Nimbus Sextet - Helix EP Review
Nimbus Sextet are a group whose brilliant development, while still occurring, feels inevitable. Their Helix EP is undeniable evidence of this and, during its best moments, the music is both heady and fascinating, sharing the members' musical passion and education with honest rapture.
One of the most wonderful qualities of the internationally revered UK jazz scene is that smaller cities have been able to establish their own creative environments and institutions outside of London’s gravity. There’s a sense of decentralisation, with exceptional new artists appearing across the entire map frequently enough that certain cities, Bristol and Manchester especially, have developed their own regional aesthetics. A contender perhaps for the most notable example is Glasgow.
The city is currently abundant with talent. Names like corto.alto, STRATA, Georgia Cécile, Animal Society, Fat-Suit, and AKU, all of whom are supported by a number of local jazz-focussed venues and events, including Glasgow’s very own jazz festival, are now being recognised and celebrated elsewhere, beyond city limits. It is an occurrence that producer and label boss, Rebecca Vasmant, has spent years broadcasting to the world, doing so most recently with her own record label’s inaugural release, With Love, From Glasgow.
“It’s time,” Vasmant wrote in 2019, “for the spotlight to spread to Glasgow, Scotland.”
Nimbus Sextet stand out among the city’s jazz line-up, not only for their incontestable musical ability but for the diverse influences expressed within their performances. Each member appears ever ready to contribute their own distinct sound, genre elements taken from their own backgrounds, all of which manifests as an attractive contemporary fusion. Their debut album, Dreams Fulfilled, released toward the end of 2020 via Acid Jazz Records, showcased this variety well, marrying varied styles into a funky, modern jazz that is best demonstrated when track lengths give members capacity and confidence to explore their own musings. While it was certainly an admirable album, at the time I found it difficult to separate Dreams Fulfilled from some of the more invigorating jazz of the Glasgow scene. The album has many moments of genuine intrigue and excitement but, I felt, it occasionally lost appeal in somewhat bland exposition, leading the release to fall only slightly short of an absorbing potential.
Now, the group have returned with their latest release, Helix, a four-track EP that includes two remixes of tracks from Dreams Fulfilled, one original composition, and a cover of Yussef Kamaal’s ‘Lowrider’. It is a brief foundation for creativity but one that should not be underestimated. Helix is by far a braver release, with more daredevil assertion and music that better captures the integral style of Nimbus Sextet’s profile, as well as the gumption of their core compatibility.
The title track is bold from its opening moments, stirring up a cool vitality with bandleader Joe Nichol’s keyboard, who then ushers his bandmates into a distilled, introductory jazz-funk. Once comfortable, Martin Fell’s klezmer sparks energy against the background of Alex Palmer’s aggressive beats, with momentarily hardboiled drum work that wouldn’t be out of place in a rock, even metal, gig. Then the reins are pulled back as the track melts over Mischa Steven’s crème fraîche bass, giving Euan Allardice chance to adventure his trumpet. James Mackay contributes his guitar throughout but finds his presence best in a solo three-quarters of the way through ‘Helix’’s nearly eleven minutes, easing into a lengthy seductive pluck made brilliant by its restraint.
"The core idea for Helix was to bring together the three interlocking parts in an exciting and effective way to create an episodic jazz tune that draws on many different contemporary styles,” Nichols tells of the track. These episodes are indeed clearly defined but there’s an even more subtle richness too, momentary flashes of genre that can be discovered with repeat listens. Elements of gospel can be heard before Latin-rock moves in, jazz-funk then neo-soul. It would have been very easy for the track to become messy or over-saturated but the group evades both pitfalls exceedingly well.
‘Lowrider’ reinterprets Kamaal’s thick groove with a frisky shuffle, players chatting over and between one another, chasing a crisp funkiness that erupts as frantic solos and foot-stomping energy. It’s quite a significant step away from the almost house-y original. ‘Black Focus’ is a moodier affair by comparison, one saturated in esoteric cool, but Nimbus Sextet take the underlying hook and spruce it with signature Acid Jazz character. Nuovi Fratelli, who previously contributed a remix to the group, also features, bringing lively, melodic horns to the uptempo strut that help to neatly affirm the cover as one destined for the dance floor.
The following two remixes take the group’s energy in a different direction, swapping their organic energy for high-fidelity beats. Chris Read’s remix of ‘Deep Dark Blue Lights’ couples the original track’s mesmerising sway with a noughties trip-hop beat, curtailing rougher edges for a warmer, smoother vibe, making it an ideal contender for late-night mixes. Born74, alternatively, takes the Sextet’s track, ‘Trap Door’, into a sunshine spritz of uptempo cocktail groove that pays particular attention to Allardice’s performance, allowing it to shine against the backdrop of vibrant beat. Neither are particularly remarkable tracks and I cannot help but feel their nostalgic sounds would be better suited for release, perhaps, a decade or two ago. Both tracks do, however, refrain from compromising the Nimbus Sextet’s charisma, celebrating the source material, which, in my opinion, make them all the better for it.
Nimbus Sextet are a group whose brilliant development, while still occurring, feels inevitable. Their Helix EP is undeniable evidence of this and, during its best moments, the music is both heady and fascinating, sharing the members' musical passion and education with honest rapture.
Shortly after the release of Dreams Fulfilled the band mentioned that they had a second album’s worth of material. Helix, it is safe to assume, is either some of this material or an indication of its vitality and, if an upcoming release has even a fraction of the magic captured in this EP’s title track, Nimbus Sextet will certify their place as one of most exciting bands to come from one of the country’s most exciting music scenes.