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Tony Kofi: Point Blank

By Chris May
August 20, 2018
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British saxophonist

Tony Kofi

saxophone, tenor
b.1966

" data-original-title="" title="">Tony Kofi has made a specialism of heritage projects. Among the best of them is the Monk Liberation Front, a band which Kofi co-founded with pianist

Jonathan Gee

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Jonathan Gee in 2003 and which performs

Thelonious Monk

piano
1917 - 1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Thelonious Monk's music. The work of

" data-original-title="" title="">Cannonball Adderley is the focus of another venture. An early spin-off from the Front was the Tony Kofi Quartet's paradigm tweaking Plays Monk: All Is Know (Specific, 2004). The Adderley project has yet to be recorded. In late 2017, Kofi also put together the band which accompanied harpist

Alina Bzhezhinska

harp

" data-original-title="" title="">Alina Bzhezhinska in a London concert headlined by

Pharoah Sanders

saxophone, tenor
1940 - 2022

" data-original-title="" title="">Pharoah Sanders and dedicated to the legacy of

John Coltrane

saxophone
1926 - 1967

" data-original-title="" title="">John Coltrane and

Alice Coltrane

piano
1937 - 2007

" data-original-title="" title="">Alice Coltrane. The same band is featured on Bzhezhinska's sublime Inspiration (Ubuntu, 2018).

Kofi moves effortlessly between soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones, and it is the baritone which he plays on Point Blank. The disc co-stars The Organisation, a guitar / organ / drums trio which specialises in soul jazz and funk, and with whom Kofi first performed in 2010. The ten-track album features jazz standards and lesser-known material written by

Duke Pearson

piano
1932 - 1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Duke Pearson,

Pepper Adams

saxophone, baritone
1930 - 1986

" data-original-title="" title="">Pepper Adams,

Henry Mancini

composer / conductor
1924 - 1994

" data-original-title="" title="">Henry Mancini,

McCoy Tyner

piano
1938 - 2020

" data-original-title="" title="">McCoy Tyner, Lonnie Smith,

Pat Martino

guitar
1944 - 2021

" data-original-title="" title="">Pat Martino,

Wes Montgomery

guitar
1923 - 1968

" data-original-title="" title="">Wes Montgomery,

Woody Shaw

trumpet
1944 - 1989

" data-original-title="" title="">Woody Shaw,

Horace Silver

piano
1928 - 2014

" data-original-title="" title="">Horace Silver and

Jimmy Smith

organ, Hammond B3
1925 - 2005

" data-original-title="" title="">Jimmy Smith. "I don't think I set out to create a retro concept," says Kofi, "but because I grew up in the 1970s, the music of that era is deeply rooted within my musical ear."

The title Point Blank is inspired by John Boorman's 1967 movie of the same name, which starred Lee Marvin as a gangster engaged in a war of attrition with his former colleagues in a Mafia-like outfit called The Organization. The soundtrack for the film was written by Johnny Mandel, and Kofi rather missed a trick by not including something from Mandel's luscious songbook on the disc.

The music on the album is performed with elan and given a refreshing twist by the use of baritone rather than tenor saxophone, the default horn featured with most bands such as The Organisation. Further, despite the organ, the disc, particularly on the ballads, sometimes evokes

Gerry Mulligan

saxophone, baritone
1927 - 1996

" data-original-title="" title="">Gerry Mulligan's keyboard-less (and guitar-less) quartet with

Chet Baker

trumpet and vocals
1929 - 1988

" data-original-title="" title="">Chet Baker—an added bonus. Point Blank does not go anywhere we have not gone before, but it is an enjoyable ride nonetheless.

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Track Listing

Minor League; Bossallegro; Theme From Mr Lucky; Search For Peace; LS Blues; Cisco; Full House; Moontrane; Horace Silver; Ready And Able. .

Personnel

Tony Kofi

saxophone, tenor

Tony Kofi: baritone saxophone; Pete Whittaker: organ; Pete Cater: drums; Simon Fernsby: guitar.

Album information

Title: Point Blank | Year Released: 2018 | Record Label: The Last Music Company

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