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The Review - MUSIC - Classical & Jazz with TONY KIELY
Published: 31 January 2008

Are you The Blessing in disguise?

It's blessed foot forward

PREVIEW: THE BLESSING
Carling Bar Academy

BRISTOL- based post- jazz rockers The Blessing are set to release their debut album All Is Yes in February.
Formed by drummer Clive Deamer and bassist Jim Barr of 1990s’ trip-hop group Portishead, The Blessing are storming on to the scene, taking riffs and rhythms from rock and dance music and artfully welding them on to fearsomely inventive improvisation.
With two seasoned jazz soloists in the form of trumpeter Pete Judge and saxophonist Jake McMurchie completing the line-up, The Blessing’s catchy, rocking tunes and snappy arrangements create a genre-bending blend of sounds that is all their own.
The Blessing were formed in 2000, a band built on a common fascination with improvised music, a pathological distrust of chords and, according to their website, a passion for North African cuisine.
They started out playing the music of Ornette Coleman but gradually started to shape their own, distinctive sound.
The turning point came in 2006, when they finally got into the studio and committed their new sound to vinyl.
Their approach has much in common with bands such as EST, Polar Bear and Acoustic Ladyland – and they claim influences as diverse as the Kings of Leon, Morphine, Elvis Costello and Albert Ayler.
“The idea,” explains bassist Jim, “was to get stuck into proper improvisation rather than to rely upon a coasting rhythm section”

• The Blessing play Carling Bar Academy, Islington, on February 6 (£7, 7pm).
Their album, All is Yes, hits the shop on February 11. There will be a full review of album and Academy gig in the coming weeks.

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