Samuel Sharp - Consequential (2023)

London-based saxophonist and composer Samuel Sharp presents 'Consequential', his second solo album and first release with Scottish label Blackford Hill.

A playful, mellifluous and sometimes dizzying brew, Samuel layers and weaves his saxophone notes into intriguing, soporific and occasionally slapstick patterns, with only a small batch of effects pedals for accompaniment.

Samuel Sharp has two secret weapons for captivating his audiences. His saxophone and his storytelling. Innovatively crafted soundscapes blur the lines between classical, jazz and electronic music. He uses harmoniser and delay pedals to create live loops as he plays, but there’s a folksy, grassroots approach to the way that he presents these heady, hypnotic melodies.

“I noticed that I connect much better with the audience when I introduce my tracks beforehand,” explains Samuel, who is also known for co-founding and curating the post-classical club night Counter Chamber in Hoxton. “I rehearse the talking bits of my shows as well as the music. I’ve been to stuffy classical recitals over the years and seen baffling sets in arts venues so I want people to feel comfortable at my performances. Every track on the album has a story behind it so it makes sense to repaint the scene live onstage.”

Over nine tracks, Samuel dips into his childhood memories, merging pastoral snapshots from frogspawn-spotting holidays in the Lake District with more recent family trips, where the sight of darting rabbits in the moonlight leaves him standing transfixed on a quiet country lane. Based in Hackney, with a recording studio on the edge of Walthamstow Marshes, Samuel lets East London seep into the record too, as heard on the steady rhythms of 'Train Across The Meadow', where he counts carriages thundering past him on his run, or 'Canal Crash', where sharp, punchy bass notes build steadily to a loud splash as he recalls a bicycle accident which propelled him over his handlebars into the Regent’s Canal.

Sketches from what he calls his ‘parental diary’ also feature, including spritely, crisp tones on 'Upon York Wall' where Samuel’s saxophone echoes him pretend marching with his daughters along the Roman wall, or the Steve Reich-like minimal repetitions of 'Krasner With The Kids', where he shares his children’s sense of wonder at abstract expressionist painter Lee Krasner during an exhibition at the Barbican.

Samuel’s running commentaries during his live sets have been translated into sleeve notes for the new album, allowing listeners to join him on his journey.