For those of you not from the UK, you may not be overly familiar with the name of Jim Mullen – but trust me, you’re missing out.
Jim is one of the finest jazz guitarists of his generation – and probably one of the most exciting and consistently entertaining live improvisers I’ve heard. He started out playing bass as a child in his native Glasgow, before making the switch to guitar in his teens. He is self-taught and has developed a high-energy, full-throttle, individual approach to improvisation that gives him a unique and instantly recognisable sound.
On his 2000 album Jim Mullen Burns, Jim looked to his Scottish roots and chose to reinterpret the songs of Robert Burns from a jazz perspective. To help him do this he secured the services of some of his favourite collaborators – pianist Gareth Williams, bassist Mick Hutton and drummer Gary Husband.
The result is a fascinating blend of the old and the new, with the folky and highly singable melodies of Robert Burns arranged with respect but sculpted beautifully into modern jazz vehicles for the hard-swinging approach of this quartet.
From the start of the opening track ‘Count the Lawin’’ the cards are laid on the table. Jim Mullen is fully of fiery blues ferocity and this is perfectly offset by Gareth Williams’ rhythmically innovative and harmonically colourful approach to each tune. In keeping with the source material, Mick Hutton’s bass playing is delightfully understated yet solid as a rock and Gary Husband propels the music ever forward with a lightness of touch that leaves plenty of space for the soloists to go wherever they choose.
Most of the tunes are straight-ahead swing but never become repetitive or dull with the delightful waltz ‘Banks and Braes’ and the achingly beautiful ballad ‘The Lea Rig’ providing contrast to the 4/4 pyrotechnics that characterise much of this record.
Burns is a thoroughly enjoyable and original album and the juxtaposition of the modern jazz approach and age-old folk melodies works beautifully. This kind of combination so often falls flat on its face but here it results in joyous and uplifting music that will have you tapping your foot from the very first bar. Highly recommended.
