Jonny Mansfield: Elftet
Edition Records

Elftet is a fine debut recording from Jonny Mansfield, who was awarded the Kenny Wheeler Jazz Prize in 2018. On the fifty-five-minute release (available in LP, CD, and digital formats), the UK-based vibraphonist guides an eleven-member outfit through nine originals and in doing so serves notice that he's a talent worth watching. And Elftet is very much an ensemble album: yes, Mansfield's vibraphone is a central element, but his fellow musicians—close friends, teachers, and mentors from whom the leader's learned—figure as prominently. In keeping with that prize, his writing and arrangements reveal the influence of Wheeler but also Duke Ellington and Maria Schneider—dauntingly huge footsteps for sure, yet ones he aspires to fill. Celebratory in tone and spirit, the album's a personal affair for Mansfield, with the compositions inspired by life experiences, friends, and family and in some cases written for specific individuals appearing on the album.

The effervescent opener “Sailing” shows a deft command by Mansfield of jazz orchestra writing and arranging, with the winding trajectory of the piece navigated expertly by the ensemble members. Like Wheeler, Ellington, and Schneider, Mansfield composes with the group in mind, careful to work solo space (in this case, a splendid turn from trombonist Rory Ingham) into big band material rich in polyphony and counterpoint. Animated by muscular swing from bassist Will Harris and drummer Boz Martin-Jones, the performance includes one conspicuous misstep, however: while Ella Hohnen-Ford's vocal delivery isn't without appeal, her voice in this piece is overpowered by the band and sounds thin as a result (perhaps some fine-tuning in the mix could have alleviated the problem). She fares better when the volume's taken down a notch (see the gentle lullaby “Falling”) and her voice is used as a wordless textural element within the arrangement (“For You”).

Mansfield's performance history includes dates with Chris Potter, Gareth Lockrane, and Mark Lockhart, and two return the favour with guest appearances on Elftet. Potter's tenor sax blazes through the opening half of “M&M,” the tune eventually alternating mercurially between robust funk and restrained episodes. Lockrane adds his flute wizardry to the lively orchestral jazz of “T&C's Apply,” otherwise a strong vehicle for violinist Dominic Ingham and featuring strong writing for horns and woodwinds. Elsewhere a raw solo by guitarist Oliver Mason brings a harder edge to “Silhouette,” whereas James Davison distinguishes “For You” with elegant flugelhorn solos. Laura Armstrong (cello), Tom Smith (alto and tenor saxes, flute), and George Millard (tenor sax, bass clarinet, flute) also deserve mention for the rich textures they bring to the recording.

For a debut, Elftet definitely impresses, yet it's not without imperfections. A few moments arise where the music is a tad more complex than necessary, though that could be excused on grounds of overenthusiasm on the leader's part. It's telling that the pieces that work best are the ones that are simpler in construction and where feeling's emphasized over intricacy. It hardly surprises that the straight-up bossa nova swing of “For You” and blues-gospel expressiveness of “Sweet Potato” (the latter enhanced by the Hammond organ playing of Kit Downes) stand out as two of the set's strongest performances.

September 2019