Malcolm Strachan
Point Of No Return

Malcolm Strachan is best known for his work as trumpeter for British funk group The Haggis Horns. This his second solo album sees Strachan lay down groove-oriented tracks supported by crisp rhythm sections and a reliable assortment of UK talent. Set highlights include the opener done in the style of a Brazilian samba Nossa Dança (Our Dance), featuring some incidental, Flora Purim style vocal from singer Jo Harrop and some strong solos taken from Strachan, who cites Freddie Hubbard in his playing as one of his formative influences. The track has a native carioca swing, imbibed through shakers and samba drumming patterns which provide the most obvious Brazilian affect from the album. Soul Trip follows, a low-key funky jazz outing with a well accented rhythmicality, rich horn sections and smoky changes, a track that puts me in mind of early CTI output: soulful and well produced. The Wanderer follows, a track that engages some of Strachan’s finest soloing across the set—the tight-lipped Hubbard influence is audible yet again—alongside Atholl Ransom who takes a fine flute solo, alternating from tenor sax. Set highlight has to be the modern jazz dance number Cut To The Chase, an urgent session with nimble hand percussion and modal keys stabs underlining the influence of Latin jazz, with some fine muted playing from Strachan heightening a sonorous sense of cool. A dancefloor friendly cut, in many ways leaning towards the smoother and more acoustic output of St Germain or even Gerado Frisina, certainly a track that would feel at home in the record crate of Colin Curtis.