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“a warmly attractive ‘vocal’ sound on the tenor and baritone saxophone combined with lovely unhackneyed phrasing”- John Etheridge
“Hannah makes the big beast of a baritone sax sound like an angel” – Ian Shaw
Saxophonist, woodwind expert and rising star of UK jazz Hannah Horton will release her brand new album Inside Out in September. Hannah has produced a carefully curated selection of her own compositions alongside several iconic songs that she holds close to her heart. The result is an intriguing and diverse listen and strikes the perfect balance between exciting new music and timeless classics.
The spectrum of emotions explored on Inside Out range from trauma to elation and are based on concepts and experiences that are felt and understood by society as a whole. Hannah explains the sentiment of the album perfectly by saying that “It’s about human emotion, trauma, exultation and more, and my response to these. It is a reflection that throughout life we grow, we as humans build resilience and how time teaches us confidence, inner strength and acceptance.”
On Inside Out, Hannah Horton’s band are a vibrant and energised quartet consisting of Hannah on baritone and tenor saxophone, John Crawford on piano, Rob Statham on electric bass and Nic France on drums and percussion. The synergy between these razor-sharp musicians is apparent on first listen. Moreover, the soothing yet powerful tones of Ian Shaw as special guest vocalist adds power and vitality to the recording. As frequent collaborators, Hannah Horton was a special guest on Ian’s set at the prestigious Love Supreme Festival and played as part of his sold-out residency at Pizza Express Jazz Club. Now Ian contributes both the lyrics to Hannah’s original pieces and his unmistakable vocal tones, delivered with warmth and flair in abundance!
A natural born improviser and now accomplished on flute, bassoon and clarinet as well as saxophone, Hannah attended the prestigious Junior Guildhall School of Music and later at Trinity College of Music, where she was inspired by prominent British jazzers including Mark Lockheart, Tim Garland and Paul Bartholomew. Today Hannah provides inspiration of her own by running ‘J Steps’ – a new band initiative designed to nurture the talent of musicians who identify as female or non-binary (its main aim being to balance a historic lack of representation of women in jazz).
Hannah Horton describes her compositions as rooted in not only jazz, but also folk and funk. She has showcased her skills alongside a plethora of great artists such as Amy Winehouse, John Etheridge, Georgia Mancio and has performed at all of the UK’s most prominent jazz venues such as Ronnie Scott’s, The Royal Festival Hall, the Barbican and Chelsea’s intimate 606 Club, where she has chosen to launch the album on 22nd September. Hannah Horton’s signature velvet tones and songwriting ability really shine through on this album, making it both compelling and entertaining in equal measure.
Catalogue No: HHR001
Produced by Hannah Horton
Recorded at Masterchord Studio with Ronan Phelan sound engineer, March 2021
Mixed by John Prestage
Mastered by Fluid Mastering
Song descriptions by Hannah Horton
1. ‘Keep Walking’ – original
“The vibe of moving on, not looking back, and knowing it is the right move for your freedom, independence, soul and resilience.”
2. ‘Surfing Thermals’ – original
“Laying on the grass looking skywards, watching birds of prey gliding in the air – surfing on their thermal winds.”
3. ‘Frozen Light’ – original with lyrics by Ian Shaw
“Inspired by the vision of haw frost putting nature into a frozen pause, then the sun shines through giving a vision of frozen light.”
4. ‘Nardis’ – standard
“This has become one of my favourite standards since divorcing. It’s strong, emotional and groovy.”
5. ‘Peacocks’ – standard
“This piece has become one of my signature tunes, therefore we had to record it!”
6. ‘Windows’
“One of my favourite Chick Corea tunes.”
7. ‘Horn Dance’ – arrangement of a local morris dance
“Recorded at just under 170 bpm this slow horn dance has been given a twist! This is my all time favourite morris dance tune and my first memory of folk music.”
8. ‘Feed The Birds’
“Taken from Mary Poppins. One of my favourite films, but this song makes me feel sad in the film. So I
experimented with grooves, percussion and this is the result.”
9. ‘Breathing Out’ – original with lyrics by Ian Shaw
“Written as a big exhale, a letting go of struggles, a huge sigh of release.”
10. ‘Escape’ – original
“Hot vacation time! Feeling the heat of the sun and knowing it is going to be a fantastic holiday”.