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  | STEVE ARGUELLES ~ STEVE ARGUELLES
AH UM 007 ~ UK ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1990 Released: 1990
This is the debut album as a leader by British drummer / composer Steve ArguellesFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quintet setting with his brother, saxophonist Julian ArguellesFind albums by this artist, guitarist / violinist Stuart HallFind albums by this artist, accordionist Kim BurtonFind albums by this artist and bassist Mick HuttonFind albums by this artist. The album presents twelve tracks, six of which are original compositions by Steve Arguelles, five are by Julian Arguelles and one is a standard.
The music is a brilliant and completely unique collection of tunes, which offer a cross-genre humorous mixture of Jazz, Folklore and vaudeville / Circus music, which is quite sophisticated, despite the external appearance and features superb instrumental performances by the quintet members. As such, this music eschews classification and is completely non-commercial, which explains why it was released on the miniscule legendary Ah UmFind albums on this label label.
The Arguelles brothers contributed greatly to the process of shaping the British Jazz scene in the 1990s as members of such bands like Loose Tubes, Human Chain and other collaborations with Django Bates, with Steve becoming later a respected producer and owner of his record label.
Overall, this is a charming reminder of the “new age” of British Jazz scene, which started in the 1990s and radically changed its character with the influx of new blood infused by the young generation, preserving the wonderful urge to innovate and discover new vistas. Not easy to find a copy of this jewel these days, but definitely worth an effort.
Side Note
British composer / arranger Nick PurnellFind albums by this artist founded the short-lived Ah UmFind albums on this label label in 1989, which existed until 1993 and released a total of sixteen albums with some of the top British Jazz musicians of that period and a few American guests, which remain as of the finest recordings of that period. For some inexplicable reason all these albums are almost completely obsolete today, despite their excellent musical value, which is a shame, as they all deserve an honorable place in any decent British Jazz collection.
| | Updated: 21/05/2025Posted: 21/05/2025 | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
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