Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Nat Birchall: Obeah Man

Nat Birchall: Obeah Man

By Chris May
July 8, 2019
View read count

Welcome to the latest analog-era time warp... the vinyl revival has rebirthed the 45rpm seven-inch jazz single. The format faded away in the 1960s. Even back then, chart hits such as

Stan Getz

saxophone, tenor
1927 - 1991

" data-original-title="" title="">Stan Getz's "Desafinado" (Verve, 1962) were freak events, but before the coming of album playing FM radio stations, an edited version of an album track could be powerful promo on mainstream radio—and as Bob Weinstock, founder of the Prestige label, told an interviewer in 1959, "The four best promo tools are radio, radio, radio and juke boxes. In that order."

The 2019 jazz single is partly a fun, retro thing, partly a promo thing. Either way, spiritual-jazz musicians are in the forefront of the trend, here in Britain anyway. Saxophonist

Nat Birchall

saxophone, tenor
b.1957

" data-original-title="" title="">Nat Birchall released his first single, "Tunji" backed with "Mode For Trane," on Jazzman's subsidiary label Jazz45 in July 2018. Exactly a year later, he has released another, "Obeah Man" backed with "Seeking," on the same label. Earlier in July 2019, drummer Nick Woodmansey released "Vibes From The Tribe" backed with "Version Vibes" featuring his band

Emanative

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">Emanative and US trombonist

Phil Ranelin

trombone
b.1939

" data-original-title="" title="">Phil Ranelin, a fundraising initiative on the specially formed Steve Reid Foundation label (Woodmansey helms the foundation).

Birchall has a new album expected on Jazzman later in 2019, a 2xLP set marking the twentieth anniversary of his first album, The Sixth Sense (Sixth Sense). The new single provides a tasty hors d'oeuvre. The band is the same as on Birchall's last album, the outstanding Cosmic Language (Jazzman, 2018). The two sides are up-tempo stormers whose combined seven-and-a-half minutes playing time includes stirring tenor and soprano solos from Birchall and two-fisted piano choruses from

Adam Fairhall

piano
b.1976

" data-original-title="" title="">Adam Fairhall, with hard-driving accompaniment from bassist

Michael Bardon

cello

" data-original-title="" title="">Michael Bardon and drummer Andy Hay.

As always, Birchall's quartet is grounded in the aesthetic of

John Coltrane

saxophone
1926 - 1967

" data-original-title="" title="">John Coltrane's classic quartet while bringing some surprises to the party. On Cosmic Language one of these was Fairhall's doubling-up on harmonium. On the new single it is Hay's use of the berimbau. Bring on the album.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

A Side: Obeah Man. B Side: Seeking.

Personnel

Nat Birchall

saxophone, tenor

Nat Birchall: tenor and soprano saxophones; Adam Fairhall: piano; Michael Bardon: acoustic and electric bass; Andy Hay: drums, berimbau.

Album information

Title: Obeah Man | Year Released: 2019 | Record Label: Jazzman Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Joris Roelofs Live at BIMHUIS Amster...
< Previous

Larry Fuller, Kendrick Scott & More
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.