iSound

Al Fairweather has always remained in the shadow of his musical partner, the legendary clarinettist Sandy Brown, yet he was one of the finest trumpet players the UK has ever produced. Although this collection includes tracks with Sandy Brown it is mainly a collection of one-off musical collaborations: with US Jazz legend Albert Nicholas; with Humphrey Lyttelton; with John Picard’s Angels; with the Danish clarinet player Henrik Johansen and with the Blues/Gospel singer Brother John Sellers. It’s a varied and fascinating collection of largely obscure tracks (39 in total). As booklet note writer, the eminent Jazz pianist Ralph Laing, notes “for my money it is the finest trumpet tone in the history of British Jazz… [his] style is instantly recognisable…if his tone doesn’t give him away his ideas do”.