Mammal Hands: International Showcase Fund
For:
Montreal International Jazz Festival
Mammal Hands are a trio of like-minded musicians: Nick Smart piano, Jesse Barrett drums and percussion, and Jordan Smart saxophones. On the road they have been wooing audiences from the Norwich Arts Centre to Mostly Jazz Festival Birmingham, King’s Place London, Band On The Wall Manchester and most recently Love Supreme Festival Glynde. Indeed it was at Mostly Jazz that the band were heard by Gondwana Records recording artists GoGo Penguin’s bassist Nick Blacka, who liking the band’s unique sound brought them to the attention of label boss Matthew Halsall, who immediately signed them to the label and has now produced their sublime debut album, Animalia, which was released on 15th September 2014.
Mammal Hands met in April 2012, while busking in Norwich. They gelled quickly, drawn to each other’s open approach to music making. The brothers Nick and Jordan were already playing together as an electronica duo but with drummer Jesse joining the band they developed a distinctive sound drawing on their love of electronic, contemporary classical, world and jazz music.
Mammal Hands shared their music with BBC Introducing back in March this year, where their local show in Norfolk gave them their first BBC radio play and sent their track onto Jamie Cullum.
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