Roger Manins
Hip Flask
(Jazzgroove/Creative Vibes)
Rating: ****
NZ Saxophonist Manins’ cover notes observe that jazz doesn’t go down well with the neighbours, but he says he has written simple tunes for complicated musicians in the hope they’ll be enjoyed by jazz lovers and their neighbours. The music is certainly more accessible than Mannin’s exploratory work elsewhere. He’s not holding back here, but the tracks are focused on a strong bluesy groove. Stuart Hunters’ Hammond and Adam Ponting’s piano push the structure along adding substance, and the rhythm section of Brendon Clarke bass, and Toby Hall drums, rides the beefy beat to perfection.
John Scon and Big Sis #1 sound like talented tributes to the famous Jimmy Smith/Stanley Turrentine sixties combo, with an added piano dropping in smart dissonances. Manins’ enlivening solos fit into different tempos wonderfully well, scooting rapidly on Impulse with its stopped breaks, or stretching out lyrically on bass clarinet in Jacqueline Grace. Funk fans and swingsters will want a deep swig from Hip Flask. Who knows what the neighbours will say?
This review was first published in The Weekend Australian and is reprinted with the kind permission of the author.
