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Benedict Jackson

NUBDUG ENSEMBLE – THIRD (Catsynth Records/ Bandcamp) (2024)

Nubdug Ensemble is the brainchild of Jason Berry, who handles some of the keyboards as well as the electronics and programming. “Third” has been two years in the making and is an ambitious concept album based on Shakespeare’s tragedy on Julius Caesar played by seventeen musicians and incorporating a brass quintet as well as violin, cello, guitar and so on. The musicians have played with the likes of Birdsongs of the Mesozoic, John Zorn, The Residents, Tom Waits and Ornette Coleman. Sami Stevens is the vocalist, appearing on every second piece.


All the numbers are short in length, but contain much within. ‘But in Ourselves’ is brass-fuelled with a neat vibes break, some funky bass playing and a clever lyric; ‘Put in By Thrice’ is stylistically redolent of Gentle Giant, an electric guitar break this time, as on ‘The Ladder’ on which the rhythm section do a great job alongside the brass. ‘Portia and the Soothsayer’ is a piece the great Steely Dan may well have been proud of, while ‘Midmarch’ may pass for a modern-day Blood, Sweat and Tears. On ‘Triumvirate’ the group play around effectively with nuances of classical and reggae while closer ‘The Ghost at Phillipi’ is perhaps the most overtly jazz piece, with a surprise but welcome sax solo and some refined piano playing and drumming. “Third” is a wonderful piece of nostalgia as well as being forward looking; the conciseness of the individual pieces works well within the whole framework in a highly enjoyable well played and produced, and great sounding recording.

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