Earthen

Anning is an Australian bassist-composer who studied in New York, before performing alongside such legendary jazz players as saxophonist Joe Lovano and fellow bassist Charlie Haden. Returning to Melbourne in 2015, the last decade has seen award-winning Anning regularly lead his own groups, and become a much sought-after player for many ensembles, That included a three-year stint backing the iconic Australian Aboriginal singer-songwriter Archie Roach, prior to his passing in 2022. Dedicated to Archie, this release – Anning’s third with a septet – finds him borrowing a couple of Roach’s melody lines, but it’s mainly a reflective and well-composed jazz-based excursion. Encouraging his cohorts to share the spotlight, the most prominent players are veteran tenor saxophonist Julien Wilson on ‘Transitive States’, alto player Carl Mackey (‘Moonland’) and the emotive pianist Andrea Keller (‘Kicking, Not Screaming’). And the magnificent, slow-building ‘Eleventy Million (for Auggie Bruten)’ features some truly remarkable and delicate playing from trumpeter Mat Jodrell. Anning’s basslines are consistently creative, but it’s his intricate compositions, as well as his subtle production touch, which really shine. A worthy tribute to the memory of Archie Roach.