James Allsopp Explores Cosmic Landscapes on Stars And Sand

James Allsopp, one of the UK’s most gifted saxophonists, returns with Stars And Sand, a richly cinematic and imagistic jazz album that stretches the boundaries of improvisation and storytelling through sound. Drawing on the adventurous spirit of free-jazz icons such as Eric Dolphy, John Coltrane, and Sun Ra, Allsopp blends ambient textures, psychedelic shading, and avant-garde sensibilities to craft a record that feels more like a journey through vivid sonic landscapes than a traditional jazz session.

Joining Allsopp on this exploration are alto saxophonist Steve Buckley, electric bassist Tom Herbert, and the emergent drummer Dave Storey, while co-producer Ben Lamdin (Nostalgia 77) adds dubwise textures, reverb-washed interludes, and a touch of psychedelia, elevating the quartet’s already immersive sound. Tracks like Yew shimmer with liquid horn dialogue and synth-like basslines, moving into ghostlike, reverberant passages that conjure supernatural atmospheres. The title track radiates exotic heat, Allsopp’s tenor sax and bass clarinet flowing endlessly, punctuated by moments of intense, focused expression.

On Slinky, distant thunderclaps and electric keyboard droplets create shifting weather across the sonic canvas, while Gravity channels turbulent storms through expressive, halting dialogues between instruments. Orugōru introduces hints of the oriental, with Buckley’s penny whistle fluttering high in Sun Ra–like exploratory flights over Allsopp’s grounding bass clarinet. The closing tracks, Tincture and Red Sky, guide listeners through subtle bossanova shades, dark abstractions, and luminous resolutions, encapsulating the album’s central vision: the stars, the sand, and the infinite space above.

Stars And Sand is an album of meticulous craft and inspired intuition, but for the listener, it is pure pleasure—a holiday for the mind, a cinematic journey that evokes color, drama, and the endless possibilities of sound.