STAN SULZMANN / NIKKI ILES - Lush Life
Jellymould Jazz JM-JJ031
Stan Sulzmann (tenor saxophone); Nikki Iles (piano); Dave Holland (double bass)
Recorded September 2017
To celebrate his 70th birthday, and as a follow up to the marvellous Stardust set, also recorded for Jellymould Jazz, Stan Sulzmann again teams up with pianist, Nikki Iles for another set that skillfully combines original compositions and breathes new life into some well loved standards. As an added bonus, Sulzmann took the opportunity to expand the group to a trio with the addition of bassist, Dave Holland who fortuitously happened to be available for the date.
The addition of a third voice, Holland's contribution could never be relegated to simply that of an accompanist, transforms the music not to a higher plane but enhances and develops the relationship between saxophone and piano by supporting and offering alternate routes that can be taken through the course of each piece.
All three musicians have a strong sense of melody and rhythm, and the confidence in each other to let the music guide the overall performance. For much of the time the most important element in the song itself and the shape of the improvisations remain true to the melodies at hand, so much so that it never feels that anyone is soloing but rather that everything that is played is essential to the fabric of the material at that precise moment in time.
Sticking to tenor saxophone throughout, Sulzmann plays with his customary warm and pliable tone that seems to be able to switch between sorrow and joy in an instant. Just listen to the poignant playing of the theme on the opening 'You Don't Know What Love Is', a tried and tested standard that sounds anything but old and worn in the hands of the saxophonist.
Pianist, Nikki Iles is outstanding in her contribution to 'Between Moons' by the late great John Taylor. Her lines and accompaniment a constant joy and tug gently at the ear with an beautifully lyrical solo. Iles again shows her star quality on her own composition, 'Iris' which is dedicated to Irish writer and philosopher Iris Murdoch, and the piece reveals a further depth with the exemplary playing of Holland, and Sulzmann whose reading of the melody and subsequent solo brings out some of his best playing on the album.
Returning to standards, the trio play a heart wrenching 'The Night We Called It A Day' bringing a depth to Matt Dennis' tune that I had not previously found. The set closes with 'Lush Life' which has long been one of my favourite Strayhorn tunes, and one that the saxophonist advises that he been fascinated by this tune since the age of fifteen, but rarely got a chance to play. Well he got his chance here and certainly made the most of it, in a controlled yet emotionally charged rendition that avoids any hint of the over sentimental. This is pure lyricism and invention, and Iles and Holland are with the saxophonist all the way.
This is a long album with the nine numbers played clocking in at just over seventy three minutes, but in the hands of this trio time seems to at once seem suspended in the gentle tempo of the music, and yet passes quickly with the last notes fading all too soon.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
Jellymould Jazz JM-JJ031
Stan Sulzmann (tenor saxophone); Nikki Iles (piano); Dave Holland (double bass)
Recorded September 2017
To celebrate his 70th birthday, and as a follow up to the marvellous Stardust set, also recorded for Jellymould Jazz, Stan Sulzmann again teams up with pianist, Nikki Iles for another set that skillfully combines original compositions and breathes new life into some well loved standards. As an added bonus, Sulzmann took the opportunity to expand the group to a trio with the addition of bassist, Dave Holland who fortuitously happened to be available for the date.
The addition of a third voice, Holland's contribution could never be relegated to simply that of an accompanist, transforms the music not to a higher plane but enhances and develops the relationship between saxophone and piano by supporting and offering alternate routes that can be taken through the course of each piece.
All three musicians have a strong sense of melody and rhythm, and the confidence in each other to let the music guide the overall performance. For much of the time the most important element in the song itself and the shape of the improvisations remain true to the melodies at hand, so much so that it never feels that anyone is soloing but rather that everything that is played is essential to the fabric of the material at that precise moment in time.
Sticking to tenor saxophone throughout, Sulzmann plays with his customary warm and pliable tone that seems to be able to switch between sorrow and joy in an instant. Just listen to the poignant playing of the theme on the opening 'You Don't Know What Love Is', a tried and tested standard that sounds anything but old and worn in the hands of the saxophonist.
Pianist, Nikki Iles is outstanding in her contribution to 'Between Moons' by the late great John Taylor. Her lines and accompaniment a constant joy and tug gently at the ear with an beautifully lyrical solo. Iles again shows her star quality on her own composition, 'Iris' which is dedicated to Irish writer and philosopher Iris Murdoch, and the piece reveals a further depth with the exemplary playing of Holland, and Sulzmann whose reading of the melody and subsequent solo brings out some of his best playing on the album.
Returning to standards, the trio play a heart wrenching 'The Night We Called It A Day' bringing a depth to Matt Dennis' tune that I had not previously found. The set closes with 'Lush Life' which has long been one of my favourite Strayhorn tunes, and one that the saxophonist advises that he been fascinated by this tune since the age of fifteen, but rarely got a chance to play. Well he got his chance here and certainly made the most of it, in a controlled yet emotionally charged rendition that avoids any hint of the over sentimental. This is pure lyricism and invention, and Iles and Holland are with the saxophonist all the way.
This is a long album with the nine numbers played clocking in at just over seventy three minutes, but in the hands of this trio time seems to at once seem suspended in the gentle tempo of the music, and yet passes quickly with the last notes fading all too soon.
Reviewed by Nick Lea