aaamusic | On 08, Apr 2012

London, 3rd April

Get the Blessing is a jazz rock quartet from Bristol, England. Their debut All is Yes won best album at the 2008 BBC Jazz Awards. OC DC, released in 2012, is their most recent album.

Their line-up is Jim Barr: bass (Portishead), Jake McMurchie: sax, Pete Judge (trumpet) and Daisy Palmer: drums (Goldfrapp). They share an appreciation of the warm soulfulness of musician and composer Ornette Coleman.

Get The Blessing entered the stage in identical evening wear and Jim Barr’s obscure deadpan humour tended to confuse the audience between numbers. The fine Americano Meccano took you atmospherically to the set of a Sergio Leone western and the haunting Adagio in Wot Minor would have been great as a film soundtrack to some sleazy backstreet. Between Fear and Sex, a typically menacing and cerebral song, delighted with its dark tone and contrast.

Get The Blessing are irresistible and smart jazz artists who improvise in an adventurous and laid back way. The rhythm section has a steady thunder of catchy tight riffs and backbeats. The trumpet creates expansive melodies. It’s hot, spooky and exciting, but there are also complexities and playful allusions which can pull fans deeper into their music. They’ll probably continue to appeal to those who normally don’t like jazz.

 

Anthony Weightman