by Ross McHenry
Ross McHenry Child of Somebody (PBS feature record)
In a relatively short time Ross McHenry has built himself a solid reputation as a bassist, composer and producer. Through his Afro-jazz ensemble Shaolin Afronauts we first recognized what a talent McHenry had for producing very contemporary music that drew from the very best elements of classic soul-jazz, groove and Afro-beat. Alongside stellar records from the Shaolin Afronauts, Ross McHenry also put out a highly-regarded solo album ‘Distant Oceans’ in 2013.
Now in 2016 Ross McHenry delivers a second solo album Child of Somebody, and not surprisingly it marks another forward step in what is becoming a significant musical story. On this record it’s hard to tell where, if any, the line is drawn between structured composition and improvisation. There’s a vibrancy that suggests each of McHenry’s collaborators – and there’s some astonishing players on this album – are given the scope and freedom to engage in their own musical conversation with the material. Ultimately all of that coalesces into an album that stands as a complete work rather than simply a collection of a dozen individual tracks.
There’s so many knockout performances on Child of Somebody that it almost feels disrespectful to mention any by name. Instead perhaps just check out the track ‘Circles in a Circle’ and you’ll get the chance to hear the ensemble collectively and individually strut their stuff over 9 glorious minutes. Underpinning this magnificent jazz groove odyssey is the relentless drive of McHenry himself, a bassist who clearly knows how to coax the best from those gathered around him. For the record the contributors to this album include Mark de Clive Lowe, Myele Manzanza, Marcus Strickland, Corey King, Duane Eubanks, Tivon Pennicott, and Dylan Marshall.
Back in 2013 McHenry was described in a review as ‘The Future of Australian Jazz’. Perhaps with Child of Somebody the future is now.
Review by Owen McKern, PBS 106.7FM
Leah Flanagan Saudades (Featured on The Breakfast Spread)
Fresh from the June release and tour for lead single ‘Chills’, Leah Flanagan's new release Saudades is an album that captures the full repertoire of emotions that we carry into our relationships, romantic and otherwise.
Opening track, ‘Chills’ sets the scene as Leah's beautifully wry voice contemplates the heartache of being close to someone emotionally distant. The binds tighten on ‘Damage’, delving into the damage from the past that holds us back from speaking our truth, while the gently devastating ‘Old Fashioned’ hits at the heart of "the same old mistakes that push us to the break".
Sashaying from sleek blues to after-dark jazz, Saudades unfolds to drop us into the emotional centre of relationships. Not all the songs are personal; ‘Paper Cranes’ muses on the story of 1000 Paper Cranes, the wish of a young dying Japanese girl after the atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima; and ‘A Love Unending’ was inspired from a poem by Bengali poet, Rabindranath Tagore. But they all go to the heart of our relationships to the people we tangle with; and the love that remains.
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