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Dave Hamblett - drums & compositions
Josh Arcoleo - tenor saxophone
Joe Wright - tenor saxophone
Ivo Neame - piano, rhodes, keys
Alex Munk - guitar
Calum Gourlay - double bass
ALBUM CREDITS
Recorded at Eastcote Studios, London by Phillip Bagenal OCT 2011
Mixing & Mastering by Tyler McDiarmid, NYC NOV 2012
In memory of Abram Wilson & Richard Turner
Executive Producer - Michael Janisch
credits
released February 25, 2013
ABOUT THE ALBUM
Dave Hamblett has emerged as a dynamic new voice on the UK music scene combining his formidable skills as one of London's most sought after young drummers with his growing reputation as a composer. Light at Night is his debut album and was recorded with five of his closest musical colleagues, featuring a range of textures and emotions.
Hamblett studied at the Royal Academy of Music, graduating in 2010 with first class honors and a host of awards including the coveted 'Yamaha Jazz Scholarship'. His distinctive yet adaptable playing has led him to work with many notable UK-based musicians including Abram Wilson, The F-IRE Collective Large Ensemble, Yuriy Galkin Nonet and Nick Smart’s Jazz Matanzas. Hamblett is also featured on the recent Ivo Neame Octet album Yatra.
As a leader Hamblett has been forging his voice by performing with his own sextet The Dave Hamblett Group, his main compositional outlet. The group features the leading lights of their generation in the UK: Ivo Neame (piano), Calum Gourlay (double bass), Josh Arcoleo (tenor saxophone), Joe Wright (tenor saxophone) and Alex Munk (guitar) and they have performed steadily on the London scene for the past three years, developing a tight, cohesive sound.
Light At Night presents music that is powerful, joyful and direct, while also sophisticated and intricate. It weaves simple melodies over unexpected shifts through harmonies and grooves while creating vibrant landscapes for improvisations that transform as the pieces develop. As the Evening Standard rightly asserts, this is "a debut album of unusual maturity."
PRESS HIGHLIGHTS
"A debut album of unusual maturity."
The Evening Standard
"The UK jazz scene is experiencing a purple patch, at least in terms of creativity, and the vitality of the new generation is amply proved by drummer Dave Hamblett’s debut recording."
★★★★ The Irish Times
"Anyone wishing to explore the wealth of talent to be found among the UK jazz scene's up-and-coming musicians can cheerfully begin here. Light At Night, the debut from drummer Dave Hamblett, features six of the finest of these young players. The album is impressively consistent, with Hamblett's thoughtful compositions drawing some fine performances from the drummer and his band mates."
All About Jazz
"Dave Hamblett's writing is passionate and powerful."
BBC Radio 3
"A confident first step in what will surely become a fruitful and exciting musical journey...[Dave Hamblett] is a musician whose depth of groove and range of timbre and dynamics make his playing quickly recognizable and thrilling."
★★★★ Music OMH
"There is a certain timeless quality about some of the writing...It’s modern without being spiky – muscular might be the description. It’s also pretty evocative – conjuring up pictures and atmospheres...A very strong debut."
The Jazz Breakfast
"Hamblett's assured drumming, Arcoleo's dark sax sound and Munk's tremulous, butterfly-wings guitar effects combine to produce some eloquent original music...The group sounds full of promise."
The Guardian
"The next drummer-bandleader to watch out for...On [Light at Night] there's no shortage of raw talent involved."
Jazzwise Magazine
"Lively, imaginative and bristling with creative energy...A pleasingly varied set of punchy but carefully constructed compositions, Light at Night is a great calling card."
London Jazz
"Fantastic original compositions influenced by the likes of Kurt Rosenwinkel and Brian Blade."
The Evening Standard
"Regular listening reveals hidden depths and one finds oneself increasingly drawn into Hamblett’s compositions and arrangements... let’s hope that Hamblett can keep the group together to record a follow up."
The Jazz Mann
"A fine new drummer who we’ll all be hearing much more about in the future has arrived...a highly promising debut."
Marlbank
"Eight serene originals by Hamblett are artfully scored for the Joe Lovano-like tenor saxes of Josh Arcoleo and Joe Wright, with discreet colorations from guitarist Alex Munk."
The Evening Standard
Vibrant, playful jazz in the chordless tradition from this new Australian quartet, who embrace both freedom and swing. Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 9, 2021