Energetic last dance

Wellington jazz musicians the Ford/Tipping/Wise Trio have released a “hard-grooving, impressively creative release” called After the Last Dance, which music site All About Jazz reviews this month. “Each [of the nine] tunes is thoughtfully composed and carefully arranged, the group is tight and feeding off of each other’s energy, and the level of creativity is high during improvised solos and melodic interpretations. Apart from the strong compositions, the album also features very tasteful and highly energetic performances by all three of these talented musicians. Charmaine Ford brings a strong sense of traditional rhythms and modern harmonic vocabulary to her solos, which provides a sense of the historical significance of the music alongside a feeling of her willingness to push the music forward into new and unexplored territory. Nick Tipping and Richard Wise are also at the top of their games as both compers and soloists.”