Fire Hills is Olie Brice’s third album as a composer bandleader, following the critically acclaimed ‘Immune to Clockwork’ (Multi Kulti, 2014) and ‘Day After Day’ (Babel, 2017).  A double album, Brice’s compositions for improvisers are explored by two groups of the most exciting and creative musicians in the UK, all significant bandleaders themselves.

Fire Hills showcases two versions of a new phase in Brice’s music.  During 2021 – a year of covid lockdowns and greatly reduced gigging opportunities – Brice threw himself into researching and developing his approach to composition.  Transcribing the multi-horn writing of Julius Hemphill, studying Dolphy’s synthetic scale construction, and excitedly making connections between polyphonic writing in 15th century Dufay and 20th century Nono, Brice composed more music in that year than he had in his entire creative career beforehand.  As a grateful recipient of Arts Council England ‘Developing your Creative Practice’ he was able to develop this new direction  through workshopping ideas with different ensembles, as well as mentoring sessions/informal composition lessons with Ingrid Laubrock.

The title track - Fire Hills - appears in versions by both ensembles and marks the first composition of this new phase in Brice’s writing.  A commission for Jazz South, it was originally composed for a trio of double bass alto sax and trumpet. The other six pieces, mostly dedicated to Brice’s musical heroes, are all featured for the first time here. 

“one of the most interesting and satisfying bands on the current UK scene” – Richard Williams (writing about the Olie Brice Quintet)

“Brice makes the entire body of his bass sing. He has the ability to deliver a fractal line that is as purposeful as any by the great jazz bassists, but to do so within an entirely abstract setting” – Brian Morton, Point of Departure

“imaginative and adventurous” – London Jazz News