NJE, THE - Afloat (Sealed) (CD)

Swiftly abbreviated to The NJE, this ear Jazz Experience' was formed by multi-instrumentalist Terry Edwards, bassist Mark Bedford and drummer Simon Charterton in the spring of 2010. Look no further than the Hendrix cover, Voodoo Child for a way into their world. The familiar reinvented and taken to a parallel world. Born out of a love of improvised music which was accessible (funky beats and grooves) yet experimental enough to break the mould of middle-of-the-road jamming, the trio built up a following at a residency at the monthly Sartorial Records music nights. The NJE perform music intuitively, with an ear to accessible beats & tonality with Edwards' melodic flights of fancy dancing over the top. Afloat came about after several recording sessions, both in concert and in the studio, and completed by the band using harsh editing techniques overseen by Hot Chip frontman Alexis Taylor at the mixdown stage. The album's seven tracks are complimented by the addition of four previously released download/vinyl tracks! Mainstays of the NJE sound are Edwards' double-sax technique - playing alto & tenor simultaneously, Charterton's polyrhythmic funk patterns and Bedford's fluid but grounding basslines. The whole is a near-jazz experience