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THE AXE

If you listened to this blind, you might think Pablo had uncovered yet another unreleased Joe Pass session, but no, this is by Welsh guitarist Esmond Selwyn. Selwyn’s playing has superficial resemblances to Pass in the thoughtful single note picking and the rippling flourishes at the ends of lines but the liner notes of this CD instead cite Tal Farlow and George Van Eps as his main influences, and you can hear that. On tracks like “Lover Man” and “Easy Living” he does full-blown, splashy rhapsodizing like Farlow but on others, like “Cheek To Cheek” and “The Song Is Ended,” he plays with the compressed rhythmic chug of a ‘20s player like Eps, a style that bears a vague resemblance to the spiky brutalities of Derek Bailey though the end sound bears no resemblance. Selwyn’s treatment of “All The Things You Are” may be his most striking work here, playing wistfully through the verse then going into a relaxed treatment of the chorus with arpeggios and muscle-flexing side comments and also throwing in an impressive double-time passage. Selwyn shows on this CD that he is a real master of Jazz guitar.

Jerome Wilson - Cadence - January 2008

ESMOND SELWYN - The Axe: Solo Jazz Guitar (Slam 265; UK) Inspired by legendary jazz guitars like Joe Pass, Tal Farlow and George Van Eps, Esmond Selwyn is one of the best jazz guitarists to emerge from England. A favored collaborator of Don Rendell in the 80's, Esmond has also worked with George Haslam more recently. For this extraordinary tour-de-force, Mr. Selwyn performs 22 standards on solo hollow-body electric guitar recorded in the studio in 2005 and live at the Wirral Guitar Festival in 2004. Esmond does a wonderful job performing chestnuts like "Lover Man," "Tenderly," " 'Round Midnight," and "All the Things You Are." Selwyn does a beautiful job of embracing the lyrical melodies of each of these tunes and embellishing them with astonishing flourishes of exquisite taste and an elegant touch. From the sublime to the astonishing, he quite literally does it all. –

BLG - Downtown Music Gallery

He may not loom large on American shores, but British jazz guitarist Esmond Selwyn is highly-regarded in his native land. On this solo outing, he performs twenty-two standards. Memories of late guitar great Joe Pass’ Virtuoso (Pablo, 1974) are stirred. Lyrically gifted and technically formidable, Selwyn deconstructs the familiar material with delicacy and flair. He has a real talent for personalising popular standards while simultaneously treating their composers' structures with respect, and his complex phrasings add to the interest. Selwyn might prove to be one of the global jazz community’s best kept secrets.

www.allaboutjazz.com

British guitarist Esmond Selwyn has such astounding tecnique that you wonder why he's not better know Stateside. The Axe is somewhat frustrating: the one-take-only vibe of the album generates palpable excitement, demonstrating that Selwyn's jazz spirit is alive and well, but the guitarist's prediliction for mid-range chord voicings comes out a bit muddy in the final mix. In spite of this minor flaw, the playing is outstanding and inspired, bringing life to a who's who of standard chestnuts: "Stella by Starlight" is boppy and full of brio, rippling with muscular, daredevil lines. "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" is contemplative, laced with spicy chromatics and spacey meanderings; and "All the Things You Are" is a tour de forcefulness, a fast and furious two-way conversation of juxtaposed registers.

Jazz in New York

"An underrated Welsh-based guitarist and ex Don Rendell sideman, on a supple, gutsy-textured unaccompanied standards album masterfully avoiding the kind of wine bar schmaltz sometimes associated with the format".  

Harris, Jazzwise, September 2007

It strikes me, this collection provides a highly informed reflection of Selwyn the musician and the man - jazz virtuoso, intellectual, scholar and joker. It's all here, from the studied treatment of Easy Living (almost suggestive of J.S. Bach) to the jokey quality of Dancing on the Ceiling and back again to the (for me) truly bleak austerity of 'Round Midnight - not the sultry, sexy midnight of the Miles version but a midnight filled with weltschmerz and intro-spection, which I suspect may well be closer to the original Monk conception. This is late night music (yet another reflection of the man, here it's of Esmond the night-bird); music for sharing with an old friend, an old chair and an even older Scotch. Chill and enjoy.

Bernard Mendoza - Contributing Editor and Critic

"The Axe" a wonderful new solo album from Esmond Selwyn with playing as dazzling as ever."

Chrissie Murray, formerly contributor to Jazzwise and the Ronnie Scott's House Magazine.

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SHaK

SHaK [ESMOND SELWYN/GEORGE HASLAM/STEVE KERSHAW] - SHaK (Slam 321; UK) Featuring Esmond Selwyn on guitar, George Haslam on baritone sax and Steve Kershaw on acoustic bass. Esmond Selwyn is considered to be one of the greatest jazz guitarists to come from the UK. To be honest, I hadn't heard of him before hearing his two new discs on George Haslam's Slam label, one solo and one trio. For this, the trio offering, ShaK play mostly well-worn standards like "Over the Rainbow," "Stella by Starlight," "Polka Dots and Moonbeams," as well as Bird's "Yardbird Suite" and "Blue Monk." This is a fine trio that use their instrumentation, hollow-body electric guitar, bari sax and acoustic bass, just right. Mr. Selwyn has a warm, round tone similar to the tone of Pat Martino. Bassist Steve Kershaw does a great job of slapping that bass to provide the rhythm section role. I dig the way he strums his bass rhythmically on "El Manicero", creating an exotic, hypnotic groove and then adding a lush bowed bass line below. "Yardbird Suite" is taken at a brisk pace and both Esmond and George take great solos. Mr. Selwyn occasionally reminds me of Joe Pass with the way he embellishes these standards with elegance and consistently creative but restrained sparks. This disc might be a bit too straight ahead for some of the DMG listeners who like things further out, but the playing is superb and tasty throughout. – BLG - Downtown Music Gallery

Jazz Review September 2007

Usually SLAM and label-owner Haslam are associated with broadly left-field projects, like CD 322 September Spring. SHaK, however, presents modern-mainstream interpretations of standards and jazz classics, with an original thrown in. The trio romps its way through a programme drawn from three sessions over a 13-month period: with this music the real-time order is less important and tracks from each date are interleaved.

I said "romps", but sometimes "smooches" or "ambles insouciantly" is more accurate. To pick out a few plums: "Winetka" and "El Manicero", aka "The Peanut Vendor", are great fun, it’s interesting to hear Charlie Parker’s "Yardbird Suite" on the big sax. Haslam’s hop-skip-and-stagger tune, "Morning After", is a nice piece of neo-bop, and "Blue Monk" prompts a succulent sax solo. You’ll be glad to know that "Alfie" is not the well-worn Bacharach song tacked on over the closing credits of the celebrated Britflick, but the suitably swaggering "Alfie’s Theme" from Sonny Rollins’s excellent score, sounding as good on baritone as it did from the composer’s rich tenor. On the tracks from January 2006 it sounds as if Selwyn was late and was made to sit out in the corridor, but it doesn’t prevent you enjoying the elegance of his playing.

Few records that come my way are likely to appeal to all our readers but I doubt you’d find anything to complain about on SHaK

Barry Witherden

"Beautiful harmonization and performance. Each unaccompanied solo gave me the impression of orchestrations reduced to guitar solos"

Ron Moore, leading guitarist and composer, whose works have been recorded by his virtuoso student and protégé, classical guitar master, David Russell

Esmond Selwyn is something of a phenomenon - not just for his prodigious technique but also for his ability to create a fully contemporary guitar sound without showing the obvious rock influences present in the work of current stylistic leaders such as John Scofield and Pat Metheny. His finesse on ballads such as 'Polka Dots and Moonbeams' was no less striking than his powerful single-string and chordal playing on faster items such as 'Night in Tunisia'

Crescendo International

From the Wirral Guitar Festival, Jazz at the Priory. Nov 2004

From Jazz in the Afternoon. Nov 2004

From Alfred's, Pontypridd. 14th July 2004

A brilliant young jazz guitarist - one of the most original and creative in the world. He is a driving player who can play delicately at one point and then sound like a whole orchestra at the next. Esmond has featured with his own trio, with :The Jazz Turbo" and, as tonight, with Don's Quartet. Like Don, he is a revered and accomplished teacher of the guitar. He writes the guitar in CRESCENDO magazine.

From Berkhamsted Jazz Society

Esmond Selwyn's music is gorgeous - make no mistake about it! When we first heard his demo tape a year or so ago we asked ourselves why on earth this dispenser of guitar mastery was not more famous. Well, the reason is simply his continuous success as a studio and session musician.

What more can I say? His work is both lyrical and exciting; dexterity and improvising skills quite wonderful. To complete the trio: PETER MORGAN, the renowned bassist, and swinging ROBIN JONES at the drums

Tunbridge Wells Jazz Club

ESMOND SELWYN “JAZZ GUITAR ACE!” REVIEWS

Esmond Selwyn is a guitarist with mind-boggling technique, who has played all over the world. If you know anyone who thinks they can play guitar, you should definitely get them to come to this gig. Don’t miss the chance to catch this internationally acclaimed player. Clive Morton will be on bass, with Simon Gore on drums.

Absolutely phenomenal guitarist, possessed of a blistering technique, his most recent album was the aptly titled “Follow That” which also features Robin “King Salsa” Jones on drums. Joined tonight by Clive Morton – bass & Andy Hague – drums. A must for guitarists, and pretty essential for everyone else.

FROM “The Bebop Club”, Bristol

The diversity of the Wirral International Guitar Festival was seen in its full glory with a virtuoso performance by jazz guitarist Esmond Selwyn. On a dark, chilly Monday evening in the small, but comfortable venue of The Worsley Arms, Esmond’s two set solo performance charmed the audience. His dexterity on the guitar – a blonde Gibson ES175 – was highlighted as he ran through a number of known jazz standards and his adaptations on lesser known songs – all well received. These included Fats Waller’s classic Honeysuckle Rose, Dancin’ Cheek to Cheek and an unusual but original working of The Beatles ballad, Michelle. For the past 17 years Esmond has lived in North West England after moving from London, and during a quick conversation with the maestro, it came to light that he actually bought his Gibson from Andy Summers of Police fame and fortune – rest assured Andy, it’s in good hands.

By Graham Wardrall, from the Wirral Guitar Festival, November 2002

QUOTE “Really relaxed, nice playing, Esmond is obviously a great jazz guitarist, perhaps next year we’ll see him on a bigger stage in which more perople will be able to enjoy his sublime technique.”

Mary Patterson, Bromborough.