Innovative drummer and composer Johnny Hunter continues his exploration of the interplay between composition and improvisation with 'A Consequence in Three Parts', his quartet's third album and first featuring the updated lineup of Graham South (trumpet), Mark Hanslip (tenor saxophone), and Seth Bennett (bass). All are long time collaborators in various contexts, and the perfect musicians for Hunter's compositional philosophies through their ability to inhabit various musical worlds with ease - from freer, more textural improvisations to the hard swinging grooves that the quartet has become renowned for across previous albums and live tours.
This earlier work for leaned on the influence of the groups of Chris Speed and Jim Black amongst others; for Consequence... Hunter built on this foundation and drew further inspiration from composers such as Don Cherry, Roscoe Mitchell, Albert Ayler, Anthony Braxton, and Joe Harriott. As ever, Hunter cleverly makes the most of his musicians' skills, giving them interpretative freedom whilst retaining a strong compositional identity. The music here is all based on the 'twelve tone' techniques pioneered by Arnold Schoenberg and others, which in Hunter's hands results in surprising consonance alongside potentially jarring juxtapositions and unexpected resolutions.
