Redleaf
Hilary Geddes Quartet
Earshift Music
****1/2
Subtlety and understatement are the guiding stars here, where acoustic sounds contrast, unite and dance around each other within compositions that seem to evolve from small beginnings. Each musical episode consolidates, contrasts and, above all, builds on what has gone before in a series of sepia cameos that both stand on their own as compositions in their own right and come together in a unified album statement.
Hilary Geddes is a code-switcher who will be familiar to some from the visceral world of rock, as Shreddes, the lead guitarist of Sydney legends The Buoys (Sony), who toured the UK/Europe twice in 2025. However, her jazz chops are well consolidated and shine gloriously throughout this recording, conveying that she’s a special talent who lets you know she can really play without saying too much, being virtuosic without ever being showy or vulgar.
On her quartet’s sophomore record, she is well served by Max Alducca on bass, Matt Harris on piano, and Alexander Inman-Hislop on drums, whose sonic contributions to her contemporary compositions invigorate with their individual command of tone, originality and risk. Stand-out tracks include the opener, ‘After Rain’, with Geddes making impressive use of space and restraint, and the closer ‘Under Oaks Not Olives’, which displays her intent with this particular project, as there is much to admire throughout.
By Barry O’Sullivan