Words by Justin Turford

We gave Jackson Mathod a glowing review of the title track from his ‘Come On Now’ EP (HERE) so it only seems right to give the full thing a once over and I’m not disappointed. The breezy, summery ultra-funk of the aforementioned number ‘Come On Now’ is joined by four fresh instrumental pieces that explore bossa, jazz-funk and heavy post-hip hop Roy Hargroves style whoopass jazz-breaks, and it’s all good!

Jackson is a vital trumpet-playing cog for so many contemporary artists so it’s no surprise that he was able to call on outstanding players to contribute to this EP. The drummers deserve a shout for sure, Mcknasty for his super-intricate funk action on the title track, there’s Harry Pope and his looseness on the Brazilian lounge- jazz swinger ‘Brazil Nut’ and also showcasing a harder side on the fierce abstracted closer ‘Matador’. David Mrakpor from Blue Lab Beats contributes drums and bass on two of the tracks, and his keys work on ‘So Cold’ are sublimely restrained until he gets his chance to ripple his fingers across the keys. Actually, this is a fundamental point regarding Jackson’s mathod-ology (sorry), every track is groove and space. Space for his guests and himself to solo, show off, enjoy themselves. And it comes across as enjoyment - in collaboration, in music.

Eoin Walsh and Joey Grant on bass, James Beckwith, Oli Howe and Luke Smith on keys, Luke Smith’s guitar chops on ‘Come On Now’ and the firebrand sax of Gabriele Pribetti all deserve acclaim for their contributions. Of course, Jackson deserves the bottle of wine though, his vision, his collaborative dream. An excellent addition to the ongoing ‘jazz’ revolution happening in the UK. 8.5/10

OUT NOW! BUY HERE! https://jacksonmathod.bandcamp.com/album/come-on-now