London guitarist Phil Robson – best known for his Partisans group and his collaborations with Irish singer Christine Tobin – is one of those musicians who can look in both directions at once.
His first album in the organ trio format – with Hammond organist Ross Stanley and drummer Gene Calderazzo – is certainly rooted in that noble tradition, stretching back through John Abercrombie and John McLaughlin to Wes Montgomery.
But there is also a darker, more contemporary edge to this powerful new trio, and on a set of his own compositions (with one Dave Liebman cover), the guitarist – egged on by his two creative, ever-attentive companions – proves himself a fearless experimenter, capable of striking out into the unknown and finding new textures in a classic format.
