21st April 2014: RELEASE DAY for Tori Freestone’s debut ‘In The Chop House’
Congratulations to Tori Freestone on the release of her debut album In The Chop House. Get your copy here.
In The Chop House is the debut album from Tori Freestone, a saxophonist, flautist and violinist who has been performing at the forefront of the British improvised music scene as both a side women and highly regarded bandleader for over a decade. Her multi-faceted skills have seen her work as a core member with such diverse bands as the Ivo Neame Quintet/Octet, ‘Compassionate Dictatorship’ (her own co-led group with Jez Franks), Loop Collective’s Rory Simmons as well as artists such as the Cuban group ’Orquesta Timbala’, singer Brigitte Beraha, saxophone colossus Andy Sheppard and trumpeter Neil Yates.
Indeed this wealth of experiences has shaped Freestone’s playing and composing and this is highly evident on her debut. A robust tenor sound, melodic invention and a balance between wit and playfulness in her original songs mark Freestone’s music out, not to mention a strong willingness to blur the lines between the written and improvised. Comprised of long-time musical associates in the uber-creative drummer Tim Giles and highly original bassist Dave Manington, the trio has been developing Tori’s repertoire which explores the openness that the saxophone trio allows while taking inspiration from some of the non-chordal sax led trios of the moment. This group dynamic has culminated into a program of music that has been developed over the last few years and, excitedly, has been recorded for Freestone’s first appearance as a leader on Whirlwind Recordings.
We’ve asked Freestone to give us a little background about the music on In The Chop House:
“Most of the writing for my trio’s debut took place after my involvement in trumpeter/composer Neil Yates’ ‘Surroundings’ Project,’ which was a large ensemble that premiered at the Manchester Jazz Festival a few years back. Having the opportunity to renew old collaborations with such fantastic musicians compounded with Neil’s beautiful writing inspired me to officially focus on my trio and in particular reconnect with my folk music roots and infuse this influence into my own compositions, which also draw inspiration from many of my favorite jazz instrumentalists and bands from around the world.
I’d been playing with Dave and Tim since meeting them at college in many different ensembles and formats, and, as well as being great friends, we’ve built a strong musical rapport over the years and at this point really know the intricacies of each other’s playing style. With this strong basis it’s been possible to use the material as a springboard to explore the open quality that this sparser trio format provides. We’re able to push our own boundaries, playing openly and freely while having the knowledge that we can rely on each other for some solidity and grounding at any given point. We’ve also taken inspiration from some of the non chord sax led trios past and present, such as Joe Henderson, the Seamus Blake – Marc Miralta trio, the Fly Trio and the Julian Arguelles trios to name a few. All of these experiences have shaped In The Chophouse, and the album itself was named after ‘Mr Thomas’s Chop House,’ the Victorian pub in Manchester near St Ann’s Square where we would congregate after a day of rehearsals.”
From moments of intensity and volume to passages of calm, folk-influenced soundscapes, In The Chop House showcases three highly experienced and eclectic musicians at their very best. From the first note their approach to openness allows the music to dictate the proceedings which also invites the listener to take a strong role in the interpretation of the music. Freestone’s assent to solo artist has been a timed move, but one that has been certainly worth the wait.