Exposé Online banner

Exposé Online

Not just outside the box, but denying the existence of boxes.
Covering music from the fringes since 1993.

Reviews

Johnny Hunter — Now It Can Be Told
(Discus Music 195CD, 2025, CD / DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2025-08-07

Now It Can Be Told Cover art

Johnny Hunter is a British drummer and composer, active on the avant jazz scene for about a dozen years now, and a regular on many recordings on Discus music. He leads the Johnny Hunter Quartet, though I first became aware of him as a member of the Ron Caines / Martin Archer Axis on their 2024 release Practical Dreamers. With this latest release, Now It Can Be Told, Hunter is joined by Dee Byrne (alto sax), Chris Sharkey (guitar), and Michael Bardon (bass guitar), with Anton Hunter offering some additional guitar on the album’s final track. Make no mistake, this is a 55 minute continuum of all-electric heavy jazz improvisation, split into four long tracks mostly for convenience: “Now It Can Be Told” parts I, II, III and IV. But don’t be fooled by the opening — after fourteen minutes of heavy wailing on part I, it suddenly gets very quiet with a percussion and bass duet, only to pick up with all of the other players again after a few minutes and conclude this monstrous 26-minute opener. All of the players turn in some amazing performances throughout, getting completely airborne at times. As far as what parts are composed and what remains for improvisational interpretation, one can hear some recurring themes that the group returns to periodically, before jumping off into the abyss again and finding their way through some edgy countercurrents, seemingly all by design. Parts III and IV are essentially a single track with no break titled “Now It Can Be Told - Part lll / Part lV: Little One (remix by Nor Hate Thy Nun),” although it seems just as wild and crazy as the rest, with the additional guitars and electronics adding plenty of glorious punch and beautiful chaos in that closing section, topped off with a memorable alto sax solo. A wonderful journey beginning to end.

Filed under: New releases, 2025 releases

Related artist(s): Johnny Hunter

More info
http://discusmusic.bandcamp.com/album/now-it-can-be-told-195cd-2025

 

What's new

These are the most recent changes made to artists, releases, and articles.