Chip Wickham - The Eternal Now [Gondwana Records]

Format: LP Black BioVinyl in printed cardboard sleeve with one coated side, matte varnish finish and packaged in resealable protective sleeve.
CAT: GONDLP080

Saxophonist, flautist and composer Chip Wickham casts a towering presence over the UK jazz landscape. Hailing from Brighton, he came to prominence on the UK breakbeat scene playing with projects such as Nightmares On Wax and Graham Massey. However, at his heart Chip has always been a jazz musician (he featured on Matthew Halsall’s debut album, Sending My Love, in 2008, beginning a 17-year relationship with Gondwana Records). Now dividing his time between the UK, Spain and the Middle East, he has established himself with a series of carefully crafted solo albums that draw from the most intense and vibrant spiritual jazz as much as from the classic 60s British jazz sound, as well as more contemporary acts like Jazzanova, The Cinematic Orchestra and Nicola Conte.

The Eternal Now is his most progressive recording to date and represents a heartfelt ode to fully surrendering to the act of creating art and the freedom that comes from letting go of control.

Co-produced by Matthew Halsall, The Eternal Now features two key figures from the Manchester scene: legendary drummer Luke Flowers of The Cinematic Orchestra, and acclaimed bassist Sneaky, who featured on Mr Scruff's classic Keep It Unreal. With a clear focus on the flute, it is his most rhythmically charged work to date, taking the listener on an expansive journey that evokes influences such as Lonnie Liston Smith, Sven Wunder, David Axelrod and even library music, as Chip expands his sound into exciting new territories without losing the soulful groove and heartfelt melodies that make his music so cherished.