It’s been another annus mirabilis for London-based jazz. Since 2006, Speakers Corner Quartet have been the house band at Brixton’s Jamm nightclub. The concept loosely emulates the original Speakers’ Corner at Hyde Park, with MC’s and poets taking the floor rather than the likes of Karl Marx and assorted conspiracy theorists. It’s taken a while, but the band have finally got around to releasing their debut album, Further Out Than The Edge and it’s a stone-cold cracker.
Speakers Corner Quartet sound as you would expect a band who have been performing together for seventeen years to sound. They are tight, polished and technically outstanding. Want proof? Check out Peter Bennie’s bass intro to the brilliant Acute Truth. Such moments abound in this album full of highlights, but the cherry on the cake, the thing that elevates this album from very good to super-special, is the quality of the vocal collaborations. They are damn near perfect. Tirzah brings her finest world-weary delivery to Fix, whilst James Massiah contributes his elegiac poetry and impactful delivery to Hither Green. The finest performances, however, come from the always brilliant Sampha on Can We Do This, French-Martiniquan vocalist Léa Sen on Dreaded! and LEILAH on Soapbox Soliloquy.
Without doubt, the minimalist funk, neo-soul grooves, London-jazz and breakbeats of Further Out Than The Edge fused to give us a genuine contender for the coveted album of the year.
the dark flux 