Bassist Rob Clutton is spotlighted in a pair of releases, one in trio form and the other in a series of duets.
Bassist Rob Clutton leads a fluied post bop trio with rich toned alto saxist Karen Ng and intuitive drummer Nick Fraser through ten originals. The team is left of center but crisp on pieces like the hip “Festival” aith Fraser tapping out some bouncing tones on the staccato’d “Strata” while he and the leader clippety clop on “Hounds”. Ng is bluesy with Clutton on the melancholy “Old Nick” and fluffy to Fraser’s brushes on ‘Cloak” while giving a rich intro to “Thing One”. Clutton’s tone sways into a loungy “Shelter” and the team is a bit adventurous on “Sterling”. Impressionist portraits of sound.
Rob Clutton teams up with saxist Tony Malaby for eleven loose compositions on this album. There are discussions in the liner notes about various rhythmic structures and use of Dorian modes, but one has to ask as to the effect, as the result is quite freely formed. On soprano sax, Malaby does some surreal glissandos on “Swamp Cut” and searing long tones for “Trillogy” while laconic on the dreary “Latitude”. Clutton bows to edgy effect to Malaby’s low tones on “Offering” and gives subtones on the bluesy “Refuge”. The two scramble like cockroaches exposed to a flashlight on “Polar” and groan on “Motion”. Songs or rehearsals?