Piano 1


Piano 2


Hello


Face 1


In sea
"Something Else"

Album cover

  1. Action feat. Polly Gibbons
  2. Coolish
  3. Delicious Kiss feat. Celena Bain
  4. Don't Take Too Long feat. Bex Tindle
  5. Something Else
  6. Moonlight Blues feat. Polly Gibbons
  7. Size 8
  8. When Your Lover Leaves feat. Polly Gibbons
  9. Holiday
  10. Give Yourself a Chance feat. Tamiya B. Johnston







"Something Else": an eclectic and catchy mix of jazz, soul, funk and ballads   
featuring Polly Gibbons, Celena Bain, Bex Tindle and Tamiya B. Johnston  


Mark%20Lester
Quantcast

What you can hear

The first ten tracks are from the album SOMETHING ELSE - a collection of songs and instrumentals featuring some of the finest jazz (and classical) musicians working in the UK today, plus four excellent singers: Polly Gibbons, young jazz and soul diva extraordinaire who is attracting rave reviews, leads on three of the songs, while three other very individual singers take a song each: Celena Bain, Bex Tindle and Tamiya B. Johnston.  

Read on for more about the album and personnel, and check out the Links page too.

There are also some short pieces not from the album - not professionally recorded but they give an idea of some of the other stuff I do.

How to buy

You can download the whole album, or individual songs, from iTunes here.

You you can buy the CD for £10 from Ray's Jazz Shop at the London's famous Foyles bookshop, 113-119 Charing Cross Road London WC2H 0EB (click here for map).  In the heart of the buzzing tourist Mecca that is London's West End, Ray's is a jazz haven that's well worth visiting both to browse the huge and unique collection of jazz CDs and to enjoy the delicious food and drink at the cafe, as well as regular live performances.

You can also buy the CD direct from me.  Contact me by email.


Not the liner notes

The following might have been the liner notes for the album, if they'd been written in time . . . 

 
Composer and producer Mark Lester isn't too keen on being pigeonholed. "When people ask, what kind of music do you write, I never know what to say". Not because there's nothing to be said about it, but because he prefers to spread his net fairly wide through the world of musical ideas. Jazz, soul, pop, classical, cabaret (he sings as well but not on this album) and assorted world influences are taken on board. It's not dabbling or pastiche, it's all meant and it's all good. And he can write a catchy tune.

This album reflects a part of that diversity. Not only is it a mix of vocal and instrumental tracks (the vocal tracks featuring four different singers), it covers a fairly wide spectrum of styles. From the driving soul of Action to the dreaminess of Delicious Kiss to the lyrical sadness of Don't Take Too Long to the feelgood danceability of Holiday to the spacious jazz-funk (with surprise touches) of Something Else - you never know quite what to expect. Some might consider it daring to include, say, Give Yourself a Chance and Size 8 on the same record, but it works - it still makes a unity, because of the excellent musicianship and commitment of the artists, the quality of the writing, and something indefinable. And because you come away humming the tunes.

The musicians are among the best players around. If drums can soar, modern bop star Dylan Howe's certainly do. Dave Chamberlain works wonders on some fiendish basslines. Denny Ilett's lyrical and apparently effortless improvisations tell a story with every solo, while Steve Rubie's uplifting flute, John Anderson's beautiful oboe tones and the two swinging saxes add further excitement.

The vocal tracks feature four of the best up and coming singers in the UK. Polly Gibbons grabs a song by the scruff of the neck and shakes soul into it, making it her own like the jazz diva she is - hear her on Action, When Your Lover Leaves and Moonlight Blues. Celena Bain's silky voice soothes us in the dreamy but uplifting Delicious Kiss. Bex Tindle's pure tones bring a heartfelt vulnerability to Don't Take Too Long, and Tamiya B. Johnston's ice-cool but very human sound helps make Give Yourself a Chance so affecting (and add a special touch to the title track).

Something else, indeed.

All songs: words and music by Mark Lester except Delicious Kiss (words by Mark Lester and Lisa Sevell, music by Mark Lester)

Vocals: Polly Gibbons, Celena Bain, Bex Tindle, Tamiya B. Johnston. Drums: Dylan Howe. Double and electric bass: David Chamberlain. Guitar: Denny Ilett. Flute: Steve Rubie. Tenor sax: Julian Webster-Greaves. Alto sax: Aaron Liddard. Oboe: John Anderson. Piano and keyboards: Mark Lester. Produced by Mark Lester. Engineered by Tim Burns and Justin Underhill. Mixed by Tim Burns at the Cowshed, London. Mastered by James Hewgill.

Watch for updates