Let's face it, despite all its history, the myths and legends that surround its most famous exponents, the black and white photos, the recordings, the movies, even, the saxophone wasn't most contemporary music-makers idea of fun in the early nineties.Chris Bowden could easily have stayed one of the unsung backroom musicians of the British scene - a fine sax player, a talented and knowledgeable arranger and composer. He could have been a straight-up UK jazz man playing in tiny clubs to 30 or 40 devotees.He chose neither route.Chris Bowden chose to make 'jazz' that was as contemporary and relevant as sampled, sequenced music. He chose to ignore obscurity, but to give Kenny G the finger, too. In 1996 he released 'Time Capsule' (Soul Jazz) to immense critical acclaim and general appreciation. Space jazz with the rigour of a classicist, by turns forbidding and kitsch, a superb mood piece rather than just a succession of tunes, it established that Bowden was a huge talent inhis own right.Of course many people (mainly the people he had worked with, or those who read record sleeve credits carefully) already knew that. Bowden had started his professional career in the heart of the acid jazz boom playing sessions and shows for Talking Loud's K-Creative. He had continued to work with Simon Richmond (Palm Skin Productions) on Mo' Wax. He had also contributed arrangements and playing for Jessica Lauren (Soul Jazz) and Jhelisa Anderson (Dorado), contributing a distinctiveness to all these projects that would only be recognised as his in retrospect.After 'Time Capsule' came out, he also played a large part in helping 4Hero develop the more organic, jazz-soul take on drum & bass that made up the first half of their "2 Pages" album. He wrote the music, arranged the strings and played sax on their "Hero" single, performing with them at live shows too. Also Chris MD'd and performed for American jazz legends James Mason, who was touring music from his Rhythm of Life album, and Doug Karn, with a set compiled from his Black Jazz Records catalogue.It was through his long association with The Herbaliser that Bowden came into contact with Ninja Tune and his second long player quickly followed. Slightly Askew picked up from where his debut LP left. The trademark sonic sculptures were there developing over four epic studies in harmony and counterpoint that led to the highest praise.The album became synonymous with the future jazz movement and propelled his status further leading to three BBC Jazz Award nominations and sell out performances at the internationally acclaimed Cheltenham Jazz Festival, London's Jazz Café and Cargo. He continued to collaborate and diversify with a landmark fusion of epic proportions with the 45 piece Heritage Orchestra. This project would take his repertoire to a new audience with appearances at The Barbican Centre, the Montreaux Jazz Festival, the Big Chill Festival and his hometown CBSO Centre.It was during this period that Bowden linked up with singer songwriter Mike Gates to form the exploratory guitar and sax led Scorched Earth, producing the dark, brooding album Resistance to the passage of sound.After a revelatory period of self-discovery he was asked to contribute to the commemorative remix album marking the anniversary of Serge Gainsbourg's passing for Universal Jazz France. It was here he re-found his love of the small ensemble. This is encapsulated on his trio recordings with The Tomorrow Band; 3 to Get Ready is telescopic turned microscopic, a reinvention of his influences and an interpretation of classic repertoire with bassist Ben Markland and drummer Neil Bullock. Here we see the work of Cannonball Adderley, Miles Davis and Ornette Coleman amongst other giants, stripped to the bare bones in an LP that is very lean and very, very m
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