Tom Townsend’s new single is a fine piece of underappreciated art.

 

Jazz is one of those genres that doesn’t seem to get its fair share of interest. Perceived typically as being “too artsy” or “over-complicated and self-indulgent”, it’s becoming something of a musical niche resigned to the smokey backrooms of the musical world.

Fortunately for those bold enough to try someting different, Tom Townsend has just dropped a jazz masterclass in the form of new single Leave It Up To Me. At under four minutes in total, there’s not a lot of running time for Townsend to truly go over the top in musical self-indulgence. With this measure in place, the track stays the right side of gratuitous and becomes an enjoyable burst of infectious jazz fun.

When the result is this good, it’s a mystery why more artists don’t venture down this path.