Woodland are best known for Perry Hemus’ ‘Rhodesmode’ (which featured Lizzy Parks on vocals) but with this new CD that might not be the case for much longer.

We know Lizzy Parks from the Worldwide Nominated track of the year by Nostalgia 77, ‘The Hope Suite’ and she’s also on many of the tracks on this album anong with Lupa (Antima Abbamonte) and Sophie Perks.

‘Déjà Vu’ starts all dreamlike with Lupa singing and then breaks into a Starsky and Hutch funky guitar’n’bass theme with a nod to the broken beats.

This is Bryan’s third album and came about after the record label give him the chance to remix 3 of the tracks off his second LP Corbenova (recorded in 2003). ‘Corbenova’ is brilliant broken-funk-jazz with Lizzy leading us in. This track has also been released as a 12” and is a great introduction to the CD. The other broken biz-niz are the tracks ‘Metamorphik’ and ‘Nardo’ that are both fusion-styled — which makes for an interesting combination.

Another track that was included on that 12” was ‘Off The Rails’. It’s very nu-spiritual jazz in a late 70s theme-tune land with some blistering trumpet and funked up Rhodes; ‘Hey, Hey, Hey!’

Inevitably with Brian’s Trumpet and Flugelhorn solos, the Miles Davis influence is not far away in the fusion, funk, and jazziness themes and is no more evident than on the mellow instrumental title track.

The ‘La-La, La-La-Lars’ during ‘Roma’ are not really for me but I know some laid-back loungers that’ll think it’s the best track on the whole album. It comes with some mellow bass bombs. I was expecting ‘Tokyology’ to go all jazz-dance but it’s similar to ‘Roma’. The one that works best in this vein is ‘Movin’ In’ which is a mid-temp jazz-funker with some spaced basslines; think Bill Laswell. Suturn Radio’s Richard E will like this one.

‘Open Plan’ is the closing track and another with a broken beat with some beautiful playing by Mr. Corbett and some scat from Ms. Parks.

This is such a great album I’m not sure of a favourite track but the dub-reggae-ambient ‘I.O.’ is doing it at the moment.

In addition to his multi-instrumental skill, Corbett is also the composer and producer on this release. Whilst researching another review, I was surprised to find out that I’d missed the Bryan Corbett Quartet at the Swanage Jazz Festival in 2003. The progamme notes say, “The fluent and melodic Birmingham-based musician leads a fine group inspired by ‘the cool school’ of trumpet”. More recently, Bryan has been touring Europe with US3 as well as having played alongside the likes of Roy Ayers, Jamiroquai, Joss Stone, Courtney Pine, Angie Stone, Soweto Kinch and Chris Bowden. So take a bit of that lot, Freddie Hubbard and Miles and mix with some nu-Jazz modernist fusion and you’ve got a top rate album in Pressure Valve. Release the pressure and get the CD.

Reviewed: Bryan Corbett - ‘Corbenova EP’ 12” Cat. No. WOOD005 (Woodland Records) A. (Intro) Off The Rails (7:39), B1. Open Plan (8:23), B2. Corbenova (6:25)

Bryan Corbett - Pressure Valve CD Cat. No. WOOD006 (Woodland Records) Release Date: November 2005
Tracklisting:
1. Deja Vu
2. Off The Rails
3. Pressure Value
4. I.O.
5. Corbenova
6. Roma
7. Tokyology
8. Movin’ In
9. Metamorphik
10. Nardo
11.Open Plan
Vocalists featured:
Lizzy Parks (‘The Hope Suite’ - Nostalgia 77, ‘Rhodesmode’ - Perry Hemus, ‘Slightly Askew’ - Chris Bowden) Tracks 2, 5, 11, Lupa (aka Antima Abbamonte) - check the website below: Tracks 1, 6 and Sophie Perks, Tracks 4, 7, 10.

Links:
Bryan Corbett www.bryancorbett.co.uk
Lupa www.lupamusic.com
Woodland Records www.woodlandrecords.com
SATURN RADIO, Market Place, 11 Market Place, off Gt Portland St. London W1… last Wednesday of the month… 7pm-12am, free entry… Oxford Circus tube. Resident djs, RICHARD E (Solar Apple Quarktette / Further Out Recordings), SIMON S (Break Reform / Abstract Blue Recordings) DJ SATURN (Neptune Alpha Base Massive), BEVERLEY O (Spouse Organ / Further Out) plus guests… PHABIUS - sentient autonomous biped fused with electrotonal hitting thing………Upcoming guests: Simon Harrison - ‘basic soul’ radio show / ‘nu-world’ mixes on samurai.fm, Perry Hemus - Rhodesmode (Woodland Records), Mark Robertson / Spiritual South, Koh Uemura - Onward International / Cafe Zun Zun.
THE HERITAGE ORCHESTRA, Live at the Barbican Hall - Sunday 20th November - doors 7.30pm: with special guests…Chris Bowden (Soul Jazz, Ninja Tune), Dwight Trible (Ninja Tune), Mozez (Zero 7) plus live performances from Robert Glasper Trio (Blue Note), Eska and Gilles Peterson (DJ Set). Tickets £15 £20.00 - Box Office: 020 7638 8891 or go to www.barbican.org.uk
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