corto.alto – SOME SMALL FORTUNE

The last few years have been a whirlwind for Glasgow’s corto.alto, aka Liam Shortall. From jamming with friends in his flat to a Mercury Prize nomination and worldwide tours, his rise as an artist in the UK jazz scene has been mesmeric.

Alongside long-term bandmates Graham Costello and Fergus McCreadie, corto.alto peaked with a few of these aforementioned accolades after releasing 2023's Bad With Names. Now signed to the revered indie label Ninja Tune, their follow-up, SOME SMALL FORTUNE, faces more pressure than ever to meet expectations. Thankfully, Shortall lets the music do the talking.

Leading visually with its artwork collated from images from Shortall’s childhood, this collage-like approach is what binds together the album’s strikingly varied 15 tracks. THIEF pulses with the contrasting worlds of classical violins and glitchy electronic drums. OMNI continues the classical themes in more delicate fashion, featuring vocals from Glasgow’s Terra Kin, while the trombones, frenetic drums and sirens of DON’T LISTEN capture corto.alto’s magnetic live presence to the full.

Collaboration is also a core aspect of the album’s diversity. The highlight of this arrives on APRIL – a track that would easily feel at home on a Robert Glasper record – featuring luscious vocals from French-Senegalese artist anaiis, while GO (feat. Vector) stretches the boundaries further by leaning into reggaeton influences. Further highlights such as the incredibly cohesive PRAYED WE WOULD (feat. Oscar Jerome) and the Dijon-leaning SOMETHING (feat. BINA.) continue the collaborative spirit in style.

Other moments such as TEMPLE see Shortall lead the charge, utilising his own processed vocals alongside restless beats that encapsulate the album’s unpredictable twists and turns. NOBLEHILL makes for a virtuosic album closer. It features an astounding collaboration with fellow home talent, Jacob Alon, who vividly illustrates their vocal dexterity and poetic lyrical imagery: 'A stranger awake in your place / The sun wanes on Noblehill / I hear you still in every breeze / A language of rustling leaves…'

Dedicated, in Shortall’s words, to “memory, nostalgia and being grateful for what I have”, it's a rare thing to find an album of such vision from a young Scottish artist. And while he may be fortunate to have had opportunities in his career (such as attending the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland early on), SOME SMALL FORTUNE is ultimately testament to his dedication and unrivalled execution to follow his creative pursuits to the full.

Listen to: APRIL, NOBLEHILL