Jamil Sheriff

Their new album, Daydreams is a record that clearly demonstrates that Sheriff is not intimidated by writing for four horns… balancing early influences of Horace Silver with a Wayne Shorter-like commitment to narrative composition… There is no shortage of fine soloists… immaculate taste… soul and lyricism

A notable c.d. from pianist composer sheriff….a fierce introduction grabs the attention then follows a succession of carefully crafted pieces which not only demonstrate jamil’s talents as composer and arranger but provide fine settings for the rising stars in the band

Excellent northern pianist who brings together a range of classic, contemporary and urban approaches

Sheriff is an accomplished player displaying dashes of McCoy Tyner-style brawn and, even more impressively, a top-notch composer/arranger. Big brassy arrangements dominate Backchat, with consistently mature and toe-tapping numbers

An instinctive melodist, the frontline is an extension of his own colourful piano: At a superficial level, Backchat is cool and bright and conventional. Close listening reveals a wealth of detail and texture. A quiet marvel.

This is intelligent and original music and it is highly accessible as well as being beautifully recorded. There are many post-bop influences, balancing disciplined, through-composed sections with highly articulate solos from some of the best young musicians in the country

Sheriff's writing and arranging for the instrumentation is thoughtful and imaginative, and never overrides melodic development in the interests of harmonic complication.