'Potentially Interesting Jazz Music' by I Hold the Lion's Paw

Duke Ellington once declared, "Jazz is freedom".  He also compared jazz to the type of man you wouldn't want your daughter to associate with, and while the legendary composer and band-leader's ahead-of-his-time insights both hold water, let's focus on the former phrase for now: he actually went on to describe jazz as "the only unhampered, unhindered expression of complete freedom yet" and that's a distinguished mantle that I Hold The Lion's Paw seemingly hold dear as they present their full-length offering, 'Potentially Interesting Jazz Music'.

The Severance-styled album cover also goes some ways in establishing the project as breaking from perceived tradition.  The normality of say a 9-5 existence and the disturbance of that rhythm and routine proves just as compelling a facet to the project as its engaging album title.  Immediately after pressing play, however, you'll detect that the Australian quartet are doing themselves a huge disservice by their humble "potentially interesting" assessment of their music.  The album's 'Level Check// Voodoo' opener depicts the vast levels of personality and charm that have become defining characteristics of I Hold The Lion's Paw and will have you enthusiastically skipping back to catch some of Tariro Mavondo's boundlessly witty musings and spoonfuls of wisdom, including... 

"...Anxiety will have you think it has weight to pull you down to the bottomless pits of paralysis; but that's because its nagging cousin, fear, is a scarecrow; And scares crows because flying can look like danger when the field you're playing on only mirrors a barbed wire cage..."

...It's the verbal embodiment of I Hold The Lion's Paw's own charismatic performances and compositions.  An absolute joy.

Alongside Lewis on trumpet, the quartet is further made up of Emily Bennett on vocals and synths, Adam Halliwell on bass and guitars, and Ronny Ferella on drums and percussion who collectively display a like-minded cohesion that is scintillating to hear unfold through the course of the album.

Now celebrating the release of their third full-length, the Reuben Lewis-helmed ensemble are a project that have found just as much life in their post-production wizardry as they did in their live, spontaneous performances.  The music that comprises 'Potentially Interesting Jazz Music' was conceived from a seven-hour recording session allowing each of the musician's improvisational tendencies to be fully explored in ways that have now become synonymous with the collective.  The recordings of the session were subsequently reimagined, repackaged and recontextualized into the nine tracks presented here that offer a riveting portrayal of the quartet's depiction of contemporary jazz.

And the results are captivating with tracks that appear painstakingly and intricately produced while still affording a liberating and free perspective at the same time.  

Don't let the self-effacing title fool you, this is jazz that goes so far beyond being "potentially interesting" - it's music that's bold, innovative and teeming with imagination.