On thinking of Manchester, The Smiths come to mind, and New Order, or Oasis, and usually not jazz. This is a mistake, as one can easily tell on listening GoGo Penguin. GoGo Penguin are a classical piano trio, which does not sound classical. So at this point maybe the Manchester we know then comes back to mind: the pieces by Chris Illingworth on piano, Nick Blacka on bass and Rob Turner on drums are almost hymn-like and percussive trip hop and breakbeat elements give the music a shimmering urgency. This is jazz with its doors wide open to all sorts of influences, to rave, rock and even new music. This also means that the piano is not dominant here; you sometimes even get the feeling that is it part of the band’s the rhythm section. It permits the young group, which got together a few years ago while studying in Manchester, to forceful, energetic playing. Electronic music on acoustic instruments, as a critic once wrote. This does not rule out occasional beguiling melodies pushing their way into the foreground. GoGo Penguin use their drive to allow complex ideas to sound playful. It is not without reason that they have been contracted by Blue Note.
