The Bristol-based band Gnarl has made a striking debut with their album ‘Emergence‘, showcasing a unique blend of stark, haunting, and penetrating music. At the heart of this album is an approach to improvisation that is daring, wild, and adventurous, yet sensitive and considered. The music features strong melodic compositions interspersed with dark, explorative, and organic group improvisations.

Gnarl is comprised of four highly trained jazz musicians who have been a staple on the Bristol music scene for years. This recording provided them with an opportunity to branch out into new territory, with purpose-written compositions designed to fully express the band’s collective and individual talents.

The album’s title, ‘Emergence’, reflects the open and explorative nature of their improvisation. Throughout the album, the band members are invited to improvise freely together, creating rich and complex textures with broad sonic contrasts. This unique approach allows each musician to contribute to the overall sound while maintaining their individual autonomy, responding dynamically to the evolving contributions of their bandmates. The result is an organic development of music, filled with unexpected shifts and rich contrasts.

The name ‘Gnarl’ itself speaks to the band’s artistic vision, emphasising the organic and human over the metric and mechanical. Their music reflects the rhythms of the heart, breathing, nature, and the broader rhythms of living beings and consciousness. This approach results in a sound that can be dark and complex in one moment and harmonious or majestic in the next, allowing space for a wide range of sonic qualities and contrasts.

‘Emergence’ also delves into the ‘gnarlier’ sounds of improvised music, often centring around dark melodies and harmonies with striking and dissonant improvisations. The music embraces the beauty of human imperfection, favouring the flow and unpredictability of human expression over rigid structures. Gnarl’s sound incorporates elements of jazz, free jazz, nu-jazz, jazz rock, and beat music, drawing influence from artists like Brad Mehldau, Mark Guiliana, and Wayne Shorter.

With ‘Emergence’, Gnarl has crafted an album that is both a bold exploration of improvisation and a celebration of the human experience, making a powerful statement in the world of contemporary jazz.