The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
  • Reviews
    • Album Reviews
    • Features
    • Live Reviews
    • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • Headlines
    • News
    • Contests
    • Events
    • Entertainment Headlines
    • Concert Listings
    • Toronto Concert Venues
  • New Music
    • Premieres
    • Track Of The Day
  • Track Of The Month
  • Books + Movies
  • About
16
new
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: ALAINA STACEY – DUSK
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: SUN FREEZING COLD – NOWHERE TO HIDE
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: DARON MALAKIAN AND SCARS ON BROADWAY – ADDICTED TO THE VIOLENCE
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LORD HURON – THE COSMIC SELECTOR VOL. 1
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BUSH – I BEAT LONELINESS
SPILL NEWS: GEORGIA HARMER SHARES NEW SINGLE “FARMHOUSE” FROM UPCOMING LP ‘EYE OF THE STORM’ | TOUR DATES
SPILL NEW MUSIC: KENNY NEAL BRINGS HIS SIGNATURE SWAMP GRIT ON “DEVIL’S IN THE DELTA” WITH HIS SON MICAH WILLIS
SPILL NEW MUSIC: THE LAST DINNER PARTY RELEASE “THIS IS THE KILLER SPEAKING” FROM THEIR FORTHCOMING ALBUM ‘FROM THE PYRE’ OUT OCTOBER 17
SPILL NEWS: JUSTICE AND KAYTRANADA ANNOUNCE FALL NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
SPILL VIDEO PREMIERE: ESA – “GOLDEN HOUSE” (FEAT. MASSENHYSTERIE & KONSTANTINA BUHALIS)
SPILL CONTEST: WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO SEE POSTMODERN JUKEBOX ON JULY 23 AT MASSEY HALL!
SPILL NEWS: DAVID BYRNE UNVEILS NEW SINGLE “SHE EXPLAINS THINGS TO ME” | NEW ALBUM ‘WHO IS THE SKY?’ OUT SEPTEMBER 5 | TOUR DATES
SPILL NEW MUSIC: YAWN SHARES NEW LYRIC VIDEO FOR “YOU & I” | DEBUT LP ‘WISH I COULD’VE’ OUT NOW
SPILL VIDEO PREMIERE: JAMIE LIDELL – “CAPTURE THE MOON”
SPILL NEWS: WORLD-RENOWNED POLKA PUNKS THE DREADNOUGHTS UNLEASH SEA SHANTY SINGLE “SIERRA” | UPCOMING FULL-LENGTH ‘POLKA PIT’ DUE OUT SEPTEMBER 19 ON PUNKERTON RECORDS
SPILL NEWS: WAVELENGTH MUSIC TURNS 25 | ANNOUNCES 2025 ‘SUMMER THING’ FESTIVAL LINEUPS AT ONTARIO PLACE AND NEW VENUE IN SCARBOROUGH
  • Reviews
    • Album Reviews
    • Features
    • Live Reviews
    • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • Headlines
    • News
    • Contests
    • Events
    • Entertainment Headlines
    • Concert Listings
    • Toronto Concert Venues
  • New Music
    • Premieres
    • Track Of The Day
  • Track Of The Month
  • Books + Movies
  • About
  • Spill Menu
    • Reviews
      • Album Reviews
      • Features
      • Live Reviews
      • Festivals
    • Portraits
    • Headlines
      • News
      • Contests
      • Events
      • Entertainment Headlines
      • Concert Listings
      • Toronto Concert Venues
    • New Music
      • Premieres
      • Track Of The Day
    • Track Of The Month
    • Books + Movies
    • About
Album Reviews
1
181
previous article
SPILL LIVE REVIEW: CŒUR DE PIRATE @ THE DANFORTH MUSIC HALL, TORONTO
next article
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: JANET BATCH - YOU BE THE WOLF

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: FERGUS HAMBLETON – JAZZ LOVERS SOCIETY VOL. 2

Fergus Hambleton
Jazz Lovers Society Vol. 2
G-Three

As with some of the classic jazz albums of the past, Fergus Hambleton has assembled a trio, featuring Rob McBride on bass, John Adams on drums and himself on guitar, clarinet, alto sax, piano as well as the vocals. A classic jazz trio lineup. There are other musicians along the way to augment the sound, but the trio is the core of Jazz Lovers Society Vol. 2. There was a Volume 1 recorded in 2000, but it was never officially released. Here, they present their unique arrangements to classic songs as well as a few that Hambleton wrote or co-wrote. The end result is a fantastic step into a jazz experience.

Hambleton and company refrain from turning this into a complete nostalgic trip. While the songs carry with them a certain weight and history, he has both arranged the songs and come up with contemporary arrangements of the classics. He does not tamper with the beauty of the original melody, but there is still a 2021 spin on the tracks. Listen to “The Moon Was Yellow” which has a South American feel, while “The Second Time Around” has a wonderfully lush arrangement over a sparse one. “A Certain Smile”  features stunning bass, and its arrangement with the piano works just perfectly. In all  cases, these are beautiful interpretations of classic songs. Hambleton and  Vezi Tayyeb have done a fantastic job with the production, and as such it is flawless as well.

There are originals on the album as well and they fit here perfectly. “Talking To Myself”, “A Little Piece Of My Heart”, “Waltz For Maggie” (my favourite song of the collection) and “Parfaite Amusante” (which was co-written with Patricia Terbey) are all instant classics and sound fine with the more established songs. One is hard put to single them out as originals, as Hambleton has effortlessly written and arranged his own music to not only sound like the other songs but incorporates the essence of an era. The musicianship and performance  is top notch but special attention should be drawn to Hambleton’s vocals. He is not known for this style of music (he is a member of The Satellites, and he has released several pop/rock solo albums) but he has clearly done his homework and loves this music. His phrasing is perfect and one can hear the emotion in his voice throughout the entire album (with the exception of the instrumental “The Drum Song”).

Jazz Lovers Society Vol. 2 is clearly a labour of love for Hambleton and, I suspect, the other musicians as well. He has chosen the songs wisely and succeeded in carving out his own arrangements. This is not the “Great American Songbook”, but rather an exploration into jazz. I would love it if there was a vinyl version of the album. It is an exciting excursion for Hambleton and one hopes for a Volume Three.



Artist Links

website_flat_2016 facebook_flat_2016 twitter_flat_2016

Item Reviewed

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: FERGUS HAMBLETON – JAZZ LOVERS SOCIETY VOL. 2

Author

Aaron Badgley

Here's what we think...
Spill Rating
Fan Rating
Rate Here
New Criteria
10
—
8.0
Total Spill Rating
—
Total Fan Rating
You have rated this
Album Reviews
album reviewalbum reviewsfergus hambletonjazz lovers society vol. 2john adamsrob mcbridethe moon was yellow
album review, album reviews, fergus hambleton, jazz lovers society vol. 2, john adams, rob mcbride, the moon was yellow
About the Author
Aaron Badgley
Born and raised in Whitby, Aaron discovered music through his love of The Beatles. This led to a career in radio, writing for various publications, and ultimately a radio show about The Beatles (Beatles Universe), which ran for over four years. When not immersed in music, Aaron enjoys spending time with the loves of his life -- his wife Andrea, and daughters Emily and Linda (all of whom have an intense love of music too).
RELATED ARTICLES
album reviewalbum reviewsfergus hambleton
 
8.0
Alaina Stacey

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: ALAINA STACEY – DUSK

by Ljubinko Zivkovic on July 18, 2025
ALAINA STACEY DUSK INDEPENDENT Is it pop or is it Americana? Kacey Musgraves and a few other artists resolved that dilemma a while ago, by proving that it could be either or both and that makes no difference, as long as the songwriting and [...]
 
8.0
Sun Freezing Cold

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: SUN FREEZING COLD – NOWHERE TO HIDE

by Aaron Badgley on July 18, 2025
SUN FREEZING COLD NOWHERE TO HIDE INDEPENDENT Sun Freezing Cold is a duo out of Montreal consisting of Chantal Ranger (lyrics/vocals) and Guy Pellerin (music/production) and Nowhere To Hide is their third album. Since their last album (2024’s At [...]
 
8.0
Daron Malakian And Scars On Broadway

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: DARON MALAKIAN AND SCARS ON BROADWAY – ADDICTED TO THE VIOLENCE

by Joseph Mastel on July 18, 2025
DARON MALAKIAN AND SCARS ON BROADWAY ADDICTED TO THE VIOLENCE SCARRED FOR LIFE Daron Malakian is one of the most recognizable names in hard rock and metal, most known for his work in the iconic band System Of A Down, which has given us some of [...]
 
9.0
Lord Huron

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LORD HURON – THE COSMIC SELECTOR VOL. 1

by Robert Defina on July 18, 2025
LORD HURON THE COSMIC SELECTOR VOL. 1 MERCURY RECORDS Ben Schneider often croons about being alone under vast night skies on The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1. Though these themes are undeniably similar to those explored throughout Lord Huron’s [...]
 
7.0
Bush
8.6

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BUSH – I BEAT LONELINESS

by Joseph Mastel on July 18, 2025
BUSH I BEAT LONELINESS earMUSIC Nineties rock icons Bush return with I Beat Loneliness, their 10th studio album. The new record is one of Bush’s most vulnerable to date and combines Bush’s post-grunge roots with electronic, hard rock, and [...]

Latest Album Reviews
View All
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: ALAINA STACEY – DUSK
8.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: SUN FREEZING COLD – NOWHERE TO HIDE
8.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: DARON MALAKIAN AND SCARS ON BROADWAY – AD...
8.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LORD HURON – THE COSMIC SELECTOR VOL. 1
9.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: BUSH – I BEAT LONELINESS
7.0
8.6

STAY UP-TO-DATE
WITH OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER!

Tweets by @spillmagazine

SPILL MAGAZINE MENU
  • Home | The Spill Magazine
  • Newsletter
  • Premieres
  • SPILL RETRO REVIEWS
  • Track Of The Month
  • Album Reviews
  • Books + Movies
  • Features
  • Live Reviews
  • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • News
  • Events
  • Entertainment Headlines
  • Concert Listings
  • Toronto Concert Venues
  • About Us
  • Contests
  • New Music
  • Contributors
  • TOTD
  • Privacy Policy
  • The Scene Unseen
  • Newsletter

Copyright © 2024 | The Spill Magazine
All Rights Reserved.

TRENDING RIGHT NOW
   
 
SPILL CONTEST: WIN ONE OF TWO PAIRS OF TICKETS TO SEE OMD PERFORM LIVE AT HISTORY IN TORONTO ON JULY 4!
949
 
SPILL ALBUM PREMIERE: MAX RAEL – THE ENEMY IS US
874
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: DUSTY SPRINGFIELD – LONGING
599
 
SPILL CONTEST: ENTER TO WIN A GWAR PRIZE PACK INCLUDING TICKETS TO SEE THEM LIVE AT HISTORY ON JUNE 9!
508
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: PETER MURPHY – SILVER SHADE
448
 
SPILL CONTEST: WIN A MEET-AND-GREET PACKAGE TO SEE ALESSIA CARA AT ROY THOMSON HALL ON MAY 15!
423
 
SPILL FEATURE: IT JUST FEELS LIKE WE’RE A LITTLE MORE IN CHARGE – A CONVERSATION WITH CRISPIAN MILLS OF KULA SHAKER
412
 
SPILL NEWS: THE BESNARD LAKES SET TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM ON OCTOBER 10
352
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE – ALIVE IN THE CATACOMBS
333
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE SWELL SEASON – FORWARD
327
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: HOWARD JONES – PIANO COMPOSED IVORY & PIANO COMPOSED SPIRIO
304
 
SPILL VIDEO PREMIERE: VAGUE NOTION – “BASE SICK”
268
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: FISHBONE – STOCKHOLM SYNDROME
261
ENTERTAINMENT HEADLINES