Back in the 60s England was a crucial force in the development of improvised music. A raft of distinctive players reared on American jazz diverged from a stylistic path to forge the genuinely nonidiomatic approach of free improvisation. The legacy, influence, and importance of folks like Derek Bailey, John Stevens, Tony Oxley, and Evan Parker, among others, remains undiminished half a century after they first emerged. The UK has continued to boast a formidable jazz and improvised music scene with loads of talented players coming along year after year, but for much of the 80s and 90s those folks lacked a lasting vision. Too many jazz musicians got caught up in rather shallow trends like acid jazz, making music that now sounds horribly dated, facile, and stale. In recent years, however, things have improved dramatically. And few current practitioners are as exciting, deep, and committed as the Oxford pianist Alexander Hawkins, a musician whose easy versatility has given him loads of opportunities.
Alexander Hawkins Trio by Alexander Hawkins
