BETTY ACCORSI QUARTET - Growing Roots
Betty Accorsi Music
Betty Accorsi (soprano saxophone, vocals); Daniel Hewson (piano); Andy Hamill (electric & double bass); Scott Macdonald (drums)
After impressing greatly with her quartet's debut album The Cutty Sark Suite, saxophonist Betty Accorsi is back with a new programme of original compositions, all inspired by her move to Brighton and photographs that she took of six of her favourite locations in the city.
Prior to her move to Brighton, the Italian born saxophonist studied classical saxophone, piano and composition at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatoire in Milan. She was also involved in a variety of different musical settings from a progressive rock band with who she toured and recorded, and also classical music and folk. Moving to London in 2018 she studied jazz saxophone and the following year moved courses and enrolled at Goldsmiths University of London where she completed her Master's degree. The time spent studying broadened her already wide and eclectic musical tastes that were wonderfully captured on the quartet's debut album, and on this new release are further developed in a set of exhilarating compositions.
Although she plays other members of the saxophone family, her instrument of choice is the soprano saxophone, and over the curse of the album coaxes a full sound across the whole range of the instrument. A notoriously difficult beast to master Accorsi does so with aplomb, and her ability to switch from the upper register to the lower brings a heightened sense of form and drama. Often one is drawn into her sound in the upper register as on 'King Arthur' with the hint of medieval folk music in the melody, and the gently ebullient rhythm and lyricism of 'Lively House' only then to be shaken up by her lower register motif on the funky and groove driven 'Blue Wave'' And just when you think that the groove is the basis for the composition there is an abrupt change of pace as the music subside to a gentle tempo for Betty's reflective vocal and soprano solo. Pianist, Daniel Hewson also gets in a fine solo that builds wonderfully to a climax to bring Betty back in on vocals.
It is this variety in the repertoire, that still manages to sound as a cohesive whole, that makes the recording such a compelling listen. The swing section for example on 'Looking At The Horizon', and the joyous "hot jazz" soprano solo that follows comes as quite a surprise, as is the lovely introduction to 'Like A Tree' from the rhythm section before we hear Betty's vocals in a delicately descriptive lyric which is then followed by an equally descriptive and emotive saxophone solo on this wonderful ballad.
In a short space of time, Betty Accorsi has staked her claim as a talent to listen out for, and done so by forging a quartet that is distinctive and able to interpret her constantly shifting compositions while retaining a core sound for the group that will only get stronger in the fullness of time. In the meantime, Growing Roots is a fine place to make your acquaintance with Betty Accorsi and her exceptional quartet.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
Betty Accorsi Music
Betty Accorsi (soprano saxophone, vocals); Daniel Hewson (piano); Andy Hamill (electric & double bass); Scott Macdonald (drums)
After impressing greatly with her quartet's debut album The Cutty Sark Suite, saxophonist Betty Accorsi is back with a new programme of original compositions, all inspired by her move to Brighton and photographs that she took of six of her favourite locations in the city.
Prior to her move to Brighton, the Italian born saxophonist studied classical saxophone, piano and composition at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatoire in Milan. She was also involved in a variety of different musical settings from a progressive rock band with who she toured and recorded, and also classical music and folk. Moving to London in 2018 she studied jazz saxophone and the following year moved courses and enrolled at Goldsmiths University of London where she completed her Master's degree. The time spent studying broadened her already wide and eclectic musical tastes that were wonderfully captured on the quartet's debut album, and on this new release are further developed in a set of exhilarating compositions.
Although she plays other members of the saxophone family, her instrument of choice is the soprano saxophone, and over the curse of the album coaxes a full sound across the whole range of the instrument. A notoriously difficult beast to master Accorsi does so with aplomb, and her ability to switch from the upper register to the lower brings a heightened sense of form and drama. Often one is drawn into her sound in the upper register as on 'King Arthur' with the hint of medieval folk music in the melody, and the gently ebullient rhythm and lyricism of 'Lively House' only then to be shaken up by her lower register motif on the funky and groove driven 'Blue Wave'' And just when you think that the groove is the basis for the composition there is an abrupt change of pace as the music subside to a gentle tempo for Betty's reflective vocal and soprano solo. Pianist, Daniel Hewson also gets in a fine solo that builds wonderfully to a climax to bring Betty back in on vocals.
It is this variety in the repertoire, that still manages to sound as a cohesive whole, that makes the recording such a compelling listen. The swing section for example on 'Looking At The Horizon', and the joyous "hot jazz" soprano solo that follows comes as quite a surprise, as is the lovely introduction to 'Like A Tree' from the rhythm section before we hear Betty's vocals in a delicately descriptive lyric which is then followed by an equally descriptive and emotive saxophone solo on this wonderful ballad.
In a short space of time, Betty Accorsi has staked her claim as a talent to listen out for, and done so by forging a quartet that is distinctive and able to interpret her constantly shifting compositions while retaining a core sound for the group that will only get stronger in the fullness of time. In the meantime, Growing Roots is a fine place to make your acquaintance with Betty Accorsi and her exceptional quartet.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
