Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Olie Brice / Rachel Musson / Mark Sanders: Immense Blue

Olie Brice / Rachel Musson / Mark Sanders: Immense Blue

By John Sharpe
March 29, 2024
View read count

Olie Brice / Rachel Musson / Mark Sanders: Immense Blue

Even given today's abundance of new issues in whatever genre, there are still bands which travel beneath the radar. One such is the trio of established UK improvisers comprising bassist

Olie Brice

bass, acoustic
b.1981

" data-original-title="" title="">Olie Brice, saxophonist

Rachel Musson

saxophone, tenor

" data-original-title="" title="">Rachel Musson and drummer

" data-original-title="" title="">Mark Sanders which releases Immense Blue as its debut album. As a unit it has been around for a while, but the connections go deeper still. Brice and Musson have a duet nearing fifteen years old, while the saxophonist and drummer are two thirds of Shifa, the outfit completed by pianist

Pat Thomas

piano
b.1960

" data-original-title="" title="">Pat Thomas.

However, it is Brice and Sanders who possess the most illustrious backstory, having gelled into a compelling and in demand rhythm section documented with the likes of Polish reedman

Mikolaj Trzaska

saxophone, baritone

" data-original-title="" title="">Mikolaj Trzaska and ICP alumnus

Tobias Delius

saxophone, tenor

" data-original-title="" title="">Tobias Delius as well as Portuguese trumpeter

Luis Vicente

trumpet

" data-original-title="" title="">Luis Vicente. This all means that not only are these three superlative performers, but they also share a chemistry which heightens their responsiveness, trust and interaction to remarkable levels. All that can be heard in the near-hour-long program presented here, containing three collective inventions culled from a concert in north London's Vortex in October 2022.

An impressive presence, Musson imparts her throaty-edged lines in an authoritative tone, harnessing the power of repetition and expressive distortion as she morphs between being an integral part of enthralling textural exchanges and definitely being the out-there lead voice. Each member embraces that same dichotomy. In some ways Brice grounds the ensemble, offering a solid base and a wiry resonant narrative rather than experimentalism, while Sanders' work is crisp, dynamic and detailed, whether shading or propelling. Together the interplay is riveting.

Even in a practiced co-operative ethos, the near-telepathic way they make room for one another is telling. Consider the start of "Stretched Polyphone," launched by Brice's electrifying arco swipes, Sanders' percussive coloration and Musson's blurts and murmurs. Every sound earns its place within a spacious dialogue, but does so without crowding out any other....or at least not until they choose otherwise.

It is also possible to discern form within the taut give and take. One instance occurs in the first half of the same title, as Musson pursues the alternation between ribald bellows and muted whinnies as a motif, to which she continually returns as the piece develops. Through an organically evolving tangle of timbre, pitch and pulse they explore every feasible permutation in the line-up to create a wonderfully potent set of free jazz.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Jump The Hidden Balcony The Air; Stretched Polyphone; Hollow Circel And Round Edge Scream.

Personnel

Olie Brice

bass, acoustic

Rachel Musson

saxophone, tenor

Mark Sanders

drums

Album information

Title: Immense Blue | Year Released: 2024 | Record Label: West Hill Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Xero, Chance & Lurie
< Previous

The Jazz Detective Strikes Again
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.