Misha Mullov-Abbado Effra

Misha Mullov-Abbado

“Effra”

(Ubuntu Music UBU0185)

Misha Mullov-Abbado – double bass, James Davison – trumpet & flugelhorn, Matthew Herd – alto & tenor saxophones, Sam Rapley – tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, Liam Dunachie – piano, Scott Chapman – drums

“Effra” is the fourth album release as a bandleader by bassist and composer Misha Mullov-Abbado.

It follows “New Ansonia” (2015) and “Cross-Platform Interchange (2017), both of which are reviewed elsewhere on The Jazzmann. A third solo release, “Dream Circus” (2020), somehow slipped through the reviewing net.

A former winner of the Kenny Wheeler Music Prize, plus numerous other awards, Mullov-Abbado is the son of the Russian classical violinist Viktoria Mullova and the late Italian conductor Claudio Abbado.

Despite his distinguished classical lineage Mullov-Abbado has opted to pursue a jazz career and has studied at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge and at the Royal Academy of Music in London where his double bass tutors included such well known jazz names as Jasper Hoiby, Tom Herbert, Michael Janisch and Jeremy Brown. It was during his studies at the Academy that he met the majority of the musicians that now comprise the long running sextet that features on “Cross-Platform Interchange”, “Dream Circus” and current release “Effra”.

Away from his sextet Mullov-Abbado has been a prolific sideman who has performed in bands led by saxophonists Stan Sulzmann, Dave O’Higgins and Helena Kay, drummer Enzo Zirilli, vibraphonist Ralph Wyld, trombonist Tom Green, guitarist Rob Luft and pianists Tom Millar and Liam Dunachie.

. Mullov-Abbado also co-runs the Patchwork Orchestra, a London based big band playing original compositions by its members, some of the capital’s most outstanding young jazz musicians. The majority of the Mullov-Abbado sextet are part of the PJO and appear on the Orchestra’s album “The Adventures of Mr Pottercakes”, (2019) and the EP “The Light that Shines” (2020), the latter recorded by the band members in isolation at the height of the Covid crisis. Both recordings are reviewed elsewhere on The Jazzmann, as is a 2016 live appearance by the Patchwork Jazz Orchestra at the 606 Club as part of the 2016 EFG London Jazz Festival.

Mullov-Abbado’s current projects include the membership of a collaborative trio alongside vocalist and violinist Alice Zawadzki and multi-instrumentalist Fred Thomas. In 2024 the trio released the acclaimed album “Za Gorami” on the prestigious German record label ECM. A superb live performance by the trio at Kings Place formed part of the 2024 EFG London Jazz Festival and is reviewed as part of my Festival coverage here;
tps://www.thejazzmann.com/features/article/efg-london-jazz-festival-2024-second-saturday-23-11-2024

Mullov-Abbado’s other current projects include Songs from the Earth, a jazz / folk / classical collaboration wit his wife, the Australian violinist Bridget O’Donnell.

There is also Music We Love, a collaboration with his violinist mother Viktoria Mullova that explores the worlds of both European classical music and Brazilian folk and contemporary music. Viktoria also made a guest appearance on Misha’s debut album “New Ansonia”.

As his collaboration with his mother suggests Mullov-Abbado has not totally forsaken the classical world. He is also an accomplished French horn player and has appeared on that instrument with a number of classical ensembles, particularly during his student days. He plays the horn on the New Ansonia” album too.  He has also written for the London based classical groups The Hermes Experiment and Sinfonia D’Amici and has had his Clarinet Concerto premièred in Cambridge by soloist Joseph Shiner. Meanwhile his skills as a jazz composer earned him the 2014 Dankworth Prize. He is also a BBC New Generations artist. 

The “Effra” album takes its name from the Brixton area of South London, where Mullov-Abbado has resided for the last ten years. His album liner notes expand further upon his choice of title;

 “The word is often associated with the area of Brixton in South London which has been my home for almost as long as this band has existed. It began as the name of a now-underground river that runs through the area and has more recently been used as the name of a main road and two rival pubs, as well as a smaller road which one of the tracks is named after. This album is a collection of all the music I have written for my band in the last four years, a period that has featured a resurgence in my love for both my home and for playing jazz after a difficult period in previous years, and these pieces reflect all our personal journeys during that time”.

He also adds;
“Effra is a dedication to Brixton, my home, and to the incredible experience of playing jazz with these musicians for so many years. Each track embodies different facets of my life, from the joy of connection to the challenge of self-discovery.”.

  The album commences with “Traintracker”, a title that suggests a link to the earlier album “Cross-Platform Interchange”. A bustling groove suggests the rhythms of London’s rail network while the three horns blend together with confidence and panache. Pianist Liam Dunachie skilfully commands the middle ground between the front line and the rhythm section and delivers the first solo, a dazzling excursion on the keys. He’s followed by Herd on alto, who expertly develops his solo, gradually ramping up the tension with considerable fluency and imagination. This multi-faceted piece is punctuated by a carefully constructed solo drum episode from Chapman and culminates in a rousing collective section featuring the dynamic interplay of the horns. When reviewing Mullov-Abbado’s previous releases I have often remarked that Davison, Herd and Rapley frequently combine to give the impression that the sextet is actually a larger ensemble, a ‘mini big band’, if you will. This is again very much the case on this new recording, with Mullov-Abbado’s gift for composition and orchestration, a product perhaps of his classical heritage, still very much in evidence.

“Bridge” is the first of two back to back dedications to Mullov-Abbado’s wife, Bridget Rosemary. It begins in the style of a tender, lyrical ballad featuring the horns at their most mellow, with Davison specialising on flugel. It’s a relaxed but sophisticated performance that still has much of interest going on, including fluent, subtly probing solos from both saxophonists as the momentum of the music gradually increases, transforming the mood of the piece into one of celebration. The piece then resolves itself more gently with a brief piano led passage,  subtly underscored by the horns.

“Rose” is a ballad centred around Dunachie’s pedal point piano motif, again augmented by subtle horn textures. The piece features an extended double bass solo from the leader that combines melody with virtuoso technique.  There is also a flowingly lyrical piano solo from Dunachie. As the music gathers momentum the saxophones of Herd and Rapley intertwine, augmented by Davison on trumpet, while Chapman delivers an increasingly energetic performance at the drum kit. The music builds to a dynamic peak before the piece resolves itself with a reprise of the opening ballad section. Like many of Mullov-Abbado’s compositions this is a multi-faceted piece that passes through several distinct phases and which embraces a wide variety of moods, textures and dynamics. Mullov-Abbado’s skill as a writer ensures that these changes take place in a way that sounds natural and organic, never interfering with the flow of the music or sounding as if they’re forced or being done for mere effect. He’s helped in this process by his excellent band, who have established the kind of instinctive rapport that stems from ten years of playing together, maturing as musicians and as human beings along the way.

“Effra Parade” is named for a street near Mullov-Abbado’s house and is a celebration of Brixton in a broadly New Orleans style, but with a very modern twist. Introduced by the composer’s bass it’s a joyous and playful celebration of Mullov-Abbado’s home neighbourhood and includes exuberant solos from Davison on trumpet, Dunachie at the piano and Rapley on tenor. There is also some thrillingly spirited interplay between the carousing horns.

The sextet lower the temperature for the poignant and sombre “Red Earth”, which features richly textured horn voicings and includes a sensitive performance from Chapman behind the kit that is very different to his sometimes explosive playing elsewhere on the album. With its rich harmonies and colours this piece draws on Mullov-Abbado’s classical background but is still very much recognisable as jazz.

The pace picks up once more with “Cancao De Sobriedade”, Mullov-Abbado’s celebration of his love for Brazilian music, and particularly that of Antonio Carlos Jobim. Inspired by one Jobim song in particular the title translates as “Song of Sobriety” – or “No More Booze”! The jaunty samba rhythms are the framework for some razor sharp ensemble playing and some inspired soloing from saxophonists Herd and Rapley, plus a particularly scintillating excursion from Dunachie at the piano. That ‘mini big band’ feel is very much in evidence too.

“Subsonic Glow” is also inspired by the work of another composer, in this case the American saxophonist / trumpeter Benny Carter’s “When Lights Are Low”. Ushered in by Chapman at the drums this piece is the closest on the album to conventional swing and bebop and includes effervescent solos from Davison on trumpet and Dunachie on piano, plus a lively, fully fledged drum feature from Chapman. The leader is also featured with a dexterous double bass solo.

The album concludes with “Nanban”, a piece that features slowly developing harmonies above cyclical bass and piano motifs. It’s particularly rich in terms of colour and texture and evolves slowly and organically over the course of its near eight minute duration, a real slow burner of a piece that features the gently smouldering tenor playing of Rapley before building to a dramatic, some might say grandiose, conclusion.. With regard to both this piece and the earlier “Rose” Mullov-Abbado has acknowledged the influence of the German pianist and composer Nils Frahm. He has also commented that he is particularly satisfied with the recorded version of “Nanban”, which draws together several compositional ideas – and rightly so.

Indeed Mullov-Abbado impresses as a composer throughout the course of this album. His writing is intelligent and varied and he is well served by the playing of an exceptional sextet who interpret his ideas with skill and panache. Imaginatively arranged and orchestrated the music often sounds like the work of a larger ensemble, which is a credit both to the composer and to the other musicians. Engineers Alex Killpartrick and Caspar Sutton-Jones also play their part in the album’s success as they work in conjunction with producer Mullov-Abbado.

“Effra” has already attracted considerable critical acclaim and the album was officially launched with a sold out performance at London’s Kings Place venue.

On a personal note it’s been close on eight years since I saw the Mullov-Abbado Group play live at The Hive venue in Shrewsbury around the time of the release of “Cross-Platform Interchange” in 2017. I’d certainly love to see the music of the “Effra” album being performed in the live environment. Let’s hope that can happen later on in 2025.In the meantime this excellent album, Mullov-Abbado’s most personal release yet, is highly recommended

from www.thejazzmann.com