Welcome to the first offering by INTERPLAY, the band founded in 2007 by bassist and composer Adrian Litvinoff. The sounds on this album reflect the band’s development on the road, shaped by experimenting, taking risks and putting the audience at the centre of everything it does. Adrian’s tunes are evocative and warm, connecting with emotions and experiences, memorable rather than abstract. Drawing from their immersion in many musical genres he and the band explore all sorts of textures and sounds not always associated with contemporary jazz to delight the ear and create ‘the sound of surprise’. The guys in the band are all well known players in the region – and the album shows just why. Richard Baker is a fine trombonist. If he’s not a virtuoso yet he soon will be! His classically-honed technique is put to awesome and expressive use in ‘Faces and Places’ and ‘Grey Day at Gorey’. He tears it up big-time on ‘Boogie Stop Shuffle’, while his solo on ‘Ode to Duke’ perfectly mirrors the mood and delivery of the lyric by Andra Sparks. Alan Wakeman on soprano and tenor saxes brings something wild and free to the ensemble that is always grounded in musicality and emotional honesty. His solos on ‘Hang Around’ and ‘Island’ are both outstanding, as is his rendition of ‘Rising on Thermals’. Neil Hunter is a gifted and creative pianist, and energy just seems to flow through him. At times reflective and tender, at others driving and exuberant, he is great accompanist as well as soloist. His poignant opening to ‘Hang Around’ perfectly sets the scene for what follows, while his inspired excursions on ‘Boogie Stop Shuffle’ and ‘After You Stu’ are other highlights. Adrian Litvinoff is a bassist whose playing style has been shaped by his instinct as a composer. Always searching for the melodic complement to the other players, his lines climb and fall in response to the music, even when holding down a groove. Enjoy his accompaniment on ‘Faces and Places’ and ‘Step Lightly’ as well as his solos on ‘Grey Day’ and ‘Island’. Dave Balen on drums and percussion brings a history of musical exploration and immersion in many genres including Indian music. His approach to life makes him an unselfish accompanist as well as a highly creative soloist – hear his multi-layered contribution to ‘Grey Day’ or the extraordinary percussion accompanying the bass solo in ‘Island’. Andra Sparks joins us for two numbers on the album. Andra’s voice is bell-like, clear and suffused with warmth, and she really understands how to get inside a lyric. Her contributions to ‘Hang Around’ and ‘Ode to Duke’ add freshness and polish to these numbers and enrich the album as a whole.