Record Reviews

FLETCHER / BRICE / JOZWIAK ~ NICK OF TIME SLAM 295 (Barcode: 5028386029526) ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 2013 Released: 2014 This is the debut album by British Jazz trio consisting of saxophonist / flautist Mike FletcherFind albums by this artist, bassist Olie BriceFind albums by this artist and Polish (residing in UK) drummer Tymoteusz JozwiakFind albums by this artist. The album presents six original pieces, all co-composed by the three trio members. Jozwiak arrived in UK to study with the legendary British Jazz drummer Tony LevinFind albums by this artist, now sadly departed, and stayed on. He met Fletcher and Brice in 2013 and they struck an immediate rapport as musical partners, which led to this recording. The music is a typical Free Jazz / Improvised Music setting, which presents three individual musicians trying to find a common ground and cooperate sonically in order to create an expression, which is a sum of their individual inputs. Judging by the result they definitely both enjoyed this meeting and managed to produce some excellent music together. Although obviously improvised, the music includes enough melodic contents to keep listeners from beyond the strict Avant-Garde scene receptive to this music. Fletcher´s playing is remarkably mellow and non aggressive and both Brice and Jozwiak engage with the front soloist constantly and yet manage to remain at least partly in the background, which saves the music from becoming cacophonous. Obviously Fletcher draws most of the listener´s attention, but his playing without the support of his two cohorts would have been most probably much less impressive. Brice builds up a respected position among the Improvised Music community members in the last few years, appearing on several very strong recording dates, like the trio with Polish saxophonist / clarinetist Mikolaj Trzaska called "Inem Gortn", which should be most interesting to people listening to this album. He is surely a player worth watching in the years to come, following his impressive start-up achievements. Jozwiak is relatively anonymous as of now, but judging by his performances herein, we´ll definitely hear more about him in years to come. Overall this is an interesting and aesthetically pleasing debut presenting ambitious music, which is definitely worth hearing. The album was released on the small independent label called SlamFind albums on this label Records, which was founded and is operated by British baritone saxophonist George HaslamFind albums by this artist, and which in the last 25 years released some of the most fascinating Avant-Garde music recorded on the British Isles.

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

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GEORGE HASLAM / PAUL RUTHERFORD ~ 1989 – AND ALL THAT SLAM 301 (Barcode: 5028386030119) ~ UK ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 1989 Released: 1989 This is an album by British Jazz / Improvised Music musicians: baritone saxophonist George HaslamFind albums by this artist and trombonist Paul RutherfordFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine tracks, eight of which were composed / co-composed by the musicians and one is their interpretation of a standard. Six of the tracks are solo recordings and three are duos. George Haslam was the owner of the SlamFind albums on this label Productions record label, which released the album and many other recordings documenting the British Jazz and Improvised Music scene. This was the first album released on Slam, which released over 250 albums between 1989 and 2021. In 2023 the label was taken over by Jon GriffithsFind albums by this artist, the owner of the My Only DesireFind albums on this label Records, which saved some of the most creative and adventurous British Jazz recordings from oblivion. Rutherford has been active on the British Jazz scene since the early 1970 and is featured on literally countless classic British Jazz recordings over the years, until his death in 2007. The music presents both the individual talents of the two musicians, plying solo improvisations, and their duo interplays, which offer a glimpse into their musical camaraderie and the “Art of the Duo” creative atmosphere. Overall, this is the album that kick started the Slam Productions long history and enormous contribution to documenting the British Free Jazz / Improvised Music scene, which of course is worth being re-discovered.

Updated: 01/09/2026Posted: 01/09/2026

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