Another New Horizon

Kevin Mackenzie is one of Scotland's most in demand musicians with projects ranging from Trio AAB and the Scottish Guitar Quartet to the Finlay Macdonald Band and Jenna Reid. He has toured all over the world and has recorded on over 40 albums. His groups have been featured along side guitarist Robben Fords power trio, Bob Berg and Mike Stern, the Crusaders and Seminal Jazz figure Ornette Coleman. In 2001 Kevin received the prestigious 'Creative Scotland Award', which he used to write and record music for his nine-piece band 'Kevin Mackenzie's Vital Signs'. The CD was well received and gathered great reviews including album of the month in The Observer and CD of the week in The Guardian. Some musicians he has performed with include Boris Koslow, Pete King, Benny Carter, Kenny Wheeler, Tommy Smith, Joe Locke, Bobby Wellins, Jim Mullen, David Berkman, Reid Anderson, Ari Hoenig,Pettre Wettre, Jenna Reid, Alyth McCormack, John McCusker, Fiddlers Bid, Marie Fielding, Maggie Macinness, Sunhoney, Finlay Macdonald Band, Keep It Up, Karen Tweed, Brian Finegan, Gino Lupari and many Others. quot;an international-class jazz playerquot; The Herald 'It's hard to overstate the ferment of creativity seething between jazz and folk in Scotland right now - but this album captures it in virtually all it's glory. Whether it's the jaggy Balkan-esque rhythms of Lost Again or the nostalgic waltz-time cadences of Last Night; the gradually dawning serenity and wonderment of By Myself or the cocky funk of I Saw U, this is music of tremendous authority and vision. It's also a whole heap of fun, constantly active and alive yet never overly busy, and teeming with excellent solos.' The Herald 30 May 2004 'With Another New Horizon, a project for a jazz sextet with folk fiddle and accordion, Mackenzie demonstrates a composer's ear and vision that equals his improvising skills ' The Guardian 'Another New Horizon is an excellent example of what's going on north of the border. The sound is fresh, flattening genre distinctions with it's undaunted resourcefulness and demanding attention with it's energy and attachment to melody. Two fiddles keep a foot in Celtic music but two saxes and a jazz rhythm section provide a balance between self-possession and friskiness. Melodies dance to irrepressible inner rhythms as two genres of music fuse with an improbable seamlessness that manages to shift something primal within - the urge to dance maybe? And that's the secret. The music speaks of life and living, that's why it's an album that's going to be around when a lot of stuff that's come out these past 18 months ends up in the far reaches of your music collection, down there with the old Chipmunks albums.' The Observer 2004.