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Martin France

Martin France began his recording career at the age of 19 for ECM records. Born in Rainham in Kent, France dismissed music college in preference for on the road tuition. He, with his friend and music cohort Django Bates, had been performing with Evan Parker and Kenny Wheeler, and through their friendships had been introduced to ECM. France went on to record several albums for the label, and toured with some of their bands throughout the 80s and 90s. A further turning point for France was his role as a member of the famously democratically organised 80s big band Loose Tubes where he began long standing partnerships with many of its members. In fact, founding member Django Bates and Iain Ballamy are now key members of the Spin Marvel live band. Since then, Martin has performed and recorded with some of the worlds best and most diverse musicians including David Gilmour, John Taylor, Kenny Wheeler, Lee Konitz, Dave Holland, Steve Swallow, The Yellowjackets, Nils Petter Molvaer, Bugge Wesseltoft, Mike Gibbs, Maria Schneider and Sidsel Endresen to name a few, as well as non jazz activities such as TV and Film soundtracks.

For Martin Frances debut recording as leader, he is joined by a stellar cast of musicians. Bassist Tim Harries who has been described by the Guardian as, capable of a bone crunching death metal bassline, has also worked with Brian Eno, DJ Composer Producer David Holmes and David Sylvian. John Paricelli joins them on guitar and Norwegian Terje Evensen, whom France met while the the former spent some time studying in London, further cements the European sound with programming, sequencing and keyboards.

Spin Marvel is Frances solo project; a group of some of the best and most experienced British contemporary jazz musicians gathered together by France for both the studio and the stage. Journalist and broadcaster Kevin Le Gendre describes their recordings as,murky uberfunk that is way off the beatbox radar, and of a live show, the Guardian commented, they dazzled and perplexed the audience in equal measure genre defying madness a fabulously futuristic band whose heart and soul paradoxically seem to belong to a bygone age of musical experimentation.

Spin Marvel is eclectic to say the least. It is heavyweight yet deep. Inventive and challenging. Combining fluid groove playing with powerhouse virtuosity, France augments his conventional drum kit with electronic pads that trigger various loops and samples at times adding texture rather than pulse, at others, building from tightly woven complex phrases to exhilarating rhythms.

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Album Review

Gareth Williams: Short Stories

Read "Short Stories" reviewed by Peter Jones


If you have never heard of Gareth Williams, he is a quiet piano master who enjoys a bigger reputation with fellow musicians than with the public. A founder member and MD of the Nineties jazz-hiphop band Us3, and a former accompanist for the singer Claire Martin, he has worked at the highest level for 30 years, mainly in London. But London is a city blessed with many international quality jazz pianists, and Williams has faced formidable competition during his career. ...

4
Album Review

Chris Laurence: Ken Wheeler - Some Gnu Ones

Read "Ken Wheeler - Some Gnu Ones" reviewed by Chris May


The Jazz in Britain label has made its reputation with a niche catalogue of previously unavailable archive albums, mostly recorded live back in the day by jazz greats such as the saxophonists Tubby Hayes and Joe Harriott. With the lovely Ken Wheeler: Some Gnu Ones, the label ventures more or less into the present day with three pieces written by the late trumpeter Kenny Wheeler and recorded in 2020 and 2021 by the bassist Chris Laurence, for whom they were ...

278
Album Review

Spin Marvel: Spin Marvel 2: The Reluctantly Politicised Mr James

Read "Spin Marvel 2: The Reluctantly Politicised Mr James" reviewed by Chris May


It's elephant in the room time. Though no-one likes to mention it, experience shows that it's wise to approach any band led by a drummer with a degree of caution. Drummers are primarily involved with rhythm--a crucial component in music, but only one of several. Unless, like Art Blakey or Chico Hamilton, a drummer/bandleader has an empathetic composer/arranger to hand, the broader musical picture, including melody and harmonic structure, will inevitably suffer. Well, almost inevitably. But for every Paul Motian ...

335
Album Review

Martin France / Spin Marvel: Spin Marvel

Read "Spin Marvel" reviewed by John Kelman


Appearances can be deceptive. Martin France has built a career over the past two decades in largely acoustic environs. Along with being a member of the cooperative ECM group First House from the late 1980s, the British drummer has been involved in over fifty projects, including saxophonist Iain Ballamy's More Jazz (Basho, 2007) and pianist Gwilym Simcock's Perception (Basho, 2007) and John Taylor's Angel of the Presence (Cam Jazz, 2006). While he's the UK's most ubiquitous jazz drummer, none of ...

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Short Stories

Miles Music
2022

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Ken Wheeler - Some...

Jazz In Britain
2021

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Spin Marvel 2: The...

Edition Records
2010

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The Reluctantly...

Hollywood & Highland Summer Jazz Concert Series
2010

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Spin Marvel

Babel Label
2007

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