In 2011 Paris DJs named Greg Foat’s first outing, 'Dark is the Sun' (Jazzman), as one of its top ten albums of the year. I interviewed Greg back then (click here) because I was convinced that this young pianist was only just getting started. Little did I think that he’d be back so soon with a new, entrancing album of low-tech sci-fi jazz, 'Girl And Robot With Flowers' (Jazzman). This stunning new disc confirms the arrival of an original and powerful talent who is getting full support from his label. Jazzman Records founder <>Gerald Short has given Greg free artistic rein, enabling him to create a radically different sound in contemporary jazz. GARWF blends the best of spiritual jazz (hat-tip to Matthew Halsall on trumpet) and stock music with late-60’s/early-70’s movie soundtracks from France, Italy and the UK. It’s built around two compelling and recurring themes: the eponymous title and 'Have Spacesuit, Will Travel'. The twin melody lines are repeated six times and twice, respectively, on different instruments, with different tempos and moods. This construct takes its cue from the great movie soundtracks, where a main theme played at different speeds in various orchestrations conjures up a gamut of complex, ambivalent feelings. On each of GARWF’s six tracks (Part 1 to Part 6), the solo instruments - harmonica, Hammond, sax, vibraphone - add unexpected nuances of colour and tone. Greg Foat’s influences are many and varied, from Serge Gainsbourg and Alain Goraguer to René Laloux and Michel Legrand, but he transcends them all to create his very own retro-futurist masterpiece that’s classy, complex and cosmic.
Vinyl junkies, please note that you’ll have to buy the 10" EP and the LP to get all the tracks on the CD.
Special thanks to TB.