John Fordham 

Led Bib: The People in Your Neighbourhood – best album yet from British jazz-rockers

A varied, urgent new set from Mark Holub and co often sounds like the work of a much bigger band, writes John Fordham
  
  

Led Bib
Divertingly different … Led Bib. Photograph: Matt Crossick Photograph: Matt Crossick/PR

Led Bib, the once Mercury-nominated British jazz-rock quintet led by expat American drummer Mark Holub, return with a set that features pieces by bassist Liran Donin and saxophonists Chris Williams and Pete Grogan as well as Holub, and has the in-your-face urgency of a live album and the punch of a much bigger band. New Teles suggests a jazz-rock big band with its horns-and-synths choruses erupting over Holub's thundering toms and Donin's heavyweight bass guitar. Holub's Giant Bean mixes a slowly anthemic theme, swing and some stinging alto-sax soloing; Angry Waters sounds like a Russian dance, and Imperial Green like a Scottish one. The tracks are all divertingly different, and most make unexpected deviations into other melodies as they go. It's Led Bib's best album so far.

 

Leave a Comment

Required fields are marked *

*

*