Chaos Orchestra: Island Mentality

The album's cover is silly – Ireland is depicted as an island of leprechauns, potatoes, and pigs. But in fact the Chaos Orchestra is actually a sophisticated, forward-looking, large ensemble containing some of the most promising young musicians on the UK scene, among them Dublin vocalist Lauren Kinsella. The group's founder and principal composer is up-and-coming trumpeter Laura Jurd, who directs the band through a collection of her own excellent compositions, from raucous Mingus-esque swingers to funky downtown groovers to infectious township jive. There are notable contributions from band members Simon Marsh and Alex Roth, and a guest appearance from Mark Lockheart, saxophonist with the influential 1980s big band Loose Tubes, whose anarchic spirit casts a long shadow over proceedings. chaosorchestra.com