Released to critical acclaim in 2022
12 tracks of jazz
influenced by
Europe, North and South America, the Caribbean and Africa
RADIO PLAY
Rouhangeze Baichoo - Song Of The Week (JazzFM)
John Osbourne (JazzFM)
Jez Nelson (JazzFM)
James Peachy (BBC Introducing)
Mike Sweeney (BBC Manchester)
Sarah Chaplin - Feature Show (Brooklands Radio)
Brea Gosling - Feature Show - (Brookland Radio)
Alban Lowe (Brooklands Radio)
Steve Aspey
Lubi Jovanovic
Rich Chocolate
Chris Welch
Alan McKinnon
Kev Beadle
Bob Hill
Mark Blee
David Patterson
Tim Spurier
Daz-I-Kue (USA)
Graeme Kerr (USA)
Justin Turford
Jazz Bites (USA)
Laura Hall (USA)
ALBUM REVIEWS
Robert Shore (Jazzwise)
Emrys Baird (Blues & Soul Magazine)
Colin Campbell (Blues Matters)
Chris Spector (Midwest Record)
Angelina Pelova (The Midlands Rocks)
John Seales (Wall of Sound)
LIVE REVIEWS
Ian Mann (The Jazz Mann)
Chris Perry (Grapevine)
Nigel Jarrett (Jazz Journal)
Lance Little (Bebop Spoken Here)
FEATURES
Peter Lewis (Blues & Soul magazine) Cover and 4 page feature
Emily Saunders (Connects Music)
Dan Paton (London Jazz News)
North East Online - 4 page feature
Gail Boyd (Alternate Venues for Jazz) feature
Scott Thompson (All About Jazz)
WHAT THE Critics SAY …
“Supremely talented saxophonist”
““Snowdrops” the medium-tempo ballad starts with hints of the Yellowjackets and includes a particularly warm vocal by Giulia Marelli and inventive playing by the leader”
“The sound of surprise”
“Michael Brecker-like power and intensity... a highly uplifting experience”
“The London-based saxophonist hopes to offer something new to jazz. A hybrid of myriad sources. One is reminded of other British musical polymaths such as saxophonist Peter King”
“Pure sax appeal”
“Essential listening 9/10”
“An astounding album”
“A treasure yet to be found on these shores. the breadth of the experience is wildly ear opening”
“Liddard has a particularly broad and all-encompassing vision of music”
“The standard of musicianship and production on this album is of the highest quality”
“The music lifted me to a higher plane”
“For a metalhead to decide to review a jazz album, it must be pretty special. And so it is.”
WHAT THE DJS SAY …
“Sounds absolutely brilliant.”
“This sounds great! Love to spin this”
"Liking this one, great for this summer heatwave of 2022”
"Absolutely love this. Gonna be a Friday Hot 3 pick this week."
"!!!! Dynamite !"
"Wow, this guy can play!!!"
"nice stuff...all the way jazz"
“Excellent !"
"Proper Jazz Sax Fire....will be getting a play” -
"Nice track. I'll put it on the playlist for my next monthly jazz show"
"Totally my bag, nice”
"Funky dance jazz...pure fire biz"
"It's great to hear this new release from Aaron, I will definitely give it a spin on my next show."
"Such a warm, energetic piece, thank you!"
"PROPER JAZZ FUSION"
"Jazz dance!!"
"Can't wait to hear the album."
"Superb ! I'll play it”
"Great tune!!"
“clear winner for my show and others”
"sounds very interesting"
"Stunning"
“Thanks”
"Stunning"
"Excellent !"
"Gorgeous!"
"Some nice stuff on here - good mixture of traditional Jazzy soulful vibes,but then you get some additional filth that's right up my street."
"Nice contrast of mellow and mid to uptempo tunes on the album. Loving the vocals on Beautiful & Frisco"
"Superb from start to finish."
"the opening track Corean Castaway caught my ears straight away along with Chicken Soup and Apples And Pears. One in the bag for Monday nights for sure!"
“Lovely stuff”
"Al McKinnon played Frisco on TWR when I was his guest today, and it blew me away. What a tune, and what an album! Will be needing this on vinyl for sure!"
"excellent will play"
"Jazzy, beautifully soulful. Excellent work"
“this was a breath of fresh air. I love the way it breaks into heavy sections - big shift between light and shade - Together Forever for example, here the drumming is progressive but also eminently listenable. Lovely Brasilian groove too."
"Love it, so many influences within the tracks/album"
"Lovely music. A+"
"Good Work! Thanks"
"Outstanding stuff, so many different styles rolled into a neat little package"
"brilliant"
"I'm really looking forward to listening all the way through"
"Brilliant album"
“What an amazing album!"
“Very smooth, early doors music!"
"Some lovely stuff on this album. Had me from the first track!! This is really beautiful and I cannot tell you how much I love Carleen Anderson. Her voice is one of a kind. Some great compositions."
"Exellent ! Will be played”
"Good Work! Thanks"
"Outstanding stuff, so many different styles rolled into a neat little package"
"brilliant"
“A marvellous collection of addictive tunes"
WHAT MUSICIANS SAY …
“All Aaron Liddard’s music is beautiful” Flora Purim (singer, artist, composer)
“Big GRACIAS” Roberto Pla (percussionist, bandleader, artist - credited with bringing salsa to UK)
“You mesmerised us all” Minnie Birch (singer, artist, composer)
“What a tour de force it is!” Tim Whitehead (saxophonist, composer)
“I can't think of anything even vaguely similar to this; very imaginative. Compelling listening. Thanks.” Carl Orr (guitarist, composer)
“'Snowdrops' is devastatingly lovely. What a masterpiece - has me literally in tears” Faye Patton (singer, artist, composer)
“A masterpiece” Yvonne Ellis (producer)
“80 mins of bliss.” Clive Hunte (bassist, Lily Allen)
“Dreamlike” Ray Estaire (singer, artist, composer)
“Really reminded me of Prince 💜” Mike Taylor (keyboardist)
“Sounds goooood” Simon Crowe (drummer, Boomtown Rats)
“Weird but a breath of fresh air amongst other releases… playing and vocal all round amazing.” Winston Blissett (bassist, Jeff Lorber, Lionel Richie)
“It’s caught in my brain instantly. Even though it’s complex” Michael Gilbourne (drummer)
“One of the most humble successfuls of my time” Lauren Dalrymple (singer)
“Together Forever is beautiful. Catfood is INSANE! How the hell do you do that?” Craig Fergus (DJ)
“An awesome body of work. Wow!” Toby Baron (drummer, Ray Davies)
“I knew it would be decent but holy moly.” Steve OJay Jones (bassist)
“Nylon man fantastic!!!!! One of my fave new albums” Jon Banks (bassist, Ukekele Orchestra of Great Britain)
“Totally knocked out by your album. It is a masterpiece! No wonder it took so long to craft, you have put so much into it and the production is incredible. You’ve gone so deeply into so many areas, amazing! It’s a real feast and a piece of work which will last because there is so much to digest in there” Andy Hamill (bassist, 4hero, Annie Lennox, Laura Mvula)
“Oh wow! Congrats mate. “Award winning” album 😉” Dave West (bassist, George Michael)
“Wow! I’m so impressed!” Patrick Alan (singer, dancer, Michael Jackson)
Liddard's working band features musicians from the UK, Italy and Ghana who have all been entertaining audiences across the country with their excellent rapport and exhilaratingly inclusive performances.
Live shows never fail to get audiences involved: clapping, singing along, dancing, and even hugging mid-gig!
Album credits
COMPOSITION / LYRICS
Aaron Liddard
Carleen Anderson
Miss Baby Sol
Joan Viskant
FEATURE ARTISTS
Carleen Anderson
Omar Puente
Miss Baby Sol
SAX / FLUTE / PIANO / KEYS
Aaron Liddard
KEYS
Peter Daley
Sean Hargreaves
BRASS
Yelfris Valdes
Sid Gauld
Paul Jordanous
Tom White
GUITAR
Harry Greene
Du Gomide
Robin Banerjee
Josue Ferriera
Prince Sampson
BASS
Paul Michael
Andrew McKinney
Felipe Cortes
Dean Mark
‘Level’ Neville Malcolm
STRINGS
Omar Puente
Steve Morris
Warren Zielinski
Oli Langford
Ian Burdge
VOICE & LYRICS
Baby N’Sola
Giulia Marelli
Carleen Anderson
Segun Lee-French
Sannaliisa Ilkka
Sam Grimley
DRUMS & PERCUSSION
Eric Youngs
Jimmy Norden
Raudelis Quiala Cisneros
Hammadi Valdes
Javier Gincarte
Elliott Henshaw
Mauro Martins
Marc Parnell
Mike ‘Ozzie’ Osbourne
Leonn Meade
John Blackburn
Norman Jankowski
Nikolaj Bjerre
STUDIOS
Nikbeat Studios
Heart of Gold
Havis House Recordings
DGM studios
Skinny Farm
Danny Mirdadaian Produções
Kingston University
VISUAL ARTISTS
Abigail Yentis
Zoe Underwood
Aaron Liddard
Ed Vernon
Keiko Mori
Goatnoise
Simon Keats
Darren Rumney
“Aaron is on the money, as you might expect from someone with his background and experience. Being smiled upon and encouraged by the two Parkers, Evan and Maceo, is a unique accolade on Planet Saxophone, but one that is hard to quantify to the non-aficionado. In our universe, we might best think of it as a sort of Official Thumbs-Up from both Professor Steven Hawking and Wayne Rooney”
“His music for samba and brass band was the most creative thing we’ve done this year
”
“He was a revelation at the Manchester Jazz Festival…playing an absolute blinder. He wears several guises - dizzy on Afro-Cuban grooves and furious when the beat gets hard-edged - but his piercing tone shines in any context.”
In his prolific and wide-ranging career, saxophonist-keyboardist-arranger-composer Aaron Liddard has contributed to many different musical experiences including working with Amy Winehouse, Prince, and Maceo Parker, and in genres ranging from hip hop and rock to Latin music and gospel. But jazz has always been the closest music to his heart. “Jazz is the only living musical art-form that is not defined by its exclusions,” says Aaron. “At its truest, jazz is an evolving aural tradition. As a musician with myriad musical influences, jazz is the only home that allows me to fully explore.”
He describes Nylon Man as “roughly 12 years in the making” and a summation of his career to this point. 42 musicians in all appear on this project. Five (singer Giulia Marelli, guitarist Harry Greene, bassist Paul Michael, drummer Jimmy Norden, and percussionist Eric Young) are members of his band Aaron and the Argonauts and appear on many of this release’s selections. Of Giulia Marelli, who is prominent on four numbers, Aaron says “She is able to tackle every detail and edge with precision and deliver performances with charisma. Giulia comes to my music with the best attitude, capability and emotional energy.”
Nylon Man, which is named after the three cities that most influenced Aaron (New York, London and Manchester), begins with a tribute to the late Chick Corea, “Corean Castaway.” It was composed years ago with Joan Viskant writing the lyrics in more recent times. Giulia Marelli has the vocal and handles the wide intervals flawlessly, the strings make a gradual but memorable entrance, and the complex drum solo is played with expertise by Marc Parnell. One could imagine Chick Corea and Flora Purim enjoying performing this piece.
“Frisco” was written during Aaron’s first visit to the U.S. One night, he was walking home to his hotel in San Francisco after attending a stirring rap opera and the song suddenly appeared in his mind; he wrote the entire piece that night. Carleen Anderson, who Aaron met while appearing with Norman Connors and Michael Henderson in a London show, is featured. Her singing in a lovely operatic voice recalls Kay Davis with Duke Ellington in the 1940s although the groove is quite contemporary.
“Together Forever” has a vocal duet by Sannaliisa Ilkka and Sam Grimley, the pandeiro of Norman Jankowski, and a mixture of an acoustic bossa nova with heavier drums and bass. A great deal takes place but the overall results are warm and soothing. “Chicken Soup” was recorded in Brazil, has a fine bass solo from Felipe Cortes (who at one point emulates a clucking chicken), and is a particularly rewarding showcase for Aaron Liddard’s tenor and piano. “Thru Your Eyes,” which is about the long demise of a relationship, features a dreamy and eerie vocal from Giulia Marelli over an electronic ensemble playing in 19/8 time.
The joyful “Apples & Pears,” which was recorded in one take, includes prominent spots for guitarist Greene and Aaron’s tenor over a bluesy and funky groove. A real change of pace, “My Kinda” is described by Aaron as being about “an affair that starts out with butterflies and ends in emotional torture. It travels from rock to hip hop to electro to highlife to acid jazz and back to rock; it always surprises audiences.” The rollicking “Catfood” is also a bit unique for it has Aaron joined by two different rhythm sections (British funk and Cuban) for a brief bit of excitement. The medium-tempo ballad “Snowdrops” begins with hints of the Yellowjackets and includes a particularly warm vocal by Giulia Marelli and inventive playing by the leader.
Aaron switches to flute for some lively Latin jazz on “Manana” which has infectious percussion work from Eric Young and is highlighted by colorful solos in the tradition by violinist Omar Puente and Harry Greene on acoustic guitar. “Beautiful” is a calming ballad sung beautifully by Miss Baby Sol with Aaron on piano. Nylon Man, a set filled with more than its share of variety, concludes with the political anti-corruption song “One Million Children.” The episodic and unpredictable performance is about the sins of the world being viewed through the eyes of the youth, and of a temple in Thailand in which one million school children gather once a year to meditate for world peace.
Aaron Liddard, who was born in Hertfordshire, started out on the euphonium, spent time playing piano and guitar, and then settled on the tenor-sax as his main instrument. While classically trained, as a teenager he found that the freedom of jazz was more inspiring. He spent a decade living and working in Manchester, developing into a very busy musician who at one point was playing regularly with 15 different bands including his Latin hip hop group Nylon Jungle. Aaron spent a long period as a regular member of Amy Winehouse’s band, toured with singer Beverley Knight, performed with Maceo Parker and Prince, and played rock with the Stargazers and the Boomtown Rats. He also contributed to over 30 albums, performed jazz with Sheila Tracey’s big band, blues with the Sugaray Rayford Band, and toured in three continents with his group Aaron and the Argonauts.
Aaron Liddard sums up his new release which defines his career up to this point. “Nylon Man is how I hear music and its possibilities. I hope that listeners will be happily surprised by what they experience.”
Scott Yanow,
jazz journalist/historian and author of 12 books including his musical memoirs, Life Through The Eyes Of A Jazz Journalist
“The UK based multi instrumentalist is a treasure yet to be found on these shores. Having a special knack for delivering a cinematic feeling jazzy soul set, this album the culmination of 12 years in the making giving it plenty of room to absorb plenty of vibes. The kind of set that has so much going on that you owe it to yourself to sit down and give it a real listening, the breadth of the experience is wildly ear opening. ”
