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“it’s an album that’s worth investing time in”

Manchester – based guitarist Stuart McCallum has risen to prominence in the Cinematic Orchestra, a group already known for its ambient jazz soundscapes. This is his third release as a headliner and the title Distilled is deliberately apt, as his approach to music-making hangs somewhere between jazz and electronica. Taking elements of contemporary dance music production, he builds up a yearning atmosphere of improvised guitar soloing. For some jazz listeners the result may be a bit taxing, weighed down by its very weightlessness. The emphasis on building soundscapes requires a listener’s patience, and while there are some straight-in highlights – such as ‘Hillcrest Pt 2′ and shades of Bill Frisell on opener ‘dR Doctor’ and elsewhere – the improvised pay-offs can take a while. That said it’s an album that’s worth investing time in. ‘Part 3′ stands out, taken from a festival piece written for John Surman.

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04/10/2011

Distilled is a beautifully atmospheric recording, the third album from Stuart McCallum, best known for his work with the Cinematic Orchestra. The Manchester-based guitarist/composer knows how to combine established and contemporary sounds, making them into music that is never less than fascinating and, at its best, a thing of breathtaking beauty.

Read more:
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=40308

You can finally buy the album….

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Distilled-Stuart-McCallum-Cinematic-Orchestra/dp/B005GY4AWE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317046679&sr=8-1

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/distilled/id458487734

Bonus tracks available digitally!

Hi, for all you jazz fans out there – there’s a 2 page interview with me about my new album ‘Distilled’ in this month’s Jazzwise.

I’ll be performing at the Purcell Rooms on the Southbank on November 19th to promote the release of my new album, ‘Distilled’. The line-up for the show is myself on guitar and laptop, Robin Mullarkey on the bass and Dave Walsh on the drums.

Just had confirmation of a Cinematic Orchestra gig in Sofia on December 17!

I’ll playing 2 solo shows in Norway in 2012. Feb 3 at Bla in Oslo and Feb 4 Bergen.