Music / Interviews
‘Bigger, louder, bolder’ – Ishmael Ensemble on their new sound and Bristol’s creative streak
While many and various musical styles, genres and scenes feel at home in Bristol, there’s one that undeniably put the city on the map in recent years. A clutch of acts loosely falling under the ‘new jazz’ umbrella made music-heads beyond the city walls sit up and take notice.
At a time when London artists like Mercury winners Ezra Collective were offering up a fresh new take on jazz, a scene was brewing in Bristol that matched the energy, experimentalism and dynamic talent of that in the capital.
Waldo’s Gift honed their craft with wild improvised sessions at The Gallimaufry, Snazzback undertook ‘strictly impromptu street jams’, Run Logan Run’s combination of ‘surging polyrhythms and screaming guttural saxophone’ took them all the way to Montreux Jazz Festival and Worm Discs captured the scene with the New Horizons: A Bristol ‘Jazz’ Sound compilation.
is needed now More than ever
And then there’s Ishmael Ensemble. Led by saxophonist Pete Cunningham, the cutting-edge collective explore the length and breadth of ‘jazz-not-jazz’ while bathing in the influence of Bristol’s long musical history – as worn so loudly and proudly on the sleeve of LP State of Flow.
The band have gained widespread critical acclaim and devoted fans alike, not least from their stellar 2022 performance, featuring vocalist Holysseus Fly, on Glastonbury’s ‘outernational rhythm hub’ West Holts; and their third album – Rituals, released in September on their own label Severn Songs – landed in the charts at number 35. A more experimental record this time round, it fuses sonic landscapes with alt-pop elements and a tight core of electronic dance.
As they prepare for their biggest home turf gig to date – hitting SWX on October 24 – Bristol24/7 asked Pete to tell us more.
Holly Wellington, Ishmael’s vocalist, and Pete Cunningham sign copies of their latest album, Rituals, in Rough Trade – photo: Pete Cunningham
What’s the story of Rituals? Does Bristol feed into the album’s sound this time around?
“It’s hard not to feel the influence of the city to be honest. There’s obviously the old classics from the ‘Bristol sound’ era but I feel like the city is going through an incredible period of creativity at the moment – you only have to go to Strange Brew or the Galli on any given night to see there’s something special going on.
“Our last album was very much about capturing a snapshot of that scene with loads of different collaborators, guest vocalists and musicians. Rituals, however, is much more about the five of us as a more traditional ‘band’. Touring bigger venues and festival stages has allowed us to lean into the wider spectrum of sound, bigger and louder sonic landscapes and bolder arrangements, something that I really wanted to capture on the new record.
“I think it also plays to our strengths more than anything else we’ve released. Rory is a heavy drummer so we didn’t shy away from exaggerating that in the mix, and Mullins has a ridiculous amount of pedals and techniques that can make his guitar sound otherworldly, making for a really interesting palette of sounds to play with.
“I also cast the net out wider in terms of influences, drawing from the euphoria of discovering dance music as a young raver and the heavier guitar music like Mogwai or Sunn O))) I’ve always had a soft spot for.”
The band performed on Glastonbury’s West Holts, one of the biggest stages at the festival – formerly the Jazz World stage – in 2022 – photo: Ishmael Ensemble
What’s the band’s process in recording an album like this?
“It was much more about the five of us getting in the room this time round. Previous releases have very much been me at the controls bringing in different vocalists or musicians where I see fit, but the success of the last album and the post-Covid climate of touring again found the five of us performing a whole load of shows much more like a traditional band.
“Partly due to the logistics of taking a large ensemble of guests with us alongside the ever-increasing costs of touring, we had to work out how best to represent the wide variety of sounds found on Visions Of Light which pushed us as musicians to be dynamic and creative with our instruments: the result was the perfect sonic template to draw from.
“With these parameters set, we just needed a space to experiment – that came in the form of a completely ridiculous and unexpected offer to spend a week at a residential studio in Mexico in 2023 and the rest, as they say, is history…”
The album became a process of capturing the band’s new-found way of working as a tight unit, honed through years of touring together – photo: @guigliotto
What sort of reception have you had to Rituals?
“It’s been amazing; the most unexpected turn of events was breaking into the UK charts, which to be honest wasn’t even a consideration let alone a goal of ours.
“It’s also been so nice to get out on the road and see the new music connecting – it’s much more electronic than previous releases and there was a fear we may lose some of the OG fans but, at least to our face, everyone’s really been digging it.
“We’d much rather look back and feel we’ve released an interesting and varied collection of records than just done the ‘jazz’ thing or made music to please others. So to know that people are here for it only fills us with energy and ambition to continue experimenting and doing what we love.”
Vocalist Holly Wellington contributes alot to the band’s sound and is also forging her own solo career, as Holysseus Fly – photo: @sxphiepoc_
What can Bristol fans expect from the live show you’re touring from October?
“I feel we’ve really developed something special on stage and that’s where all these new sounds come from – leaning into what makes us individually excited and hungry to play.
“There’s the big walls of sound people will know if they’ve seen us before but also more delicate reflective moments, not least for myself, as I take to lead vocals on a fair track.
“All in all we’re just having loads of fun and I hope that comes across. We’ve built some elongated dancier bits where we can all jam out and go wild.”
Any local acts you would like to recommend?
“Another beautiful thing from the success of the last album has been the ability to expand our label Severn Songs. We’ve been slowly releasing music from various friends over the last year or so but are starting to really ramp things up this year and into next.
“We’re releasing the new Waldo’s Gift album in January which is phenomenal, as well as an amazing collaborative EP of reworks that t l k has put together. There’s also new solo Holysseus Fly stuff in the pipeline and a few other exciting projects.
“Outside of our orbit I’ve been loving everything Tara Clerkin Trio have released, it’s really refreshing and unique. There’s also great stuff bubbling at the Galli, Deems Experiment, James Storm and Tianna. It’s certainly an exciting time to be in the city.”
Buy tickets to the Ishmael Ensemble show at SWX on October 24 here: swxbristol.com/events/ishmael-ensemble
Main image: @giugliotto
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