Fyah (Gearbox)
Theon Cross
Released February 15, 2019
Los Angeles Times Best Jazz Albums of 2019
Stereogum 10 Best Jazz Albums Of 2019
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nqw_cFjSx54zu2RptL7E5KK7TwxKNYud0
Spotify:
About:
As one of the key players of the London jazz scene, Theon Cross has been dominating airwaves and stages recently. He’s part of a thriving family network of young London-based musicians who have regularly supported one another in stretching and re-shaping the boundaries of the jazz genre.
Additional side-projects include performing and recording with individuals such as Makaya Mcraven, Sons of Kemet, and featuring on Gilles Peterson’s compilation album We Out Here. Within all this noise, Cross has also been leading his own trio project with Nubya Garcia and Moses Boyd. The band released an EP back in 2015 and are now following up with a full studio album, ‘Fyah’.
Cross makes the tuba his own, mixing together early New Orleans bass line influences as well as the synth soundscapes and rhythms from modern grime and trap. His innovative style brings a new dynamic to the scene as he paves the gap between more traditional jazz styles and dance music.
Track Listing:
1. Activate 04:46
2. The Offerings 04:41
3. Radiation 04:48
4. Letting Go 07:11
5. Candace Of Meroe 05:47
6. Panda Village 05:45
7. CIYA 08:27
8. LDN’s Burning 03:59
All tracks composed and arranged by Theon Cross
Personnel:
Theon Cross: tuba
Moses Boyd: drums
Nubya Garcia: tenor saxophone (1-4, 6 & 8)
Wayne Francis (Ahnansé): tenor saxophone (5 & 7)
Artie Zaitz: electric guitar (5 & 7)
Tim Doyle: percussion (5)
Nathaniel Cross: trombone (7)
Recorded at Soup Studios by Giles Barrett and David Holmes.
Mixed by David Wehinm
Mastered and cut by Darrel Sheinman and Caspar Sutton-Jones at Gearbox Records
Review:
It may seem like a small thing, but the London jazz scene deserves a ton of credit for bringing the tuba back to a prominence it hasn’t enjoyed in decades. Theon Cross is a member of Sons Of Kemet, Ezra Collective, and the SEED Ensemble, and has played with Makaya McCraven, Moses Boyd, and others. This is his second release as a leader, following 2015’s Aspirations EP, and features Nubya Garcia on saxophone and Boyd on drums on most tracks. Cross’s tuba playing is sometimes organic, and sometimes fed through subtle reverb and other effects to create a sound like a dub bassline. Boyd’s tight-but-loose drumming reminds me of the Meters’ Zigaboo Modeliste, and Garcia’s saxophone playing is hypnotic, looping phrases over and over and only occasionally cutting loose. Some tracks include background sounds that almost make them sound like live recordings from a street fair.
Phil Freeman (Stereogum)
