TIMELINE | PRESS/straight no chaser

Review of Timeline's CD 'Know Hope' by Max Cole in 'Straight No Chaser' March 2003

Hold on to you hats - we all know jazz has it's roots in African rhythms, and Timeline go further than most. The core sextet of sax, keys/xylophone, guitar, bass drums, and percussion becomes a six piece drum machine, weaving rhythms from Ghana, Cameroon, Burkina Faso and Togo into a fishing net of dances. Each instrument swaps motifs and melodies between eachother creating a funky stew of improvised jazz and funky spirituals. The opening of the title track shares the same tone as "In a Silent Way", while other tracks like "Fractions" and "Universality" sound like the best bits from Quite Sane's "Short Stories". Just like Anthony Tidd, Timeline are very community focused, and run many courses and workshops in London as part of ther F-IRE group. Keep your eyes out for them Live and expect a feature in the next Chaser.