Howard Riley, Art Themen, Mario Castronari & Trevor Tomkins - Classics (Live)

The Howard Riley - Art Themen Quartet recorded on 19 May 1996 live at the Bull's Head, Chislehurst.

Howard Riley: piano
Art Themen: tenor and soprano saxophones
Mario Castronari: double bass
Trevor Tomkins: drums

Catching two genuine homegrown originals at the height of their powers in congenial company, this superb album provides yet more proof that British jazz's fifty-somethings are in many ways a great deal less staid than their younger equivalents. - Chris Parker, The Times

The resource and daring of pianist Howard Riley make these tunes harmonic environments rather than lazy fallbacks...Devoid of Berklee-School anonymity, Themen's playing is rooted in the vocal phrasing and bluesy snorts of Hawkins and Rollins. The quartet - Mario Castronari and bass and Tevor Tomins on drums - is trenchant and relaxed. Bypassing decorum and mere tidiness, this has a garrulous vibe and burns hot and inventive...Fantastic. - Ben Watson, Hi-Fi News & Record Review