Alex Clarke (alto sax, clarinet*); David Newton (piano); Dave Green (double bass); Steve Brown (drums)
Alex Clarke has enjoyed a meteoric rise on the British jazz scene. Out of the Woods, the alto saxophonist's second album, released in autumn last year, features three of the finest musicians on the British jazz scene - David Newton, Dave Green and Steve Brown. Their participation is testament to Ms Clarke's standing with her peers.
Ten tracks spanning the best part of an hour, comprising three Clarke originals and a slew of compositions associated with the late, great Phil Woods, serve to showcase the bandleader's considerable talents. The opening track, Change Partners, is an uptempo take on the Irving Berlin number, a tempo that Fred Astaire wouldn't have recognised.
Clarke's three compositions - I Remember Phil (a contrafact on I Remember You), As You Were (based on Billy Joel's Just the Way You Are chart hit featuring Phil Wood's solo) and the title track, the swinging, bop-infused Out of the Woods - stand comparison with the album's other tracks, including Kenny Dorham's Philly Twist and Oliver Nelson's Stolen Moments.
Across all ten tracks Clarke is remarkably fluent, teeming with ideas and fleeting quotes. The supporting trio couldn't be bettered. If the term 'A-lister' ever applied, it's to Messrs Newton, Green and Brown. Three fabulous musicians backing a fabulous younger generation musician makes Out of the Woods an essential purchase.
* Clarke's overdubbed clarinet on World on a String. Russell
Change Partners; Brazilian Affair Part 2 (Cançäo de Amor); I Remember Phil; World on a String; Out of the Woods; The Quintessence; As You Were; Philly Twist; Stolen Moments; How's Your Mama (Phil's Theme)
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