Max Luthert - Big Maybe [Jazz]
- The Slow Music Movement
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Max Luthert is a man about London Jazz town. Kicking off his career playing bass for Zara McFarlane was a statement of intent and he's collaborated with the likes of Nubya Garcia, Binker & Moses and Moses Boyd in recent times too. Form.
He actually released his first album back in 2014, a surprisingly straight ahead affair, before heading into more electronic nu-jazz fusion with the Million Square project, a collaboration with Duncan Eagles. So a new jazz album is long overdue and I'm happy to report early indications are that it's sounding pretty wild, although we'll have to wait until April next year to see quite how wild.
For his latest contribution to the UK jazz continuum he's enlisted the fleet fingers of Matthew Robinson on piano and the stick wielding Jon Scott, whilst Luther handles both bass and electronic duties.
Starting off with a hyped up Sheffield bleep reminiscing sequence, the trio waste no time riffing off their technoid muse and they're not hanging about either. Luther bumps the tune along with an insistent bassline that anchors Scott's driving percussion as Robinson restrains his improvisatory urges to join the rush, and that's just the introduction. A couple of minutes in the trio pause to reconsider their path, toying with ideas before deciding that a full on jazz dance assault is the way. Keeping the vibe they ratchet up the intensity until wary of the sweat dripping off the dance floor ceiling they strip things back for a sparser but no less frenetic "interlude", before slaying all within earshot with a free spirited, spiralling finale that ditches the groove to reach for the stars.
Bring on the album now.
Playlist Companion
For more deadly jazz from the independent underground head to the Slow Jazz Playlist.