4:16am (45)

Hailing out from the heart of Glasgow, corto.alto is the moniker of multi-instrumentalist and producer Liam Shortall (yes, a pun on his last name). He started his sonic journey at a young age and was quickly immersed in music as a whole. He picked up the trombone and developed his jazz skills while absorbing the influence of big band, blues, and ska music frequently played in his family home.

After earning a well-deserved Mercury Prize nomination in 2024 for his debut Bad With Names, Liam graced the audience with a number of singles, one of which ended up being my favourite summer discoveries and one of the reasons I started our nu jazz / jazztronic playlist.

"4:16am (45)" takes you on a multi-dimensional journey, and while Liam gravitates around the improvisation energy of jazz, I appreciate that he incorporates elements from experimental jazz music, like the vocal chops, for example. It distantly reminds me of the early Shlohmo works, but with a unique and very corto.alto feel.