Ross Stanley (piano/B3/Wurlitzer); Oliver Mason (guitar); David Whitford (bass); Shane Forbes (drums).
When Booth was thirty three years old he recorded Trilateral. Now, eleven years later, he returns to the numerical theme with Forty Four - even more appropriate as it's scored for a double quartet. Yes a double quartet and not to be confused with an octet. Octets rarely have two drummers, two basses and two chordal instruments.
In lesser hands this could have resulted in a hodge podge with everyone getting in each other's way and, musically speaking, falling over each other - in lesser hands!
Not so here. The drummers are as one, the double bass and the electric version offer sufficient contrast as does Mason's guitar and Stanley's assorted keyboards.
Booth displays the fire we associate with him on tenor whilst displaying a wistful lyricism on soprano. Ridout, 2016 BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year award winner, proves to be the ideal foil for the leader stoking the fire to keep the temperature high and switching to flugel on, for example, the melodic Four Candles or 4 Her. Booth rightly describes her as playing with a maturity beyond her years.
With the exception of Miles' popular anthem Four all tracks were composed by Paul Booth.
The album is due for release by Ubuntu Music. I'm not sure of the actual date but, as Paul is 44 on April 15, that may be a clue. Lance
Blues in the Square; Four Candles; Tale of Tetra; Quad Rant; 4 Her; Summer of 44; Quartal Quarantine; Four.
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