The Jazz Defenders have recently become a personal favorite. They truly ‘defend’ the art of jazz pumping out fresh sounds with deep roots. This is just their third album and their previous one ‘King Phoenix’ was one of my top albums of 2022 (review here).
‘Memory in Motion’ is a great mixture conjuring up various artists of the past but adding melodic twists and turns for an enjoyable scenic journey. The tightness of the quintet format allows the horns and piano to tell the story while the drums and bass rev the engine. I know that readers and followers of FunkCity.net will enjoy this album and my track-by-track coverage with the accompanying commentary from the band for the album’s press release.
UK jazz ensemble The Jazz Defenders release their third album Memory In Motion on Haggis Records, another quality release of original material that takes in their usual diverse mix of influences and genres, from timeless acoustic jazz referencing the classic sounds of Blue Note Records, to a more contemporary fusion where jazz meets soul, funk and hip-hop.
With Memory In Motion, pianist George Cooper and his band undoubtedly pay great homage to a golden era of jazz music that they love, but also elaborate on this influence with a wealth of modern musical experience, to create their own raw and vibrant compositions. The result is an enthrallingly unique sound that is as danceable as it is listenable.
Meanderthal‘s starting piano reminds me of the classic ‘Take 5’ opening but the flight of the horns into the melody quickly go in another direction. Nick Malcolm on trumpet takes the first solo and it’s expertly sharp. George Cooper takes a twirl on the piano and organ in succession. The tune feels like a ride in a sportscar on a winding mountainside road – could that be the meaning of the title? It’s a meandering jaunt back through a bygone era with a lot of pep!
“Meanderthal” and “Snakebite Playfight” bring soul to this jazz party. Exactly like jazz legends Lee Morgan / Herbie Hancock / Freddie Hubbard etc did back in the early-mid 1960s. The first is a feel-good, toe-tapping gem that’s heavy on the backbeat and short and snappy on the solos, the exact reasons that made it the perfect opening single from the album.
The Long Haul opens with George Cooper playing a repeated section with Ian Matthews as a tapping timekeeper. The horns take the main lead and segue into an excellent double bass solo from Will Harris with the stick timer of Ian and light touch keys from George in support. George takes over with a sparkling section and yields to Jake McMurchie on tenor for his first solo. The guys mesh beautifully and the trumpet call from Nick Malcolm reminds me of some Snarky Puppy tunes.
Chasing Fantasies has a swinging anthemic feel. George plays a beautiful cruising solo giving way to Nick on trumpet who in turn hands off to Jake on tenor. Although subdued, the rhythm combo of Ian and Will on drum and bass form the backbone of this one.
“Chasing Fantasies” and “Fuffle Kerfuffle” both give the band some space to cut loose on solos over swing jazz beats that will keep their original jazz audience happy. The latter bubbles away with a jazz shuffle beat that would make drum legend Art Blakey smile.
Rolling on a High so effectively brings in Doc Brown to rap to this funky tune. My favorite lyric is the reference to “Macca” and call to “Let It Be.” The horns shine here and the bridge enables Will to lay down some badass bass lines. It’s an effective midpoint break for the album to have a song with lyrics and this one is super cool.
“Rolling On A High” is a hip-hop/jazz banger that sees the band continue their collaborations with UK rapper Doc Brown, a perfect combination that began on their second album King Phoenix‘. This time, the Doc spits some old-school block party- style bars over a bouncy uptempo funky beat with the band cooking up some soul stew behind him. Definitely dancefloor material.
Take a Minute feels super slinky with a slow drum beat, upright bass and some drawling horn lines. The vibe-like keys give it some eerie space, like floating in space.
It’s not all uptempo numbers or dancefloor-oriented compositions on this album. Two tracks take the musical dynamics right down to give a temporary break from the high- energy numbers. “Take A Minute” has a rolling double bass line locked into the groove while the horns play a lazy and laid-back theme with vibes embellishment, sounding like some trippy independent film soundtrack. Another recurring musical reference point for this band over the years.
Fuffle Kershuffle definitely has that shuffle going for it. Not too long ago, I really got hip to this groove through the Snarky Puppy tune RL’s and I totally dig it. Jake and Nick exchange solos here first before George takes his turn on piano building volume and pace along the way. A nice touch is the bass + drum only closeout.
Snakebite Playfight‘s drum intro immediately transports the listener to New Orleans with the horns laying out the main theme and the organ comes in funky as can be. George takes a bouncy solo with the horns and drums simmering on the back burner. The extended piano yields to the horns with the main theme up to the ending flourish.
“Snakebite Playfight” comes with a jaunty New Orleans shuffle before transforming into a heavy psychedelic soul jazz burner, flipping back with ease to the NOLA shuffle for the Mardi Gras meets bebop piano solo by band leader George Cooper.
Net Zero starts with a piano-bass repeat line before the soli sections trumpet, sax and keys each sounding like the great fusion acts of the early 70s. When the solos stop the piano-bass theme continues right up to the end.
Another uptempo jam is the heavy jazz fusion jam “Net Zero”. It kicks off with some live broken beat kit playing and piano/bass staccato vamping before taking off into Headhunters territory on the solos, sounding both contemporary and classic at the same time. This is The Jazz Defenders at their fiercest and toughest and delivering a track that will have jazz dancers worldwide in an utter frenzy.
Enigma is a gorgeous piano and bass duet. It really shows beautiful touch from George. I’d be remiss if I didn’t recognize the adeptness similar to Bill Laurance of Snarky Puppy, one of my favorite keys players ever. The tune has palpable emotion and when Will becomes more pronounced on bass toward the end, it’s total joy to close out this terrific album.
The album finishes on a poignant and introspective note with a beautiful piano and double bass feature for George Cooper and bassist Will Harris. It’s called “Enigma”, it was recorded live in Paris and it closes the album on a peaceful note evoking the music and playing of Bill Evans. The perfect way to close this brilliant third album from The Jazz Defenders.
The Jazz Defenders
Jake McMurchie (tenor sax)
Nick Malcolm (trumpet)
Ian Matthews (drums)
Will Harris (bass)
George Cooper (piano/keyboards)
Buy on Bandcamp
