Peter Johnstone: ‘Resistance is Futile’

The title track on ‘Resistance is Futile’ creates a frenetic energy that ably demonstrates Peter Johnstone’s capabilities on keyboards with an inspired focus on Hammond Organ. There’s a reason for his 2012 win as BBC Young Scottish Jazz Musician of the Year and he has chosen to form his International Organ Quintet with an impressive line-up that is part of Scottish jazz’s meteoric rise in glory.

Johnstone is joined from the US by Joe Locke (vibes) and by Scottish greats Tommy Smith (sax) and Alyn Cosker (drums). Coming together in 2023, the quartet offers blistering renditions of the leader’s compositions. He says: “I wanted to give Joe, Tommy and Alyn music that they would find interesting to play and that would allow them to open up and express themselves within each piece’s form. I also looked for a variety of moods and rhythms, so that we could capture the energy that these musicians bring to the group in spades as well as focusing on their more reflective side.”

The groove continues with New Beginnings, where Johnstone’s organ, Smith’s sax and Locke’s vibes weave in and out of each other, belying the brevity of the quartet’s existence.

By the time the album reaches the heart-rending ballad When You Were Born, there is a genuine futility in resistance. Johnstone’s composition and playing comes together and spreads across the ensemble, with both Smith’s sax and Locke’s vibes offering controlled but similarly heart-felt performances.

Cosker’s drum opening to the final track on Resistance is Futile sets the frantic tone for a tune that takes the quartet to the next level right up to the final ending. The Four Horsemen has none of the apocalyptic sense that might be expected, but each of Johnstone’s quartet combines excellence that is both individual and collective.