Pointless Beauty

"A wonderful album, full of surprises, beautifully played and arranged. Original and well thought through this surely deserves wide recognition" - Claire Martin, OBE

"A beautiful CD…Seven titles superbly played by five consummate musicians…A wonderful album" - Keith & Julie Tippett

"An amazing album… A joyous and melodic collection of original pieces, and I do mean original!" - Ant Law

The music is a mature lovely jazz fusion with slices of eastern and jazz rock in a very strong ECM vein, although the seven tunes range from a congruency not unlike Pat Metheny, Mark Isham, Kenny Wheeler, Dave Holland, and Enrico Rava, to name just a few. - Art Rockin' Magazine 

ethereal bliss... a filmscore to the movie inside your head... - Some Diurnal Awe Magazine

"A beautiful mix of sonics and styles that ties together really well. Beautiful playing and writing and love the production and mix” – Chris Nickolls (KMODO / Toy Rokit)

"You captured humour, melancholy, happy… so much emotion. And imagery! Rockpool! Amazing. Loved Spring Cleaning, After and Before.. poignant for me heading back to Devon from Bristol. I really enjoyed it all.” – Becky Brine
 
“That’s the very cool thing-I wasn’t sure what to expect. I love it. It’s like a vivid and evocative journey where the listener is absolutely present alongside this unpredictable and fabulous music. The moods vary between strong and colourful, to distant and vulnerable with everything else weaving in between that spectrum. “ – Rachel Strange

“I’ve gone through all the tracks and came to one conclusion ! I love it, all of it. Well written, well played and I like the dreamy quality of the production.” – Paul Tongs

“This is a truly amazing new album – mind blowingly good” – Laura Wright

“Before I fall asleep I am in that space between sleeping and awake. There is a dreamspace in-between but its not in deep sleep. I’m floating high…and travelling over the different countries, I can hear tones of their music in the distance, Spain…Mali…..then the resonance has made me go beyond the atmosphere, I didn’t realise it until I opened my eyes and found myself in space! Now the sounds of the earth and the space around it…intermingles and I become one with the sound.” – Evie Em-jay

"Transports you like a prog concept album, though it’s not prog. Creates a dreamlike state, where focus is suddenly brought back by the high caliber of playing, composition and great solos. Moody yet light and joyous at times.“ – Jesse Molins

“… feeling like leaving a remark to the After&Before album which I gladly have in my collection. I don´t know what it is but I find myself very often returning to listening to track 07 “After&Before” in loop mode, mostly at late eve/night time. Somehow the beauty is that I find a deeply satisfying emotional depression – if this exists at all – when listening to especially Mike´s soloparts and I very much like the reverb-clad piano upfront, too … never diminishing your bass playing at any time, of course. You have made a pre-release teaser of this track with some street and rain noises which got me completely and I still love that version, too. This is a beautiful track and I absolutely “feel” and very much like it. So very warm and yet quiet. Just wanted to let you know … I appreciate the whole album with the surprise of the title track being a real gem for me.” – Nils Maier

“Finally I come to put fingers to keys!! to comment on your wonderful album “Pointless Beauty” each musician creating his own masterpiece somewhere along the line. My favourite track I think was 2, (Sonhos Estranhos), but then I loved them all in their own ways. I am no musical expert but especially I just loved the beautiful jazz guitar, and the wonderful mellow tones and moods of the trumpet that just gave me shivers and took my breath away. The whole album just transported me to a beautiful place. There was nothing pointless about it. It was truly beautiful. Well done Al on your amazing creation, it’s something very special . XX” – Rhiannon Tree