Classy UK bassist Somogyi's Ambulance quintet is currently touring with the gleaming sound of the American former Herbie Hancock trumpeter Eddie Henderson in its front line. But the repertoire on this CD comes from a series of workshop improvisations supported by Aldeburgh's Snape Maltings in 2006. The area's flatlands and seascapes are strongly evoked by the tidal cymbal washes,occasional birdsong electronics,and trickling piano atmospherics (pianist Tim Lapthorn and tenor saxist Paul Booth both establish a strong presence),but there's also plenty of forceful jazz grooving,with Henderson's sound keeping its lustre and poise over the band's trickiest time-signature challenges. Herbie Hancock's 1970s Mwandishi sextet exerts a subtle influence on the tone colours (Henderson played in it,and Somogyi loves it),and the drifting Tumbledown brings out the trumpeter's Miles Davis-like muted tenderness. The slow-Latin Solace and the shimmery Ellingtonesque Adrift tread water a little,but for the most part it's elegant writing hitched to imaginative improvising.
The Guardian- John Fordham

Bassist Arnie Somogyi's regular line-up is augmented by American trumpet star Eddie Henderson on this new recording for Linn,but he fits right into the carefully cultivated group feel of their music. Somogyi's declared aim was to sound like a band rather than a group of musicians playing his (and Tim Lapthorn's) compositions,and that is fully achieved in both the composed material and the four group improvisations that make up the ‘Orford Ness Suite'.

Bassist Arnie Somogyi's regular line-up is augmented by American trumpet star Eddie Henderson on this new recording for Linn,but he fits right into the carefully cultivated group feel of their music. Somogyi's declared aim was to sound like a band rather than a group of musicians playing his (and Tim Lapthorn's) compositions,and that is fully achieved in both the composed material and the four group improvisations that make up the ‘Orford Ness Suite'.

Bassist Arnie Somogyi's regular line-up is augmented by American trumpet star Eddie Henderson on this new recording for Linn,but he fits right into the carefully cultivated group feel of their music. Somogyi's declared aim was to sound like a band rather than a group of musicians playing his (and Tim Lapthorn's) compositions,and that is fully achieved in both the composed material and the four group improvisations that make up the ‘Orford Ness Suite'.

Bassist Arnie Somogyi's regular line-up is augmented by American trumpet star Eddie Henderson on this new recording for Linn,but he fits right into the carefully cultivated group feel of their music. Somogyi's declared aim was to sound like a band rather than a group of musicians playing his (and Tim Lapthorn's) compositions,and that is fully achieved in both the composed material and the four group improvisations that make up the ‘Orford Ness Suite'.

Bassist Arnie Somogyi's regular line-up is augmented by American trumpet star Eddie Henderson on this new recording for Linn,but he fits right into the carefully cultivated group feel of their music. Somogyi's declared aim was to sound like a band rather than a group of musicians playing his (and Tim Lapthorn's) compositions,and that is fully achieved in both the composed material and the four group improvisations that make up the ‘Orford Ness Suite'.

Bassist Arnie Somogyi's regular line-up is augmented by American trumpet star Eddie Henderson on this new recording for Linn,but he fits right into the carefully cultivated group feel of their music. Somogyi's declared aim was to sound like a band rather than a group of musicians playing his (and Tim Lapthorn's) compositions,and that is fully achieved in both the composed material and the four group improvisations that make up the ‘Orford Ness Suite'.

Bassist Arnie Somogyi's regular line-up is augmented by American trumpet star Eddie Henderson on this new recording for Linn,but he fits right into the carefully cultivated group feel of their music. Somogyi's declared aim was to sound like a band rather than a group of musicians playing his (and Tim Lapthorn's) compositions,and that is fully achieved in both the composed material and the four group improvisations that make up the ‘Orford Ness Suite'.

This is intelligent and exploratory contemporary jazz,bristling with inventive manipulations of instrumental sonority and timbre,surprising chordal developments and effective shifts in tempo. Henderson's sound and sensibility complements the bassist's regular line-up,spearheaded by saxophonists Paul Booth and Rob Townsend,with Tim Lapthorn on piano and Dave Smith on drums. Much of the music was inspired by a residency at Snape Maltings near Aldeburgh in Suffolk,and draws on local subject matter.
The List - Kenny Mathieson

One of the most enjoyable and stimulating concerts I attended last year was the performance by Ambulance at the Caedmon Hall,Gateshead. It's a strong line up with Paul Booth and Rob Townsend on reeds,Tim Lapthorn piano,Arnie on bass and Dave Smith drums plus American trumpeter Eddie Henderson,not just a guest soloist but a vital member of the ensemble. It's a really integrated and lively band and this clearly recorded CD,made on the same tour,captures it perfectly.
The Northern Echo- Peter Bevan

This recording debut from Ambulance sets a vigorously high standard beginning with a tune that's been in the band's live repertoire for a while,the furiously intense Walking Wounded,rich with horn heroics from Eddie Henderson who dazzles throughout. The Messengers-ish ensemble playing is hardly surprising considering the band's pedigree,but suddenly we handbrake turn into the seascape fantasy of Mick The Fish,replete with sampled vocals and swirling shingle effects. It's a magical scene evocative of the place where the album was recorded,Snape Maltings on the Suffolk coast. Then up the beach ambles Captain Courageous (along with Somogyi's walking bass) which in a way is the album's key cut - a loping groove,imaginative colours and then little solos illuminating constantly changing tempos as the band freely goes its own way yet mysteriously lands back on the beat and that daftly irresistible theme. A band that plays so freely with such a range of musical personalities is a rare and special thing. That unlikely mix of gentle attentiveness between musicians,a caring,unfussy,love of detail and a capacity to laugh and robustly stretch out makes this a joyous recording indeed.
Jazzwise - Jan 08 - Andy Robson

Aldeburgh in Suffolk is scarcely a crucible of jazz,its beachfront decidedly short of basement music dives. But it was here,with the aid of a “musical development residency” that this young British group created a set of versatile acoustic jazz.

The five-piece was also aided by the presence of the trumpeter Eddie Henderson,veteran of Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong dates,whose ringing solos punctuate the 11 tracks. They are,though,very much ensemble efforts,some clearly honed down from improvisations,others more conventional swingers. The squawk of the gulls and the sound of the shingle inveigle their way into the music,which is varied,thoughtful and consistently engaging.
* * * * The Times

Arnie Somogyi is a bassist and Ambulance is his quintet of young Brit jazzers augmented by the soigné American trumpeter Eddie Henderson. They play jazz of programmatic bent,in this case arising from time spent on the Suffolk coast in the company of Mick the Fish

Barb Jungr Time Out New York Accolade

Leading song-stylist and chansonnier Barb Jungr has been recognised in the 2008 Time Out end-of-year listings as number one in The Best Cabaret category.

A regular performer in New York over the past eighteen months, she has carved a niche within the resurgent cabaret scene in the city. This award serves to confirm her status on the World stage and as a leading performing artist in The Big Apple.

Appearing ahead of such stalwarts as Elaine Strich and Paula West, Adam Feldman, cabaret writer in the magazine wrote The English singer cut loose with raw anguish and easy humor, confirming her status as the most exciting interpreter around.

During the past eighteen months, Jungr has held sell-out residencies at great venues like The Metropolitan Room and Joe's Pub. Earlier in the year, she was awarded a 2008 Nightlife Award at Manhattan Town Hall and she appeared on the front cover of the arts section in The New York Times.

Her recent album Just Like a Woman - hymn to Nina has been roundly praised and her early 2009 activity will focus on her renowned interpretations of Bob Dylan songs in a UK tour entitled Man in a Black Coat. 2009 looks equally promising with a headline appearance at The Purcell Room on Monday 9th February and a return to The Metropolitan Room, New York in March.

Barb Jungr sold out a week of gigs at Ronnie Scott's to launch this album of songs associated with Nina Simone. Her previous albums have made her the foremost interpreter of Bob Dylan's back catalogue around,and there's a trio of Zimmerman classics here,along side Lilac Wine and a wonderful,breathy Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood. Classy doesn't begin to sum it up.
The Independent - Tim Cumming - Jazz Album of the Week

This song-stylist has built a following with her takes on Bob Dylan and Jacques Brel. Now she interprets imaginative arrangements of tunes associated with Nina Simone.
The Times - John Bungey -***

After deconstructing Elvis,Dylan and Jacques Brel,the British singer pays homage to Nina Simone. Jungr being Jungr,nothing follows a conventional path in this oblique collection,which veers between gospel,folk,R&B and discreet jazz. She doesn’t go for obvious covers or try to compete with Simone’s idiosyncratic delivery – her voice is lighter and almost girlish. The real pleasure lies in the typically thoughtful juxtapositions of material. The bleak sentiments of The Pusher sit side by side with the pastoral cadences of One Morning in May,while Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood is unashamedly dark. Fans will be pleased that the Dylan quota remains high.
The Sunday Times - Clive Davis - 4 stars - March 9,2008

Subtitled Hymn To Nina,this album is the English singer Barb Jungr's tribute to the late Nina Simone,one of her key influences. The 11 songs are all numbers that Simone herself interpreted - and range from traditional ballads,such as Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair,to pop classics,including a trio of Bob Dylan songs and the Gibb Brothers' To Love Somebody. Jungr's pure,throaty vocals have a fluidity and agility which allow her to pull off the trickiest numbers with graceful ease.
Scotland on Sunday - 3 Stars

Kidd also treats us to a trio of interrogatory classics - How Deep is the Ocean?,How Long Has This Been Going On? and Can't We Be Friends?. Everything sounds effortless,the singer's golden timbre and legato phrasing serving interpretations that sweep you up in their tender embrace. With its constant shifts between major and minor,Cole Porter's It's Alright With Me provides a sudden adrenaline rush amidst the largely ballad-driven set. Kidd gets to flex her majestic upper register and doesn't hold back. Penned by the singer and guitarist Nigel Clark - one of an outstanding quartet of supporting musicians - the two originals There Goes My Heart and Do You Believe sit happily alongside the standards.
Jazzwise - Peter Quinn

Jazzwise
Although Shaw emphasises the folk influences on his first album of mainly self-written material,panic not,he's not taken to sticking his finger in his ear and wearing clogs. Lifejacket is a sophisticated array of songs,mixing lyrics of wit with melodies that match. The emotional palate ranges from the riotous but tear-tinged Forty Two (aided by a heart tugging,bottle lugging performance from Liane Carroll) through to the gently loving elegy to Shaw's father,A Good and Simple Man. Along the way there's scurrilous tales of London life,meditations (but never sentimental ones) on exile from his homeland,and songs of loss,pain and the certain sweet surprise of love. Shaw folds many influences into his broad aesthetic,sucking in Joni,soul,glam,Cole Porter and brass bands. It helps that he has a superb band of old but never complacent acquaintances. Guy Barker shines,militarily precise on A Good and Simple Man or doubling Shaw's boppish lines on She's Loaded. David Preston too,who had the final production say,is a vital voice in the instrumental mix,lithe,funky and with as wide an emotional range as Shaw. Some songs may seem over-knotted melodically,while Shaw himself worried that doing all the harmonies might have over-egged the production pudding. But overall,this is a gem of a recording,and hopefully not a one-off peek at Shaw the singer-songwriter. More,please.

Time Out
One of Britain's most inventive jazz vocalists,Shaw's remarkable vocal range and mesmerising style have seen him breathe life into pop tunes and standards,reinventing even the most maudlin showtunes with sparkling wit. Yet latest solo album,'Lifejacket' finds him in confessional,if playful,singer-songwriter mode. Revealing his ear for a savvy pop hook,but always spiking his material with jazzy harmonic twists,Shaw is both entertaining and endearing on these self-deprecating Soho stories.

The Times - John Bungey
The singer's last album was a tribute to Joni Mitchell and the spirit of Joni in her jazzy phase seems to linger here in these sophisticated story-songs penned by Shaw - the vivid imagery,the imaginative small-group arrangements,the purring electric bass. There is a charming tribute to his father,A Good and Simple Man; Forty-Two is an engaging duet with Lianne Carroll; Glue is all hip wordplay and bass clarinet.

Drawbacks? Shaw's emotive vocal style can sound overwrought to me on lines such as: Tales of hope fall down like bowling pins. Other fans of smart jazz-pop may well forgive him.

The Guardian - John Fordham
Jazz singers have to do a lot more than sing jazzy songs to slip past the ruthless scrutiny of the cognoscenti,who are generally averse to vocals. But the UK's Ian Shaw - a profoundly sophisticated artist with a broad grasp of music's mechanics,as well as an affecting,emotional and sometimes very funny singer - never has trouble with the hardliners. Here,this gifted maverick has taken a different kind of risk,in making his life's passage from young man to middle-aged child the central thread of this album of originals composed with writer David Preston,and featuring fellow vocalist Liane Carroll,saxophonist Julian Siegel and cellist Gabriella Swallow.

The songs are autobiographical,full of details,and Shaw's mischievousness and sense of irony have been somewhat overawed by the responsibility of personal confession. The playing is immaculate,particularly from a sympathetic Guy Barker on trumpet. Shaw's mix of haunting falsettos,jazzy agility and conviction is as classy as ever,and the building intensity of the duet with Carroll and Shaw's lament on the real costs of war are the standouts.

However,it's the single non-original track,Rozz Williams' Flowers,that shows how much shared meaning can be revealed by a more ambiguous approach to the imagery of lyrics.

Yorkshire Post
There aren't too many male jazz singers around,and few as individual as Ian Shaw,which makes the arrival of a new CD most welcome. This is Shaw's most personal record to date. All the songs are original,written with guitarist David Preston and make for a programme that is witty and heartfelt. Shaw is enjoying himself,and his delivery on the likes of Northop Road,Pamela and Letter from a Dead Soldier is spot-on. His voice gets better over time and the timbre he brings to these songs points up their emotional content. This is a top-drawer contemporary jazz vocal CD.

Third album shows the Winter of 1969 to have been a hot one.

There were two reason why Second Winter created a stir when it was first released in 1969 - or three if you include the music.

The first was the cover: an arresting photo - montage of albino Winter with   his flailing long,pure white hair,and a purple colour wash......... The second was the three-sided double album: the forth side was blank...........Which brings us onto the third reason. Even in the blues guitar soaked Britian in 1969,Second Winter stood out,creating a nagging suspicion that our home-grown revered axe heroes were missing a trick somewhere. The first tour de force on Second Winter is a brave,Hendrix- style decontruction of Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited. The original is no slouch,but Winter's version is a hot rod compared to Dylan's Chevy.

Elsewhere Winter provides templates for ZZ Top(Hustled Down In Texas) and Stevie Ray Vaughan(I Love Everybody)

 Winter is the father of Texas blues. 8/10 Classic Rock

“Swiss guitarist Nicolas Meier was bred on heavy metal and fusion,but recently he’s been stretching into ever more distant reaches to mine a fascination with Middle Eastern grooves. On “Yuz” he forges ahead with strong cast,making his strongest statement yet: a pastoral,melodic quartet record,part-smooth ECM soundscapes,part giddy Oriental funk. Much of the record’s success lies with the chemistry Meier has with Gilad Atzmon,who can be Garbarek-sensitive or flamboyantly adventurous on numbers such as “Esmeralda/Emerald”. As for Meier,he veers between delicate Metheny-like virtuosity and acoustic intensity on his fretless,fretted and steel guitars whilst showcasing a fiery,horn like edge on the Turkish string saz. Standouts include the mantra-like “Yemin/Pledge” with Atzmon playing burnished Turkish clarinet,and the snaky title track with powerhouse drumming form Sirkis,the group’s unsung hero,and strong Arco by up-and-coming double bassist Tom Mason.
JAZZWISE - Tom Barlow

“Nicolas Meier,the Swiss guitarist living in Britain,made an impressive debut in 2005 with “Orient”,a world-music set with horn section including Gilad Atzmon,and influences embracing Turkish and Romanian folk-music,and the fusions sounds of Pat Metheny. “Yuz” tightens the band to a quartet fronting Meier and Atzmon. The effect has been to focus the original concept all the better,with Atzmon in imperious form on both saxes and Turkish clarinet,drummer Asad Sirkis balancing power and restrained embellishment,and Meier’s shapely lines (particularly on acoustic guitar) less cluttered by electronics of the first CD. Great tunes and inspiring playing form a very welcome newcomer on the UK scene.”
JAZZ UK - John Fordham

“Fans of the subversive saxophonist Gilad Atzmon may have been baffled by his last outing – galumphing about in the barmy persona of Artie Fishel. They will be happier with his swooping,soaring contributions to this album by versatile Swiss guitarist,who runs the gamut from jazz to flamenco and Arab styles. Meier made his world jazz debut in 2005 with “Orient”,but “Yuz” features a smaller group,tighter compositions and is altogether more focused. Meier can dazzle on fretless and fretted guitars and the presence of the drummer Asaf Sirkis,a potent mix of grace and muscularity,keeps the music bubbling even when the group veers towards Metheny-like smoothness. The foursome offers a torrid blend of East and West. ***”
THE TIMES - John Bungey

“In 2005 Nicolas Meier - a UK-resident Swiss guitarist of Metheny affiliations but strongly contrasting Turkish and Romanian family and musical connections - made a fine world-music debut with Orient,a mix of Turkish dance-themes,Methenyish lyricism and the inspirational Gilad Atzmon on saxes and clarinet.

Orient had three saxophones,but for this,Meier has stripped the band down to a quartet,with Atzmon; he has also tightened the repertoire and edited the spacey fusion effects,and substantially improved the quality of the composing. Asaf Sirkis's military-taut snare patterns and Atzmon's whooping soprano swap with languid guitar counter-melodies on the headlong Homeland. And Meier's lovely acoustic sound,effortless fast fills and unerringly timed embellishments erupt through the development of the mixed-tempo Why? The rumbling,prancing Face makes you want to look for a dancing partner,and Atzmon's balefully solemn use of the Turkish clarinet on Pledge is like a gaze you can't turn away from. It fulfils all Orient's promise and more.****”
THE GUARDIAN - John Fordham

This 1974 recording combines fiery American saxophonist Charlie Mariano's skittery be-bop and free-form expression with a top European rhythm section led by pianist Van T Hoff. And with Eurasian modes and rocky rhythms thrown in,there's bags of experimentation. Delivered with assurance and unselfconscious energy that stands the test of time,it puts many a current rocky jazz band into the shade. Part of a welcome re-issue programme. Financial Times 05 Sept 08