CHRIS BISCOE QUARTET with TONY KOFI, LARRY BARTLEY and STU BUTTERFIELD

Chris Biscoe - GONE IN THE AIR - THE MUSIC OF ERIC DOLPHY - TR578

1. Serene (Eric Dolphy) 5.43
2. Les (Eric Dolphy) 4.19
3. Out to Lunch (Eric Dolphy) 7.11
4. 245 (Eric Dolphy) 3.25
5. Jitterbug Waltz (Fats Waller) 4.40
6. Potsa Lotsa (Eric Dolphy) 8.00
7. Stolen Moments (Oliver Nelson) 8.56
8. Miss Ann (Eric Dolphy) 3.04
9. Hat and Beard (Eric Dolphy) 2.18
10. Gone in the Air (Chris Biscoe) 0.55
Total time 48.51

BBC double award winner Tony Kofi joins Chris Biscoe in an exploration of the musical legacy of reeds virtuoso Eric Dolphy. Gone In The Air features arrangements specially developed for this quartet with music written by Eric Dolphy, and tunes from Oliver Nelson, Fats Waller and Monk which he recorded.

REVIEWS
....an exhilarating, heady rush of music....There are few sounds in the music as distinctive and joyously vibrant as a Dolphy-led band in full flight, and Biscoe's quartet .... recapture the fiercely life-affirming quality of the great man's manner perfectly, Biscoe all daring intervallic leaps and wailing urgency, the intelligently complementary Kofi his astringent but powerful self, Bartley lithe and propulsive, Butterfield briskly, bouncily percussive in the best 1960s manner but none the less himself throughout. Strongly recommended.
Chris Parker, Vortex Website, May 2008

Chris Biscoe, with fellow saxophonist Tony Kofi, bassist Larry Bartley and drummer Stu Butterfield, succeed amazingly well in entering Dolphy’s remarkable musical universe via nine themes which he recorded, plus one Dolphyesque free improvisation.
Dave Gelly, The Observer 01.06.2008

The late Eric Dolphy would have been 80 this year and this magnificent recording is Chris Biscoe's tribute to a remarkable talent. .... he's chosen a delightful programme of Dolphy's compositions plus Jitterbug Waltz and Stolen Moments which Dolphy also recorded. The playing is spot on. Great sleeve notes. I hope this will be a winner.
Peter Bevan, Northern Echo 05.06.2008

Big, robust soloing from Biscoe and Kofi, with great support from Bartley and Butterfield. These guys are swinging hard. It’s an honest tribute to Eric Dolphy and the music is played with passion and authenticity.
Julian Joseph, Jazz Line-Up, BBC Radio 3,, 14.06.2008.

Biscoe’s ability to bridge sound worlds as different as Evan Parker’s and Charlie Parker’s makes him one of the most formidable European saxophonists... ....a contemporary quartet devotedly rooted in advanced bebop, but so clamorously enjoying it that the music sounds remarkably new. Dolphy classics from the Outward Bound and Out to Lunch albums are here, but also sizzling versions of covers he liked playing, including Oliver Nelson’s Stolen Moments and Fats Waller’s Jitterbug Waltz.
John Fordham, The Guardian 20.06.08

That splendid saxophonist Chris Biscoe takes the music of his idol, Eric Dolphy, as the programme for this tremendously enjoyable CD. He's joined by altoist Tony Kofi in the front-line of a pianoless quartet pushed along with zest by bassist Larry Bartley and drummer Stu Butterfield. The exchanges between Biscoe and Kofi crackle with intelligence and invention. This is jazz of real fire and drive, and performances of Serene, with its astonishing solo opening from Biscoe, Out to Lunch and Stolen Moments have much to savour.
Andrew Vine Yorkshire Post 27.06.2008

This tribute album led by the reliably excellent Biscoe .... evokes a characteristic Dolphy world both by covering some of his most well-known tunes, and through the quartet’s on the- edge-of-free but still boppy ensemble vibe. .... the rhythm section of Larry Bartley on bass and Stu Butterfield on drums swings freely.
Phil Johnson, The Independent, 29.06.2008

Alto saxophonists Chris Biscoe (who also plays alto clarinet and flute) and Tony Kofi are the main soloists, and both individually and jointly they evoke the distinctive ‘cry’ that Dolphy always brought to his playing. Both, in their different ways, seek always to avoid cliches, and to make their statements both personal and genuinely innovative. The outcome is music which is utterly compelling...... Bassist Larry Bartley and drummer Stu Butterfield provide admirable support.
Pete Martin, Jazz UK Issue 82, August/September 2008

Spirits of adventure infuse this release…. Biscoe and Kofi complement each other wonderfully. Stu Butterfield.....and bassist Larry Bartley have to perform the delicate task of underpinning the music without gluing it down, and this they do brilliantly. A most enjoyable disc.
Brian Glasser, Jazzwise August 2008, Issue 122