It’s ‘About Time’ for Scottish trumpet player Malcolm Strachan
Scottish trumpeter Malcolm Strachan is a founding member of top UK funk/jazz-funk band The Haggis Horns as well as being one of the busiest session musicians in the UK today. In a professional career spanning 20 years, he’s worked and toured with the likes of Mark Ronson, Amy Winehouse, Corinne Bailey Rae, Jamiroquai, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Jesse Glynne, The Craig Charles Fantasy Funk Band, Black Honey, The New Mastersounds and Blue Note Records jazz saxophone legend Lou Donaldson. Now he’s finally releasing his first solo album, aptly titled “About Time” on Haggis Records and he’s going back to his original musical roots…..jazz.
“About Time” is a collection of original compositions, all written and arranged by Malcolm, which are firmly rooted in the classic acoustic modern jazz style typified by the great 60s and 70s recordings on the legendary Blue Note Records label. A nice variation of themes and tempos feature throughout the album. From full-on Latin vibes to beautiful ballads, soul jazz grooves to cinematic soundtrack flavours, all woven together perfectly by a great group of experienced musicians.
Malcolm’s core quartet is himself on trumpet/flugelhorn, fellow Haggis Horns band members George Cooper (piano) and Erroll Rollins (drums), plus Courtny Tomas on double bass. Featured guests are Atholl Ransome on tenor sax (The Haggis Horns), Rob Mitchell on baritone sax (The Abstract Orchestra) and Danny Barley on trombone. Strings are courtesy of Richard Curran and the percussionist is one of the finest session players in Europe, Karl Vanden Bossche (Incognito/ Robert Palmer/ Joss Stone/ TheGorillaz/ Sade/ Blur– he and Malcolm met while touring with Mark Ronson).
Malcolm‘s love of jazz comes from his parents. Aged 7, his jazz musician father gave him a trumpet. From then on, jazz was his life. His musical education came via music teachers, youth orchestras and jazz summer schools but mostly from his dad’s record collection listening to Art Blakeyand Dizzy Gillespie records and learning to improvise and solo by ear. At 18, he enrolled at Leeds College Of Music and quickly immersed himself in the city’s vibrant acid jazz, funk and soul scene and from making his recording debut in 1999 with the The New Mastersounds, jazz was his musical passion but took a back seat to funk/soul/pop which were the day job. Until now.
Jazz is back. The wait is over. It really is “About Time” for Malcolm Strachan.
“About Time” out on LP / CD / Digital on March 27th via Haggis Records
