AARON IRWIN - Ordinary Lives
Fresh Sounds New Talent – FSNT442
Aaron Irwin (alto sax) Danny Fox (piano/Rhodes) Sebastian Noelle (guitar) Thomas Kneeland (bass) Greg Ritchie (drums) Recorded Brooklyn, New York May 23rd and 24th 2013
Aaron Irwin is a New York based thirty something saxophonist and composer who in this album, his second for Fresh Sound New Talent, displays a depth of expression and a command of technique that is equal to that of any contemporary headliner you care to name. Honed through exposure to the fertile NYC musical environment , probably the most competitive jazz arts forcing house on the planet, he plays his well crafted compositions with a mature command of technique and eloquence of expression that is a delight to the ear.
The music, all original compositions, is suffused with nostalgia for timeless American themes in that it is lyrical with a gentle folk rock and country music feel, touches of revivalist hymnody and gentle melancholic yearnings for some long lost golden age plus an awareness of the best elements of the contemporary scene. The emphasis is on melody but without falling prey to populist banality or vulgarity and every note is delivered with a finesse that speaks highly of the aesthetic sensibilities of all concerned.
Irwin’s sound is pure and vibrato less contrasting effectively with the more pungent folk –rock sonorities of Noelle’s guitar, lifted up on the plangent harmonies laid down by keyboardist, Fox and propelled by the finely nuanced interaction of bass and drums. `Ordinary Lives` is anything but mundane and a superlative example of modern jazz that has gone beyond the need to impress through `shock and awe` effects and simply aims to communicate with respect and reverence the manifold musical influences that inevitably bear down on the consciousness of any young musician drawing inspiration from the palette of sounds discernible to the intelligent ear. A beautiful recital of flawless music.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
Fresh Sounds New Talent – FSNT442
Aaron Irwin (alto sax) Danny Fox (piano/Rhodes) Sebastian Noelle (guitar) Thomas Kneeland (bass) Greg Ritchie (drums) Recorded Brooklyn, New York May 23rd and 24th 2013
Aaron Irwin is a New York based thirty something saxophonist and composer who in this album, his second for Fresh Sound New Talent, displays a depth of expression and a command of technique that is equal to that of any contemporary headliner you care to name. Honed through exposure to the fertile NYC musical environment , probably the most competitive jazz arts forcing house on the planet, he plays his well crafted compositions with a mature command of technique and eloquence of expression that is a delight to the ear.
The music, all original compositions, is suffused with nostalgia for timeless American themes in that it is lyrical with a gentle folk rock and country music feel, touches of revivalist hymnody and gentle melancholic yearnings for some long lost golden age plus an awareness of the best elements of the contemporary scene. The emphasis is on melody but without falling prey to populist banality or vulgarity and every note is delivered with a finesse that speaks highly of the aesthetic sensibilities of all concerned.
Irwin’s sound is pure and vibrato less contrasting effectively with the more pungent folk –rock sonorities of Noelle’s guitar, lifted up on the plangent harmonies laid down by keyboardist, Fox and propelled by the finely nuanced interaction of bass and drums. `Ordinary Lives` is anything but mundane and a superlative example of modern jazz that has gone beyond the need to impress through `shock and awe` effects and simply aims to communicate with respect and reverence the manifold musical influences that inevitably bear down on the consciousness of any young musician drawing inspiration from the palette of sounds discernible to the intelligent ear. A beautiful recital of flawless music.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
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