releases
Aspirations
(2014)
Poetry in motion with beautifully clear-headed vocals
4.5 stars. A breakthrough in leading-edge jazz vocals
“a beautifully nuanced, varied, and soulful vision”
Nominated for best Jazz Vocal Album in the 2015 Jazz Bell Awards.
Aspirations transcends its acoustic jazz instrumentation to worlds of electronically-augmented sonic atmospheres. Tom sings original prose and wordless music pondering the self and the natural world, featuring jazz improvisation, extended vocal techniques, and live electronic looping and effects processing. The album blends genres of jazz, pop, folk, electronica and world music in a truly unique vision.
Personnel
- Tom Barton – Voice and live looping/effects
- Joseph O’Connor – Piano
- Philip Rex – Bass
- Peter Evans – Drums
- Stephen Magnusson – Guitar
- Andy Sugg – Tenor Saxophone
- Georgie Darvidis – Voice
Connections
(2015)
Anyone with an open mind and two receptive ears should welcome this brave, sensitive and not infrequently brilliant music.
A greater constancy to jazz’s restless spirit than any number of aspirational takes on the ‘Great American Songbook’.
Personnel
- Tom Barton – Voice and live looping/effects
- Diego Villalta – Guitar and effects