REVIEWS
FRIDAY, 11 APRIL 2008
CHIASMUS REVIEW IN THE SCOTSMAN
JAZZ
KEVIN MACKENZIE: CHIASMUS ****
LAUNDRY ROOM MUSIC, £11.99
GUITARIST Kevin Mackenzie has been at least as prominent a presence in Scottish folk music as in jazz in recent years, but this disc focuses squarely on his jazz work, not only as a conspicuously inventive soloist, but also as a composer. His first set of original compositions since he recorded his Creative Scotland Award project in 2004 features a fine quartet with saxophonist Julian Argüelles, bassist Aidan O'Donnell and drummer Alyn Cosker. The guitarist weaves fluent melodic lines through the spacious textures of the music in intricate and imaginative fashion, while Argüelles provides an ideal foil on both tenor and soprano saxophones, underpinned by Cosker's supple, propulsive drumming.