Saxophonist Phil Bancroft has gone through some significant musical and extra-musical changes of late. Relocating from busy Edinburgh to rural East Lothian, he also recently completed a lengthy period of study into advanced rhythmic concepts that he feels has fundamentally altered his approach to practice, composition and improvisation. The launch of his Myriad Streams label and streaming platform has been one of my highlights of UK jazz in 2024, and this debut release by new trio Beautiful Storm looks set to mark the beginning of an
exciting new phase.
Recorded in his ‘Ringo Barn’ in October 2022, Bancroft (tenor saxophone, effects) is joined by long-time associate Graeme Stephen (guitar) and the Delhi-based Gyan Singh (tabla), recently heard on the duo album Birth & Death – reviewed by Patrick Hadfield / LINK. Over the course of an hour the musicians explore a range of rhythmic and harmonic cycles, their improvisation-led approach amounting to far more than the simple cross-pollination of Indian classical music, post-bop jazz and evocative Celtic-inflected melodies that the group’s line-up might initially suggest.
For many readers the album’s striking title will capture the zeitgeist, but for Bancroft its significance is twofold. As the release notes make clear he certainly feels a strong imperative to cling to hope in difficult times, but it also alludes to the pivotal free improvisation that bookends the programme. The opening ‘Finding Hope Part II’ is actually an edit of the last six minutes of ‘Finding Hope (When There Seems None)’, a long-arc free improvisation heard in full at the end of the set. While the complete version charts the linear process of the artists wrestling with uncertainty as they search for inspiration, the edit focuses on the moment of breakthrough. Playing with a steely clarity and sense of inner peace reminiscent of Pharaoh Sanders’ ‘Harvest Time’, Bancroft sees its narrative as symbolic of his own recent journey.
Elsewhere ‘Tipping Point’ is carried by an ever-shifting breeze of melodic cycles, and the interplay between Bancroft and Stephen is completely hypnotic. ’Heart In Mouth’ finds the saxophonist weaving complex webs around a fractional 6.5 beat tala known as Ardha Jai Taal, and the tight grooves of ‘Insect Love’ display a certain kinship to hip-hop, Bancroft and Stephen locking in before Singh’s evocative Konnakol singing. The brooding ‘Beautiful Storm’ takes many unexpected twists and turns, Bancroft’s fleet chromaticism a stark contrast to a blocky solo from Stephens that briefly recalls early Velvet Underground. After an atonal intro the freely improvised ‘Agent:Other:Product:Truth’ segues into an avant-funk groove, while the elegiac ‘Hungry Star’ fuses elements of Celtic music and Americana.
A wonderful return to form from a generally underrated player, Beautiful Storm are so versatile and expressive that they may yet turn out to be the new Trio AAB!