ALAN BROADBENT - Developing Story
Eden River Records (Available as double LP, CD or download)
Alan Broadbent – piano, composing, arranging, conducting; Peter Erskine – drums; Harvie S – bass
London Metropolitan Orchestra
Recorded at Abbey Road on November 28th and 29th, 2015
Grammy winning pianist and composer Alan Broadbent is becoming somewhat of a ubiquitous (and most welcome) presence on the UK jazz scene. Hot on the heels of the superb Songbook album released earlier this year with London based vocalist, and now lyricist, Georgia Mancio comes another recording from Broadbent that pitches him with a piano trio and the London Metropolitan Orchestra in an album that brings the jazz and classical worlds together in the most sympathetic and compatible way imaginable.
This is a project that Broadbent has nurtured for some forty years, explaining that “Sometime in the late 70s the initial idea for Developing Story came to me in a complete phrase for woodwind soli, counterpoint and all. My problem was not quite knowing what to do with it. It wrote itself in response to a moment I’d had with the music of Mahler, but to imitate such a master would be the height of hubris (and impossible, anyway). Things slowly took shape when I realized that rather than getting an orchestra to play with jazz feeling (it’ll never happen, I’m afraid), I could present it with a jazz trio version of the idea and perhaps the orchestra could help me out with some nice chords. Then at some point the orchestra would seem to say, 'Yes, we get it. Now let us show you how we might express our thoughts on the matter', opposite sides of the same music, developing together, creating the story.“ And that is exactly what the composer has succeeded in doing.
Throughout, there is no sense of this being anything other than a thoroughly well thought out and written piece of work. When listening to the recording from start to finish, or at any point in between, does the listener think about genre. There is no thought of the classical leaning of the orchestra or the jazz vocabulary of the trio, all that is heard is the music... and beautiful music it is. Divided into two sections, the three parts of 'Developing Story' should be heard as one complete composition in three movements as opposed to individual compositions, with the orchestral arrangements of the jazz standards heard on the second part of the recording having a uniformity and unity of purpose and sit perfectly at home with the original work that precedes them.
The beginning of 'Developing Story - movement 1' starts with grand opening from the Orchestra before leading into a solo piano passage of sublime beauty, to be followed by some gentle orchestrations that lead to some wonderfully playful interplay between the strings, woodwinds and the trio; a pattern carefully emerging as the piece unfolds with a delicate and lyrical solo from Broadbent. As the piano solo increases the tension so does the Orchestra, introducing a darker hue to the movement before coming to a dramatic climax, and the quiet decaying notes of the piano reminding us of the journey travelled.
'Movement 2' immediately creates a different and more reflective picture, the emphasis on lyricism with the trio and Orchestra weaving a delicate fabric around the intimate melody. The third and concluding movement picks up the tempo, but retains the optimism that revealed itself, tentatively at first, in the preceding piece, becoming more vivacious and swinging as the composition progresses. The Orchestra and trio not so much trading or echoing phrases, but building them into a joyous and harmonious finale.
The second half of the set features two of Broadbent's original compositions sat between four pieces from the jazz repertoire, two beautiful pieces that encapsulate the art of writing a great tune, and in the pianist's hands arranging it in such a way a to enunciate each nuance and gesture. It is with the standards, however, that the Broadbent demonstrates his mastery as an orchestrator. In tackling Coltrane's 'Naima' the bold opening fanfare sounds initially somewhat strange yet so familiar hinting immediately at the well known tune to follow. He weaves the same magic on two pieces from Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue album, breathing something new and refreshing to music that I have come to know intimately from the original recording, yet making me question how well I really knew these pieces.
Developing Story is altogether a remarkable album. Broadbent does not seek to juxtapose the orchestra and the trio, nor does he endeavour to fuse the two disciplines, but instead finds a way for the Orchestra working from a clearly and concisely written score, and an improvising ensemble to work together without compromise to produce music that defies categorization. Not since Eddie Sauter's score for Stan Getz's Focus album has anyone written for a jazz soloist or small group that is as originally conceived, unhackneyed and as contemporary as this, and is recommended without reservation.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
Eden River Records (Available as double LP, CD or download)
Alan Broadbent – piano, composing, arranging, conducting; Peter Erskine – drums; Harvie S – bass
London Metropolitan Orchestra
Recorded at Abbey Road on November 28th and 29th, 2015
Grammy winning pianist and composer Alan Broadbent is becoming somewhat of a ubiquitous (and most welcome) presence on the UK jazz scene. Hot on the heels of the superb Songbook album released earlier this year with London based vocalist, and now lyricist, Georgia Mancio comes another recording from Broadbent that pitches him with a piano trio and the London Metropolitan Orchestra in an album that brings the jazz and classical worlds together in the most sympathetic and compatible way imaginable.
This is a project that Broadbent has nurtured for some forty years, explaining that “Sometime in the late 70s the initial idea for Developing Story came to me in a complete phrase for woodwind soli, counterpoint and all. My problem was not quite knowing what to do with it. It wrote itself in response to a moment I’d had with the music of Mahler, but to imitate such a master would be the height of hubris (and impossible, anyway). Things slowly took shape when I realized that rather than getting an orchestra to play with jazz feeling (it’ll never happen, I’m afraid), I could present it with a jazz trio version of the idea and perhaps the orchestra could help me out with some nice chords. Then at some point the orchestra would seem to say, 'Yes, we get it. Now let us show you how we might express our thoughts on the matter', opposite sides of the same music, developing together, creating the story.“ And that is exactly what the composer has succeeded in doing.
Throughout, there is no sense of this being anything other than a thoroughly well thought out and written piece of work. When listening to the recording from start to finish, or at any point in between, does the listener think about genre. There is no thought of the classical leaning of the orchestra or the jazz vocabulary of the trio, all that is heard is the music... and beautiful music it is. Divided into two sections, the three parts of 'Developing Story' should be heard as one complete composition in three movements as opposed to individual compositions, with the orchestral arrangements of the jazz standards heard on the second part of the recording having a uniformity and unity of purpose and sit perfectly at home with the original work that precedes them.
The beginning of 'Developing Story - movement 1' starts with grand opening from the Orchestra before leading into a solo piano passage of sublime beauty, to be followed by some gentle orchestrations that lead to some wonderfully playful interplay between the strings, woodwinds and the trio; a pattern carefully emerging as the piece unfolds with a delicate and lyrical solo from Broadbent. As the piano solo increases the tension so does the Orchestra, introducing a darker hue to the movement before coming to a dramatic climax, and the quiet decaying notes of the piano reminding us of the journey travelled.
'Movement 2' immediately creates a different and more reflective picture, the emphasis on lyricism with the trio and Orchestra weaving a delicate fabric around the intimate melody. The third and concluding movement picks up the tempo, but retains the optimism that revealed itself, tentatively at first, in the preceding piece, becoming more vivacious and swinging as the composition progresses. The Orchestra and trio not so much trading or echoing phrases, but building them into a joyous and harmonious finale.
The second half of the set features two of Broadbent's original compositions sat between four pieces from the jazz repertoire, two beautiful pieces that encapsulate the art of writing a great tune, and in the pianist's hands arranging it in such a way a to enunciate each nuance and gesture. It is with the standards, however, that the Broadbent demonstrates his mastery as an orchestrator. In tackling Coltrane's 'Naima' the bold opening fanfare sounds initially somewhat strange yet so familiar hinting immediately at the well known tune to follow. He weaves the same magic on two pieces from Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue album, breathing something new and refreshing to music that I have come to know intimately from the original recording, yet making me question how well I really knew these pieces.
Developing Story is altogether a remarkable album. Broadbent does not seek to juxtapose the orchestra and the trio, nor does he endeavour to fuse the two disciplines, but instead finds a way for the Orchestra working from a clearly and concisely written score, and an improvising ensemble to work together without compromise to produce music that defies categorization. Not since Eddie Sauter's score for Stan Getz's Focus album has anyone written for a jazz soloist or small group that is as originally conceived, unhackneyed and as contemporary as this, and is recommended without reservation.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
