This intercontinental group of virtuoso musicians open their joint account with an exhilarating display of varied influences and high-octane top class jazz performances.
The core of Atlantic Road Trip is made up of Chicago-based trumpeter Chad McCullough, Slovakian vibraphonist Miro Herak and Scots saxophonist Paul Towndrow. McCullough and Herak have been working together since 2009, and Herak was part of Towndrow’s ambitious (and excellent) Deepening The River project in 2019. The three started working together just before the pandemic and have been in close touch ever since, even recording a remote set for the 2021 Glasgow Jazz Festival. Having toured the UK, the Netherlands and Belgium in 2022, they recorded this set in Glasgow in June 2023, followed by mixing and mastering in Chicago.
Connection and collaboration are at the heart of the music, with the three members each bringing their own traditions, themes and musical forms together to create something new. The results of this mixing are definitely not mud-brown beige; rather it’s a tapestry of distinctive colours carefully woven into shapes and streams by artists who understand both the parts of the music and how it makes up a convincing and satisfying whole. The rhythm section of Alyn Cosker (Scotland) on drums/bodhrán and Conor Murray (Ireland) on double bass completes the line-up.
We start with McCullough’s The Other Fulton Street, paying tribute to his links and background with the Fulton Street Collective in Chicago. A vibes-led slow intro gives way to a bright and energetic jazz workout with McCullough stretching his lips toward the top of his horn and Cosker keeping up the pace from behind the drum kit. Herak plays his part here and across the album as the lone chordal instrument (no piano or guitar on this road trip!). Towndrow flies in on alto with a fleet-fingered display of runs and double density sounds (making the same note with different fingerings to create tonal shifts). McCullough also contributes Auburn, a delicious and expansive ballad giving a rich contrast to the fireworks elsewhere. Towndrow’s flute plays a key role in laying down the tune before some beautiful flugelhorn soloing.
Paul Towndrow contributes four of the ten tracks. Particularly interesting are his co-options from Scottish traditional music of running two themes together. Pale Ale/Dr Jones Never Saw It Coming moves from slow introduction into a rolling reel led by Towndrow on low whistle and Cosker on bodhrán. Towndrow has clearly been woodshedding his low whistle work; in the past he has engaged the services of pipe virtuoso Ross Ainslie on this harder-than-it-looks traditional instrument, but Towndrow clearly has the measure of it here with breathy slides and chromatic runs. White Cart Water starts out with a beautiful rendition of accordion legend Phil Cunningham’s tune Cathcart before launching into Towndrow’s own theme, the ensemble really turning up the exuberance.
Vibraphonist Miro Herak plays a full part in the album. Along with being a near-constant instrumental presence he also takes fine solos, particularly on Cacuvela, and brings tunes from his Slovakian heritage. Hore Háj, Dolu Háj is a folk song of class struggle and features a lovely slow introduction on vibes backed by arco bass from Conor Murray. The tune builds, introducing Scottish flute and then into a jaunty rhythm with jazz riffs against flowing solos culminating in a drum workout for Alyn Cosker; it’s a real highlight. Kopala Studienku, Pozarela Do Nej is the basis of the Slovakian national anthem, a allowing for cross-field soloing and free expression held together by vibes chords – Herak’s soloing here is a real treat.
With this debut album, Atlantic Road Trip have given notice that they are one of the most interesting and inspirational groups on the world jazz stage. They have just completed a three-week US tour (including new work for big band and string orchestra) and I’m looking forward to the possibility of catching them live in 2024.
