Polar Bear's self-titled third album is now on general release through Tin Angel Records.
The experimental Jazz outfit, made up of Seb Rochford, Pete Wareham, Mark Lockheart, Tom Herbert and Leafcutter John, have delivered a long-awaited follow up to the Mercury Music Prize and BBC Jazz award nominated ‘Held On The Tips Of Fingers’, an album rated as one of the 100 Jazz Albums That Shook The World by Jazzwise magazine.
This time around the critics are lining up with equally positive reviews:
"Wonderfully skilled players creating warm, engrossing, moving, imaginative, adventurous and instinctive music. If all polar bears were this hot the ice caps would already have melted…" Gavin Martin, Daily Mirror, 11th July 2008 ****
"Polar Bear is a surprisingly restrained affair, but that's no disappointment. Rather, the tunes and grooves contained herein speak of maturity, consideration and a great sense of just when to get weird on our collective asses. 'A fine record. Welcome back, boys... Chris Jones, BBC Music, 25th July 2008
"Seb Rochford's Polar Bear named themselves after an animal that can seem cuddly, intimidating and fascinating - adjectives also appropriate for their brilliant third album. [Rochford is] a proper jazz composer, whose themes are spare, colourful and strong enough to frame and support extensive improvisation from his talented crew and guests." John L. Walters, The Guardian, 11th July 2008
"Adopting an all-channels-open approach to jazz, they draw on its wide-ranging catalogue of styles with no regard for outdated rivalries. Their real triumph, though, is in balancing experiment with entertainment by incorporating dramatic shifts in tone and attitude.'" Andy Gill, The Independent, 18th July 2008 ****
The album was mastered by John Webber at Blue Pro Mastering. |
