Beautiful Vinyl Hunter (Sony Music)
Ashley Henry
Released January 6, 2020
JAZZ FM Album of The Year Nominee 2020
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nBerSc5_bpC042Q6bB_NKLXcpalTkxLkc
Spotify:
About:
The genre-blurring UK jazzman returns in full force with a 15 track album featuring Makaya McCraven, Keyon Harrold, Moses Boyd, Judi Jackson, Theo Croker and more.
Born and raised in South London, Ashley Henry’s rapidly growing international profile recently embarked on an extensive world tour with Christine And The Queens who considers him as “the ultimate piano player”.
Following the widespread success of his Easter EP released in 2018, Henry’s sound is driven and shaped by alpha jazz pioneers like Maya Angelou, Common, MC Lyte, Leslie Thompson, Abbey Lincoln and Herbie Hancock.
The rising star explains: “My music is a straight up reflection of who I am; London in all its mixed up glory. The immigrant in me has musical roots that are traced back to the 1600s, so it’s important my music today reflects that jazz alpha narrative across different genres and generations”.
Beautiful Vinyl Hunter is a provocative 15-track collection that effortlessly guides the listener through a variety of genres, ranging from contemporary jazz, grime, punk to hip hop and showcases Henry’s ability to knit all of his influences into a seamless tapestry – transporting jazz music to new realms of beauty.
Track Listing:
1. Star Child (Ashley Henry / Judi Jackson) featuring Judi Jackson 4:19
2. Realisations (Ashley Henry) 6:09
3. Between The Lines (Ashley Henry / Sparkz) featuring Keyon Harrold, Sparkz 4:47
4. Introspection (Ashley Henry) featuring Theo Croker 5:05
5. Colors (Ashley Henry / Joshua Idehen) 4:28
6. Cranes (In The Sky) (Raphael Saadiq / Solange / Troy Johnson) 5:50
7. I Still Believe (Ashley Henry / Milton Suggs) featuring Milton Suggs 5:39
8. Elipsis (Interlude) (Ashley Henry) 1:08
9. Sunrise (Ashley Henry) 5:07
10. Dark Honey (4TheStorm) (Ashley Henry) featuring Makaya McCraven 5:48
11. Pressure (Instrumental) (Tom Clarke) 4:40
12. Ahmed (Ashley Henry) 4:27
13. Lullaby (Rise & Shine) (Ashley Henry / Judi Jackson) featuring Judi Jackson 3:57
14. Battle (Ashley Henry) featuring Binker & Moses 4:34
15. The Mighty (Ashley Henry / Ben Marc) featuring Ben Marc 3:31
Personnel:
Ashley Henry: piano (1-7, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15), Wurlitzer (8), Rhodes (10)
Dan Casimir: bass (1, 3-6, 10-13)
Eddie Hick: drums (1, 3-7, 11, 13)
Ernesto Marichales: percussion (1, 2, 11)
Judi Jackson: vocals (1, 13)
Ferg Ireland: bass (2, 7, 8, 9)
Luke Flowers: drums (2)
Binker Golding: saxofone (2, 14)
Dylan Jones: trumpet
Artie Zaitz: guitar (3, 5, 8)
Keyon Harrold: trumpet (3)
Sparkz: vocals (3)
Theo Croker: trumpet (4, 13)
Joshua Idehen: vocals (5)
Milton Suggs: vocals (7)
Marijus Aleska: drums (8, 9, 12, 15)
James Copus: trumpet (10)
Jaimie Branch: trumpet (10)
Sahra Zoe Ahmed Gure: vocals (10)
Ben Marc: doube bass (15), guitar (15), strings (15)
Producer: Ashley Henry
Co-produced by Moses Boyd (2), Mo Hausler (10), Scott W. McNiece (10) and Ben Marc (15)
Engineered and Mixed by Mo Hausler
Lacquer Cut by Bazza
Review:
London pianist Ashley Henry has made significant steps forward over the last five years or so by holding down several invaluable gigs as a sideman with fine British and American bandleaders – Theo Croker, Keyon Harrold, Jean Toussaint among others – as well as developing his own music. This debut long player is very much a consolidation of his progress to date and the presence of the aforementioned as well as some of the young Turks of UK jazz – Binker & Moses, Daniel Casimir, Eddie Hick – makes this a transatlantic affair with a contemporary edge. As he made clear on last year’s Easter EP, Henry is plugged into the populist source of black music and the marked hip-hop and soul sensibilities of the material reflect the inspiration drawn from the likes of Robert Glasper among others. A confident yet measured soloist, Henry is also a producer who is concerned with the challenge of both songwriting and beatmaking, and some of the most accomplished pieces on the record see him balance these skills with guests such as Mancunian rapper Sparkz and London-based American vocalist Judi Jackson. An auspicious account-opener from a talented player whose commercial appeal does not come at the expense of his artistic integrity.
Kevin Le Gendre (Jazzwise)
