I began writing material for this album in the summer of 2011 having
long had vision for leading a large ensemble (it's not very often you
get the chance to play a leading role in a big band as a guitarist!!).
It's been a mission getting this project off the ground but it's also
been a lot of fun, and I feel genuinely privileged to have worked with
some first class musicians that put in a lot of hard work to help me
realise an ambition I've had for some time.
Please
help to support us by buying the CD or Mp3's from this site or from
JazzCDs.co.uk, i-tunes, amazonMp3 etc. You can also "like" the
Chris Flaherty Music page on FaceBook to keep up with the latest news
and gig info -
www.facebook.com/chrisflahertymusic
Details of the Live Line-up and gig dates coming soon!
Reviews
All About Jazz (Bruce Lindsay)
The city of Leeds, in the northern county of West Yorkshire, has
developed a reputation in recent years as one of the UK's hotbeds of
contemporary jazz and improvised music. But Yorkshire jazz isn't
just about being cutting edge or pushing envelopes: there's also a
strong affinity with the music's history and traditions; an affinity
that values The Great American Songbook, the craft of the ballad and
the sheer joyous thrill of a mainstream big band in full flight.
Turning Point, the debut album by the Chris Flaherty Big Band, is a
joyous example of this acknowledgement of past glories and, in the
original tunes of leader/multi-instrumentalist Flaherty, a fine
showcase for new music in that tradition.
Flaherty lives in Halifax, an industrial town a few miles away from
Leeds, where he runs the Halifax Guitar School. He is a solid,
unfussy drummer and bassist but he excels on guitar. His clear,
bright, tone ensures that his single note playing cuts through the
ensemble's sound while his rhythm playing is always beautifully
judged and sympathetic to the lead players' contributions. He's long
held an ambition to front a big band and has grabbed his opportunity
in fine style.
There is a little artistic license in Flaherty's use of the term
"Big Band," as there are only six players on this album—Al MacSween
and Aron Kyne share the piano duties, while Flaherty plays all of
the guitar, bass and drum parts. Whatever the reason for the lack of
players— logistics, perhaps, economics almost certainly—it's to
Flaherty's credit as composer, arranger, producer and engineer that
the band sounds like a big band. From the laidback, seemingly
effortless beauty of "Mosaic" and "Parallel Motion" to the up- tempo
swing of "Let It Simmer" and the tough, driving, "Trane Spotting,"
Flaherty and his band mates craft some stylish music which, through
judicious use of overdubbing, has a full, rich texture.
Trombonist Dennis
Rollins, leader of the Velocity Trio, is probably the
band's highest-profile member, but each player makes his own vital
contribution. Greg Nichols and
Rod Mason shine on the soulful
funk of "Dance Of The Sardines," Mason and Rollins trade
full-blooded solos on "McCloud 9." Flaherty is particularly
impressive on "Let It Simmer"—as a guitarist, bassist and
drummer—and the bebop "Trippin' Off Bird," which also features
Kyne's punchy piano solo. The band's ensemble playing is equally
strong: a special mention must go to the overall sound of the
smooth, '60s big band style of "Song For Dawn."
Turning Point has clearly been a labour of love for Flaherty, so
it's great to report that the labour was successful. This is a
bouncy, bubbly big band sound, even if it does come from just half a
dozen players—great on record, it deserves to be heard live.
Ian Mann (The jazz Mann) -
Click here to read the full review
"An
enjoyable, accessible and well crafted album that deserves to
enhance Flaherty's reputation as a musician and composer"
Adrian Ingram - Jazz Guitarist,
Writer and Historian It’s always refreshing to
hear a young musician keeping the classic jazz guitar tradition
alive, but Chris is more than an accomplished jazz guitarist; he is
a fully rounded creative musician, as evidenced by his compositions
and skilful arranging.
All of these attributes, and more, can
be found on his 11 track CD “Turning Point”.
It takes a brave man, in
these times of stringent cost-cutting and rapid demise of jazz
venues to put together a band of any more than four players!
But Chris has surrounded himself with
top notch musicians like Rod Mason (Saxes), Dennis Rollins
(Trombones) and Al Macsween (Keys).
Further evidence of Flaherty’s stature
can be found in the fact that not only did he contribute some great
guitar, but also takes charge of the bass and drum chairs!
Primarily mid-tempo, the
music ranges from the relaxed “Mosaic” featuring a nice guitar solo,
to the cooking opener “Trane Spotting”.
The L.A styled (Bob James, Dave Grusin
et al) “Parallel Motion” has the expected funk back beat, some fine
‘side-slipping’ guitar and really tasty ensemble passages.
My personal favourite is “Trippin’ off
Bird”; snatches of Donna Lee and Confirmation but no direct
plagiarism.
This is a tour-de-force in the 50’s
west coast style of Shorty Rogers, Gerry Mulligan and Shelly Manne’s
larger ensembles.
Check out too the angular intro to “Let
it Simmer” for evidence of Flaherty’s obvious compositional talents.
Make no doubt;
this is a fine CD from a very talented musician.
Geoff Amos - Jazz Promoter
"Turning Point is an excellent debut by band leader
Chris Flaherty. The compositions and arrangements are bright,
sophisticated and at times, downright sassy.
The ensemble playing is faultless, this is certainly a CD that merits
repeated playing and I’m sure that hearing the band in a ‘live’ setting
will be even better"
