Hip Flask is an Australasian ensemble formed in the early 2000s by Kiwi saxophonist, Roger Manins. Their first album was recorded in 2001, but not released in New Zealand until 2005 (by Ode Records on the Manu Jazz label). The new recording, 2 (a title conceived with tongue firmly in cheek), features the same line-up of Australian jazz heavy-weights, with whom Roger obviously shares an enthusiastic love for blues-based jazz. Driven by killer grooves and an unapologetic love melody, 2 is an album that will appeal to a wide range of jazz aficionados.

“I have always been aware that a lot of jazz music doesn’t go down too well with the next-door neighbour. With Hip Flask (One) I wrote some real simple tunes, but got some real complicated musicians to play them. The focus of the music is the groove, and the blues, and I have endeavoured with this recording to create music that both the jazz lover and the next-door neighbour will enjoy.” – Roger ManinsRoger Manins recorded his first album, Hip Flask, in the ABC Studios in Sydney. Following it's 2005 release, Australian reviewer Peter Wockner described the album as an ‘ominous signal to the jazz world’, an album heralding the arrival of a musician of great integrity, virtuosity, and fidelity to the values that animate the highly expressive, perpetually evolving genre of jazz.

Hip Flask’s 2 is a vibrant set of self-penned blues-based compositions driven by killer-grooves and an unapologetic love melody. This is jazz of a high order, performed by musicians of exceptional skill and musicality, and an infectious sense of fun.

This double CD release features both Hip Flask albums.