Compassionate Dictatorship at Seven

Jez Franks on guitar, Tori Freestone on sax Dave Mannington on bass and James Maddren on drums.

At last at Seven Jazz! A gig w have all been waiting for. Hear why from Chris Parker's review.
"The musical rapport between electric guitarist Jez Franks and tenor saxophonist Tori Freestone is the spark that ignites the bright, driving, sophisticated music of Compassionate Dictatorship, a quartet completed by bassist Dave Mannington and drummer Ben Reynolds.

Their material comes mainly from Franks (though Freestone's tribute to drummer Brian Blade, 'Bladey', was one of the evening's highlights), and occupies musical territory roughly similar to the terrain in which one of the guitarist's chief influences, Kurt Rosenwinkel, operates: a brisk, bustling yet subtle blend of prog rock and fleet jazz....

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Jez Franks on guitar, Tori Freestone on sax Dave Mannington on bass and James Maddren on drums.

At last at Seven Jazz! A gig w have all been waiting for. Hear why from Chris Parker's review.
"The musical rapport between electric guitarist Jez Franks and tenor saxophonist Tori Freestone is the spark that ignites the bright, driving, sophisticated music of Compassionate Dictatorship, a quartet completed by bassist Dave Mannington and drummer Ben Reynolds.

Their material comes mainly from Franks (though Freestone's tribute to drummer Brian Blade, 'Bladey', was one of the evening's highlights), and occupies musical territory roughly similar to the terrain in which one of the guitarist's chief influences, Kurt Rosenwinkel, operates: a brisk, bustling yet subtle blend of prog rock and fleet jazz.

Franks is a fluent but punchy player, supple, long-lined solos streaming from his guitars (he occasionally resorts, to gain more 'resonance', to a baritone instrument), Freestone a pleasingly circumspect but powerful and cogent saxophonist, and the blend of their sounds (as with the Lovano/Scofield 1990s partnership, or the present-day fruitful collaboration between Phil Robson and Julian Siegel) is the band's most attractive characteristic; with Mannington and Reynolds providing vibrant and responsive rhythm-section work, this is a muscular but intelligent band playing immediately accessible, spirited yet carefully wrought music"
Chris Parker, Vortex Jazz Club Review, September 20

The band will play some music from their third album, 'Entertaining Tyrants'.

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