Album review: Newt: 2 feat. Silke Eberhard
THIS exciting disc has been available directly from the band since last summer, but now gets a welcome national release to coincide with their recent tour. This is NeWt's second disc, and for it the Edinburgh-based trio of trombonist Chris Greive, guitarist Graeme Stephen and drummer Chris Wallace were joined by German alto saxophonist and clarinetist Silke Eberhard. The addition of her instruments and considerable improvising skills – in both free and more structured contexts – considerably enlarges the scope and sound of their music. Already a powerful and original outfit in the trio format, they make excellent use of the expanded possibilities here. Greive, Stephen and Wallace all provide compositions, liberally interspersed with bouts of fiery free improvisation, and the electronic effects through trombone and guitar add further layers of sonic and musical intrigue to their inventive and exciting music.