MACKWOOD

Master Changes (5dB)

Master Changes, the debut album by London jazz drummer Harry Ling – musical alias Mackwood – follows on from the success of debut single Habits. This track received praise and airplay from 1Xtra, 6 Music, the Independent, Wonderland, Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide FM and more on its release in June, and that streak continues here: opener Thunder begins with soulful singing which overlaps the moody bass, piano and drum instrumentals to form a worldly jazz sound. 

Flush Draw has the sort of velvety piano sound and nonchalant drumming you could imagine listening to at Ronnie Scott’s – lively, groovy and slipping into a more stirring tone midway through – and Master Changes’ title track also offers classy piano playing. Yella conjures a vibrancy and hip groove with the assistance of spacey distortion; Do It Over is more stripped-back, a smooth saxophone relaxing the mind. It amounts to a distorted amalgam of sounds over a 45-minute runtime – often creative, if at times clumpy. 

words DAVID JAMES