Jo Fooks Quartet – 'Here and Now'
The album was produced entirely by Jo Fooks
and is available from
http://www.jofooks.com
Jo Fooks: sax, flute, vocals; Simon Purcell: piano; Val Manix: bass; Buster Birch: drums
Recorded January 2005.
This is Jo Fooks’ debut album and as such is very good in its own way. All the compositions and lyrics are hers and though the resonance is instantly reminiscent of the sound of the 60s, San Francisco style in general and Stan Getz in particular, it is instantly and unvaryingly vibrant. The placid and melodious timbre of Getz is not the only audible influence: Cannonball Adderley, Dexter Gordon, Charlie Parker and Sonny Rollins also are apparent in her phrasing and I think Bill Evans has made an impression on her skill as an arranger.
Jo Fooks was born in Edinburgh in 1975 and was motivated and stirred by local jazz musicians. She won The Young Scottish Jazz Musician of the Year, then studied saxophone at the Guildhall school of music (1995-99). She also won a full scholarship to the Berklee School of music in Boston, for its Summer Jazz programme.
The album displays a unity between the four musicians, a reflection of their individual talents and of the uncontaminated quality of the arranging. The saxophone’s presence is never overstated, the piano never overriding and both bass and drums seem locked into the classical jazz form on which this particular genre of the idiom may thrive.
There is nothing cutting-edge here, but Jo Fooks has demonstrated an ability, at what is really the start of her career, that should enable her to grow where she will.
Reviewed by
ken cheetham
March 2006
