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Peterson’s loss is Oliver Weindling gain. Who’s that? For the uninitiated, check the feature on founder/director of the Babel Label and a big wig at the Vortex by clicking HERE.

The Portico Quartet are anything but an East End sound. Closer to East Java perhaps as the band include two Hang players. Hang?” I hear you say. It’s pronounced Hung and you’ll recall Asaf Sirkis introduced us to it at the Lighthouse a couple of years ago in a trio format with Tim Garland and Gwilym Simcock. Tim’s inspiration of a Lighthouse overlooking the North Sea being merely co-incidental to the title of this album, Knee-Deep In The North Sea.

The Portico Quartet’s unique sound is proving very popular as they seem to have hit on the right mix of jazz, classical (a la Steve Reich/Phillip Glass), ethnic and gamelan influences.

The group consist of Jack Wyllie (saxophones), Milo Fitzpatrick (double bass), Nick Mulvey (hang) and Duncan Bellamy (drums and hang) and at times sound modal and spiritual in a Cinematic Orchestra emotional way. ‘The Kon Tiki Experiment’ especially stands out (see below link for Kon Tiki info).

‘Steps In The Wrong Direction’ sounds like a soundtrack chase scene with some great sax work. It’s the type of track that might end up on a TV advert whilst ‘Cittàgazze’ has Bollywood undertones or is it supposed to sound Italian spaghetti western?

I suppose it’s the versatility of the hang that helps the imagination. At times it can sound like steel drums in the Caribbean, check out the title track on their myspace site from the Gilles Peterson worldwide session of last year.

Not only have they featured with Mr Peterson, they’ve been on XFM in session and are busy touring after much critical acclaim for their jazz, world, folk amalgam. Apart from the gigs below, it’s already been announced that they’ll be at the Big Chill Festival in the summer and they’re definitely on my ‘must see’ list. “Prepare to be inspired”

Forthcoming Live dates:
22 Feb 2008 Union Chapel with Basquiat Strings London
23 Feb 2008 Bexhill on sea, De La Ware Pavilion East Sussex
27 Feb 2008 Norwich Arts Centre Norwich
2 Mar 2008 Exeter Vibraphonic festival Exeter
7 Mar 2008 Ignite Brunch @ The Royal Albert Hall Cafe London
4 May 2008 The Junction Cambridge
17 May 2008 Lakeside Theatre Colchester
24 May 2008 The Pavilion Brighton

Reviewed - Portico Quartet - Knee-Deep In The North Sea (Babel/The Vortex) Cat. No. BVOR2769, BVOR2769 Released: 10 Oct 2007
Tracklisting:
1 News From Verona
2 (Something’s Going Down On) Zavodovski Island
3 Knee-Deep In The North Sea
4 Too Many Cooks
5 Steps In The Wrong Direction
6 Monsoon: Top To Bottom
7 The Kon Tiki Experiment
8 Cittàgazze
9 Pompidou

Links
www.myspace.com/porticoquartet
Gilles Peterson :: 15 November 2007 :: In Conversation: Jneiro Jarel (Shape Of Broad Minds) & Live in Session From Maida Vale: Portico Quartet
Portico Quartet - ‘Knee Deep In The North Sea’ (Live In Session)
Portico Quartet - ‘Monsoon’ (Live In Session)
www.bigchill.net
Locations in His Dark Materials - Cittàgazze
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kon-Tiki