Alison Rayner Quintet: Women Make Music
‘Short Stories’ is the third release from ARQ, the award-winning quintet led by bassist Alison Rayner. The new album will be released Autumn 2019 with UK touring to follow.
Described by LondonJazzNews as ‘a celebration of life itself’ ARQ’s music is ‘inventive, vibrantly colourful and unfailingly melodic, possessed of a strong sense of narrative and cinematic quality, frequently inspired by personal experiences’ (the jazzmann.com).
The combination of richly nuanced compositions with folk-infused grooves, skilful musicianship and a love of improvisation, creates a compelling and coherent whole. ARQ play ‘songs without words’ and are known for vibrant, communicative performances.
ARQ has gained considerable success over the past five years with extensive touring in the UK and Europe and two critically acclaimed album releases: ‘August’ in 2014 and ‘A Magic Life’ in 2016, which received 5★ reviews in the BBC Music magazine; 4★ in The Observer, Guardian & Jazzwise. They won ‘Ensemble of the Year’ in the prestigious 2018 Parliamentary Jazz Awards.
‘Inspired by real-world ideas, people and situations but infused with the kind of heady imagination that transforms their resonances into a series of vivacious musical adventures’ ★★★★★ BBC Music Magazine
‘Purposeful, full-toned and melodic…a beautifully integrated band’ ★★★★ The Observer
‘A gorgeous album synthesising mood, melody and the interplay between musicians totally at home with each other’ ★★★★ Jazzwise
‘Unified musical dexterity, not a note wasted and with sound as story — clear and undisguised, deeply affecting and unashamedly open’ The Morning Star