‘Short Stories’ is the third album by ARQ, a renowned and widely celebrated jazz group led by bassist Alison Rayner. Their long list of accolades includes winning ‘Ensemble Of The Year’ award at the prestigious 2018 Parliamentary Jazz Awards and the People’s Vote for ‘Best Small Group’ at the 2018 British Jazz Awards.

ARQ’s music combines richly nuanced compositions, rhythmic interplay and folk-tinged melodies. Along with their love of improvisation, this creates a compelling and coherent whole, creating a strong sense of narrative and cinematic quality. ARQ are known for their vibrant, communicative performances, so remaining accessible and appealing to those who appreciate a range of genres.

As Rayner says: ‘My music is allegorical and I write songs without words about experiences, places and feelings. Short Stories was inspired by the sudden losses of three young people within close family and friends. Their stories were too short but through my music I want to celebrate the joy they brought to our lives.’

As the co-founder of artist development partnership ‘Blow The Fuse’, Rayner has promoted jazz events and touring, also producing records on Blow the Fuse Records. Blow the Fuse have played a crucial role in promoting women jazz musicians for over 30 years.

Rayner has played on around 30 albums and performed with artists such as American guitar legend Tal Farlow, New York jazz poet Jayne Cortez and UK players such as Jean Toussaint, Ian Shaw and John Etheridge.

Personnel: Alison Rayner (double bass), Diane McLoughlin (saxophones), Deirdre Cartwright (guitar), Steve Lodder (piano), Buster Birch (drums, percussion)