A Movie Waiting To Be Made

This is the other album that I have by English jazz trumpeter Guy Barker and whereas the earlier one was a fairly disposable impulse buy, this one stands up well as worthwhile ane enjoyable project. Titled Soundtrack, the conceit of the piece is that it is an imaginary score for an as yet unmade film noir. One track, Underdogs, was inspired by a thriller novel that Barker admired and it is a hard driving propulsive piece that grabs hold powerfully. The disk is split into two parts, the first part also containing such as the standard Nature Boy and the beginnings of Barker's take on Mozart ( expanded on a more recent project ) including an interpretation of the Queen of the Night aria. The second half of the album features the imagined soundtrack proper, with recurring motifs and segments called things like "the guy", "the girl", "the chase", "the bad guy" etc. It is more of a abnd work than the orchestrated disk I've already posted about, Barker has recruited a line up including alto and tenor sax, trombone, piano and Hammond organ as well as rhythm section. Some fine playing from all concerned, although with the exception of Denys Baptiste on tenor the names are new to me. But then I don't claim to be fully up to speed with everyone on the British contemporary jazz scene.