Light at Night [CD]

Light at Night' is the debut recording by drummer and composer Dave Hamblett, recorded with five of his closest musical colleagues, also leading lights of their generation - Ivo Neame, Calum Gourlay, Josh Arcoleo, Joe Wright and Alex Munk.

The album boasts an enormous range of emotions, textures, and stellar performances by a group of highly creative musicians barely in their mid-twenties. The music is powerful, joyful and direct, while also sophisticated and intricate. It weaves simple melodies over unexpected shifts through harmonies and grooves and creates vibrant landscapes for improvisations that transform as the pieces develop. There is no doubt that it puts Dave Hamblett strongly on the map as a new artist with a very personal and honest take on contemporary improvised music.

Dave Hamblett is fast becoming one of the most talked about musicians on the UK creative music scene, combining his formidable skills as a first call drummer with his growing reputation as a composer of powerful and original contemporary improvised music. Hamblett's performances display a deep understanding of a multitude of genres and he shows a maturity in both his drumming and composing rarely heard from such a young musician.

His distinctive yet adaptable playing has led him to work with many of the UK's finest musicians including Abram Wilson, Ivo Neame, the F-IRE collective large ensemble, Yuriy Galkin Nonet and Nick Smart's Jazz Matanzas. As a leader and composer Hamblett has been forging his voice and musical direction by performing with his own sextet that has been performing steadily on the London scene for the past three years, developing a unique voice and a tight cohesive group sound.

Personnel: Dave Hamblett (drums & compositions), Josh Arcoleo (tenor saxophone), Joe Wright (tenor saxophone), Ivo Neame (piano, Rhodes, keyboards), Alex Munk (guitar), Calum Gourlay (double bass)