NEW MUSIC ALERT: Chris Higginbottom – Where Land Ends

Chris_Higginbottom_Where_Land_Ends

As you know at Cut The Cap we like to bring you news of the freshest things you should know about and today is no different… introducing to you… Chris Higginbottom: music mistero!

For those of you (like us) who are a little sketchy as to who Chris Higginbottom is allow us to fill in the blanks… a Royal Academy of Music graduate he accepted a scholarship in 2002 to attend the New School in New York for one year. This marked the beginning of an eight year stint across the pond, where he played with many top names in jazz – Mark Murphy, Ingrid Jensen, Bruce Barth and Aaron Parks to name a few – and at such legendary venues as Birdland, The Blue Note and Smalls.

Chris recorded his debut album as a bandleader, ‘One’ (2005) in New York, featuring Seamus Blake (saxophone), Aaron Goldberg (piano) and Orlando Le Fleming (bass). The album was released by Basho Records, and he toured the UK and North America with that group to critical acclaim:

“Up-to-the-minute and frighteningly accomplished” – The Observer
“Higginbottom moves effortlessly but with crisp insistence across genres” – the Guardian
“Precise and virtuosic” – Jazzwise magazine
“‘One’ is a showcase of fine ensemble playing by four impressive individual talents and a distinguished bandleader debut for Higginbottom.”- All about Jazz
“Chris Higginbottom’s drumming has the smooth clarity that Tony Williams used to demonstrate” – Evening Standard
“Chris is such a musical drummer. He plays with tremendous energy, and his feel is second to none” – producer Mikal Blue (Colbie Callait, One Republic, Five for Fighting)

So that was a little on the background of Chris and brings us up to present day and the imminent release of Chris’ second album, Where Land Ends.
Where Land Ends consists of six original compositions marking a change in direction from his acoustic, swinging debut towards a more contemporary, electric sound. The album features an A-list of British talent, all of whom Chris has had a long-standing musical association with Mike Outram (guitar), Tom Cawley (keyboards) and Robin Mullarkey (electric bass).

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All the music for Where Land Ends was written with the specific players on the album in mind. Chris had long wanted to bring together these different talents, with whom he has played with in separate projects over the years. Each of them have a unique voice, all virtuosic players but ultimately great improvisers who will opt for a simple idea over a complex one to communicate with an audience. Chris has deliberately allowed them room to express themselves without having their heads buried in reams of sheet music, bringing group interplay to the fore: Whilst some parts of the album showcase the quartet’s technical abilities, solo sections are often quite simple passages allowing the players more freedom to improvise as a unit. The result is an album that is at once both accessible and challenging, to play and to listen to.

If you like the sound of the above there’s some really good news – the album is launched on MONDAY OCTOBER 29th. Cut The Cap will be at the launch party so look for the review of the night…!

For more information visit the official website http://www.chrishigginbottom.com