dazzling spiritual breadth of Tyner’s approach that is closest to Blomfield’s personal style on a track such as ‘ N Trance’. Blomfield has the knack of finding his own path in the maze-like expanse of the trio’s sound. Pick of the tracks? The wistful ‘Now and Zen’ with its clever but non-intrusive harmonic direction allied with a fast unfolding improvisational sense. The head nodding ‘Pier Pressure’ is also a must. Worth seeking out.
Released on 1 July
Roshan ‘Tosh’ Wijetunge (above, left), Jim Blomfield and Mark Whitlam