You could say prestigious young saxophonist Emma Rawicz is on a roll right now. Just a few months ago she was turning jazz-heads with her exquisite and sumptuous ‘Big Visit’, a duo album with the phenomenal Gwilym Simcock and now in hot pursuit comes her new set ‘Inkyra’ via the ever-discerning ACT.
To be completely accurate Rawicz has maintained momentum as a rising star within contemporary jazz ever since her self-released debut ‘Incantation’ in 2022. A finalist in the Jazz musician of the year, nominee at the Jazz FM awards and winner of a Parliamentary Jazz award followed before in 2023 she delivered her first recording for ACT, the highly praised ‘Chroma’. Amongst all this she’s lead the Emma Rawicz Jazz Orchestra showcasing her own large-scale soundscapes at regular sessions she’s hosted at Ronnie Scott’s.
Cleary this is one story of whirlwind success that’s generated not by hype but by Rawicz’s inexhaustible creativity plus her brilliance as an instrumentalist and composer. As her new collection ‘Inkyra’ shows the quality and conviction of her music never suffers from her prolific work-rate. The vehicle for transporting the ten new Rawicz tunes into this arresting release is a stellar sextet from the ever-giving UK scene: ER herself on tenor and soprano sax; flautist extraordinaire Gareth Lockrane; David Preston guitaring; Keys-player Scottie Thompson; and Jamie Murray/Kevin Glasgow in the drum/bass boiler room. They’re a group that’s been playing together since 2022 and Rawicz has been keen to underline that the album is just as much a group effort as a solo endeavour. ‘Inkyra’ comes bristling with ideas, the fullness of the work evidence that “everyone has left their mark on it ”.
Such solid foundations support an album which is both ambitious and inventive, jazz boundaries are getting gently stretched here. The fanfaring opener Earthrise leads the way, a piece which dawns stunningly on a vista of widescreen synths, swelling cymbal spray and a fluttering sax/ flute awakening from the Rawicz/Lockrane combo. These anthemic prog overtones slip away as the kinetic Particles of Change slots into gear, its riff tight, speedy and dynamic. There’s a Jaga Jazzist thrust about the tune’s introduction, the sax/bass/flute locked in together while Murray’s drums hit the accents but maintain the drive. The slower breaks (or breathers) are sensational. In the first Rawicz croons and scats to some funky guitar chops before relentlessly whipping the band to frenzy point. Scottie Thompson follows, filling the spacey calm with a woozy synth slide which scales up to a Keith Emerson-esque, virtuoso wig out.
The fluency of the sextet throughout ‘Inkyra’ is breathtaking, they seem to effortlessly change mood or perspective while keeping each tune’s story intact. A Portrait of Today wakes slowly, semaphore notes and the band chiming in, before big chords rustle you along to the bustling mainline which frames the song. This energetic trajectory leads to an elevational sax solo from Rawicz, a Metheney-toned resonant response from Preston and Jamie Murray going thrillingly abstract with the beats. Somehow we eventually get to a stomping neo-rock, Get The Blessing style coda which fits to perfection.
Rawicz has said in pre-release interviews that her influential listening pre ‘Inkyra’ looked beyond the jazz world and took in a fair dose of Heavy sounds. That immersion feeds into the album, giving it an edgy, looming power. On the cosmic pairing of Lunar and Moondrawn (Dreaming) the heady atmospheric arrangement gradually morphs from a restrained grandeur to a crunching Tonbruket riff finale, which prompts Rawicz to cut loose on a wild and giddy orbit. There’s even a math-rock daring injected into the breathless realisation of Anima Rising with its angular shifts and tangential sweeps, rolling snares and staccato discipline. Here Rawicz’s aggressively twisting sax solo and Preston’s searing fretwork make for a heated exchange.
There is however an impressively realised balance both within each tune and across the whole piece. The musical energy which the sextet have at their fingertips is managed well which means ‘Inkyra’ never becomes over excited with itself. Melody, harmony and song structure are key strengths shown throughout the album. The sultry R ‘n B sway of Time And Other Thieves curls up with the other reference point that Rawicz held close during her composition phase, the song-writing of Joni Mitchell. There’s an Hejira-like lush, eloquence coursing through this song. Playfully Marshmallow Tree takes another turn, a frisky, light-footed samba, smoother toned with rolling montuno piano and a neatly clipped bassline from Kevin Glasgow. The focal ballad of the album, All My Yellow Afternoons, is delivered with an urgency which offsets any melancholy. The track is massive, orchestral in scale, with swooning harmonies, scorching guitar and dramatic, big moment drums. Rawicz’s emotion jangling, final sax break demands anyone’s attention with its eyes-closed take-it-all-in uplift.
‘Inkyra’ is an album which sounds destined to find many new devotees for Emma Rawicz’s music both within the jazz world and beyond the enclave. Shaped further by Rawicz’s unique synesthetic perspective it’s an explosive, bold recording which has an immediacy but also a depth that continues to draw you back into its clutches.
Get your copy of ‘Inkyra‘ by Emma Rawicz from you local record store or direct from ACT HERE
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