Ishmael Ensemble Visions Of Light
Helmed by producer and saxophonist Pete Cunningham, Ishmael Ensemble\x27s richly inventive 2019 debutA State Of Flowmarked them out as an explosive new force in UK jazz, imbuing lush cinematic compositions with left\-field dub and electronic sensibilities redolent of Bristol\x27s vital musical landscape. NamedThe Guardian\x27s\x27Contemporary Album Of The Month\x27 andMojo\x27s \x27Jazz Album of The Month\x27, it saw the group performMaida Valesessions for bothGilles PetersonandTom Ravenscroft,as well as feature on compilations forBrownswood RecordingsandSoul Jazz Records. Cunningham\x27s rise as an in\-demand producer led to remixes for the likes of techno royaltyCarl Craig,as well as legendary jazz labelBlue Note Recordsalongside a plethora of the UK\x27s finest musical talentonBlue Note Re:Imagined. Ishmael Ensemble has since become a platform for Cunningham to subvert the conventional notions of producer\/artist relationships, unsettling genre tags, and transcending the familiar landscape of UK jazz itself. Across the album\x27s 10 tracks, Cunningham practices a holistic approach with a long list of collaborators. Together, they explore vast new sonic terrain with an honesty, intimacy and emotional heft impossible for a conventional band. Visions Of Lighttells the story of Ishmael Ensemble\x27s development across its two sides. The first draws from the energy Cunningham and his bandmates discovered whilst extensively touringA State Of Flow. The album opens with a cascade of harp glissandos and the gorgeous \x27Feather\x27 \- Holysseus Fly\x27s lush vocal lulling the listener into a false sense of security, before her voice is warped beyond recognition in the high\-octane, cacophonous \x27Wax Werk\x27. The tracks that follow take a darker, heavier turn. The driving, uninhibited performances of Stephen Mullins (guitar) and Rory O\x27Gorman (drums), along with Jake Spurgeon\x27s agile synth work, lay the foundation for Cunningham to deliver his most confident and direct saxophone performances to date.
