Monocled Man, a British trio, features Rory Simmons (trumpets, production, keys), Chris Montague and Jon Scott (drums. electronics). The band was founded by Loop Collective trumpet player Simmons. Their debut album, Southern Drawl, was released on Whirlwind Recordings in 2011. Southern Drawl has a raw, stripped-down sound that is somewhere between Tiny Bell Trio or Chicago Underground Duo. The compositions were a bass-less trio consisting of guitar, trumpet, and drums. They layered propulsive through-composed melodies against both the beats and sound worlds in New York City and the quirkiness and contemporary British Jazz. The album was praised by critics with four-star reviews in The Guardian and Financial Times. Radio play was also received from BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC’s Late Junction. There was also a performance at the London Jazz Festival. The UK tour culminated with a performance at Jazz In The Round, as part of BBC Radio 3’s Jazz on 3 series. We Drift Meridian, their second album features Emilia Martensson (vocalist) and Ed Begley (vocalist). Rory recorded the album entirely in his home studio. It is a departure sonically as it uses wide electronic soundscapes, overdubs, and found sound samples. We Drift Meridian draws inspiration from the stories of people living on remote islands around the world. The ensemble has used the recorded elements to create a live version of the album which fully integrates both the electronic and acoustic elements. from www.whirlwindrecordings.com
