Artist: Howard Riley, Art Themen, Mario Castronari & Trevor Tomkins
Title: Classics (Live)
Cat Number: SLAMCD222
Year released: 1997
Format: CD & all digital platforms
Barcode: 5028386022220
The Howard Riley – Art Themen Quartet recorded on 19 May 1996 live at the Bull’s Head, Chislehurst.
Howard Riley: piano
Art Themen: tenor and soprano saxophones
Mario Castronari: double bass
Trevor Tomkins: drums
“Catching two genuine homegrown originals at the height of their powers in congenial company, this superb album provides yet more proof that British jazz’s fifty-somethings are in many ways a great deal less staid than their younger equivalents.” – Chris Parker, The Times
“The resource and daring of pianist Howard Riley make these tunes harmonic environments rather than lazy fallbacks…Devoid of Berklee-School anonymity, Themen’s playing is rooted in the vocal phrasing and bluesy snorts of Hawkins and Rollins. The quartet – Mario Castronari and bass and Tevor Tomins on drums – is trenchant and relaxed. Bypassing decorum and mere tidiness, this has a garrulous vibe and burns hot and inventive…Fantastic.” – Ben Watson, Hi-Fi News & Record Review