Idle Hands - Get A Grip (2023) [Official Digital Download 24/88]

Not at all an Eric Idle tribute band. But as always with anything issued by Posi-Tone you gotta look on the bright side of life. What you cop a load of first is vibes flavoured sax in the main melodic blend on top of the rhythm section. The idiom is pretty laid back straightahead. Back again these Idle Hands make generous use of the very handsome tenor saxophone sound emanating from saxophonist Donny McCaslin (instead of Sam Dillon on an earlier outing). And in the vibist role label favourite easy-going multiple mallet wielder Behn Gillece is bright as a button. If you know the label you will recognise most of the names. The great Mingus ghost band bassist Boris Kozlov for instance is to hand. And it's the superb Art Hirahara on piano - in London at the moment with Stacey Kent. On highly supportive and occasionally bluesy guitar Will Bernard has his moment on 'Dream Of Life' - and that fine drummer EJ Strickland (instead of Donald Edwards on Solid Moments which came out in 2020) is at the kit. All highly likeable but it's far too easy going. And the tunes are simply warm and too guileless, no nonsense but none really stick out. ''Badass'' is not a word in the official Idle Hands band dictionary of dictionaries. Pity really and the perils of a band that goes under a generic name rather than an individual's. There was us wanting to give it 5 stars. Foiled again. But really it's just a good pal of a record you can always rely on and if it wasn't an inanimate digital object probably take fishing or get sloshed with if your favourite non-league side happened against all odds to win the cup. You can sound too nice.

Will Bernard, guitar
Behn Gillece, vibraphone
Donny McCaslin, tenor saxophone
Art Hirahara, piano
Boris Kozlov, bass
EJ Strickland, drums

Tracklist:
01. Show Of Hands
02. Soho Down
03. Get A Grip
04. Tomorrow Blues
05. Presence
06. Memphis Redux
07. The Great Quarterly
08. Beacon Of Hope
09. Monk, Bunk and Vice Versa
10. Dream Of Life


Thanks to the Original customer!