9th October 2026: The brand new album from Ferg Ireland: ‘Alive In London’ available for pre-order now in CD, DL and 180 gram LP…

The brand new album from bassist and composer Ferg Ireland is now available to pre order in CD, DL and vinyl, featuring Nathaniel Facey and James Maddren.

CD / DL / 180 gram LP

ABOUT THE ALBUM

The chordless trio is a noble tradition in jazz, offering an uncompromising freedom of expression to those bold enough to take on the mantle. It’s a challenge that Ferg Ireland clearly relishes. On this second outing with his trio, Ireland, one of the busiest bassists on the London scene, reunites him with his equally in-demand colleagues and co-creators Nathaniel Facey on alto saxophone and first-call stylistic omnivore James Maddren on drums.

Alive In London presents the band captured live at London’s Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho in front of a capacity crowd, with all the raw unfiltered energy and immediacy that are the hallmarks of master improvisors, All the songs bar two are Ferg’s originals and capture him exploring new avenues of creativity within the strict but paradoxically liberating confines of the format.  “I wasn’t interested in playing conventional linear solos, instead I wanted  to write bass parts that suggest and support harmony, using the whole bass as a compositional instrument. I’m definitely a harmony guy; you know, that’s one of the things that excites me the most.” The result is a set of tunes that explore a wide-ranging territory of different melodies, rhythms, and shades of emotional intensity, while still hanging together in a coherent unity of expression.

Each track on the album is presented just as it happened on the night. “James and Nathaniel have an assuredness that allows them to thrive in any situation,” says Ferg. Assuredness is to the fore on Nathaniel’s composition ‘Deep;’ it’s a punchy, assertive number that rejoices in the complexity masked in a deceptively straightforward sounding riff. By complete contrast, ‘Mally’s Tune’ was written for Ferg’s son and celebrates the joys of childhood with an uplifting calypso feel, complete with a familiar-sounding melodic reference to a much-loved family-oriented songwriter. ‘False Autumn’ leads off with a bass solo: “I was aiming to play compositionally, inspired by Jimmy Garrison’s features with Coltrane,” and develops into a free-ranging exploration over a familiar set of changes, which the players pull into new shapes.

In contrast again, the stately ‘Scottish Rose’ is a powerfully evocative lament, written by Ferg to celebrate his mother’s life as she approached her death, its delicate motif delivered with all the force of personal emotion. “I wrote the tune on the piano I found in the hospice in between being at my mother’s bedside for her final days.”  Charles Mingus provides the character motivation for ‘Underdogs,’ a swinging bebop blues that veers off into unexpected directions, showcasing the trio’s natural affinity for the tradition as well as their willingness to expand upon it. ‘Petrichor’ is written around a re-tuned bass to create a deep resonant stillness, with the title hinting at the link back to Coltrane’s ‘After The Rain,’ before ‘Seven Sisters’ breaks the spell and kicks the vibe upstairs with a gospel-flavored backbeat that also incorporates an odd-number time signature. ‘Prisoner Of Love’ is a lesser-known standard that the trio tear into with aplomb, and ‘Stay Broke” is a reprise of the tune that’s become the group’s signature, and a rousing up-tempo send-off to complete the trip. 

Alive In London is the sound of three utterly compatible musicians, rejoicing in the heritage of the music while unafraid to push hard against the boundaries “James and Nathaniel have exactly the same fire in their playing, and having that amount of intensity in a group that’s smaller makes the group feel bigger.” says Ferg. Delivered by three master musicians at the height of their powers, Alive In London moves from edge-of-the-seat intensity to solemn beauty and back, and commands and rewards the listeners’ attention at every moment.