Hampshire & Foat

Combining elements of pastoral folk, cosmic jazz, and classical composition, British instrumental duo Hampshire & Foat made their debut in 2017 with the critically acclaimed Galaxies Like Grains of Sand, followed a year later by the dark-hued fairy tale album The Honeybear. The project of respected jazz pianist Greg Foat and multi-instrumentalist Warren Hampshire of Mercury-nominated indie rock band the Bees, the duo's combined talents put them in a distinctive sonic territory that often plays like a film score. The two friends began working together in an Edinburgh studio, where they employed members of their own previous projects along with jazz drummer Clark Tracey. The resulting album, the enchanting Galaxies Like Grains of Sand, was released in May 2017 by Scottish label Athens of the North. For their follow-up, the two headed to the Isle of Wight to compose material for a concept album about a fictional children's book called The Honeybear. Leaning more heavily toward experimental chamber folk than on Hampshire & Foat's debut, The Honeybear's ten tracks were meant to correspond with chapters of the imagined book and consisted of moody orchestrated arrangements that were melded with field recordings captured on the island. Following the album's February 2018 release, the duo immediately returned to work on a release meant to evoke the sounds of 1960s British library music and film soundtracks. Titled Nightshade: Library Music, Vol. 1, the collection appeared in the summer of that year. In 2019, Hampshire & Foat issued their fourth album, Saint Lawrence. It was captured on two sunny afternoons two years earlier. Recorded live sans overdubs, the album was cut in two churches situated in Saint Lawrence on the south coast of the Isle of Wight; it was mixed onto a vintage stereo Nagra IV-S reel to reel. The pair were joined by longtime musical partners Phil Achille and Eric Young and a cadre of local musicians in capturing the ambience of the churches and surrounding landscape. Tracks are named after local landmarks, secret beaches, and rural paths. ~ Timothy Monger