CHRIS MONTAGUE - Warmer Than Blood
Whirlwind Recordings: WR4756
Chris Montague: guitar; Kit Downes: piano; Ruth Goller: bass.
Recorded March 5th and 6th 2019 by George Murphy at Eastcote Studios
There are some names that, when you see them on the list of musicians, raise your hopes that you’ll be in for a treat. Anyone who has even a passing interest in the UK jazz scene will recognise each member of this trio. Knowing how busy the three of them are with their various projects, you would also expect that getting into the same room for a couple of days was no mean feat and one that shows a commitment to this particular project. It’s a commitment that more than rewards the listener. Montague, guitarist in Trish Clowes’ group as well as Troyka and Squarepusher, with Goller, bassist in Melt Yourself Down and Acoustic Ladyland, have backgrounds in some of the most exciting and musically diverse outfits, and Downes has continued to define the art of the keyboard in his own inimitable style (as well as playing with Montague in Troyka). Indeed, in terms of approach to music, it is with Troyka that immediate comparisons were drawn for me in my listening to this set; the same approach to making tunes in which experimentation in sound and structures are so lightly presented that it is easy to miss the complexity of the pieces.
The set opens with Montague soloing with in gentle reverb on electric guitar using a plucking style somewhere between folk and flamenco with chord structure just dissonant enough to twist the undulating patterns over the two and half minutes of the piece (a style that he reprises latter in the delicate ballad ‘Moira’, track 8 and the introduction to the closing track ‘Rendered’). The result is the auditory equivalent of mist gently rolling over fields and melting in the early morning sun. Given that the piece (with several others here reference his Irish heritage, this is image feels quite apt). That the opening tune, and the track which follows, are called ‘Irish Handcuffs’ (a pint of Guinness in one hand and whisky in the other) illustrates the sly humour and warmth that the trio bring to their music and Montague to his compositions. Montague says, “…writing for a band without drums made us work much harder to create dynamics and shape…” But, at no time do you notice the absence of drummer in the trio, as each player takes on rhythm marking duties in a variety of ways. The intro segues into sustained tones and taps (possibly knocking the body of the piano or guitar or bass), with pedal sustain working through chords from the intro as bass bridge is plucked to create clicks that mark time. On ‘C-squad’, track 5, echoes and reverb suggest the scraping of cymbals.
The press release introduced me to the term ‘hocketting’ (the rhythmic linear technique, derived from Medieval music, that alternates notes, pitches, or chords) and the trio use this approach across several pieces to build rhythmic patterns in some of the pieces. On other tunes, such as the title track, ‘Moira’, track 8, (named for Montague’s grandmother), ‘Not my usual’, track 6, and ‘FTM’, track 4, (named for Montague’s son), lilting ballads are contemplative pieces which the trio play almost straight, working the melodies and creating delicate filigrees of accompaniment.
This is Montague’s first release as a leader composing all the pieces on this set. Each piece is beautifully crafted and showcases the talent of each member of the trio without ever straying into grandstanding or overblown playing (even the wig out that Montague and Goller threaten in ‘The Internet’, track 7, is quickly subdued as Downes steps in to calm things down). This is a real treat and easily one of my favourite recordings of this year.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Whirlwind Recordings: WR4756
Chris Montague: guitar; Kit Downes: piano; Ruth Goller: bass.
Recorded March 5th and 6th 2019 by George Murphy at Eastcote Studios
There are some names that, when you see them on the list of musicians, raise your hopes that you’ll be in for a treat. Anyone who has even a passing interest in the UK jazz scene will recognise each member of this trio. Knowing how busy the three of them are with their various projects, you would also expect that getting into the same room for a couple of days was no mean feat and one that shows a commitment to this particular project. It’s a commitment that more than rewards the listener. Montague, guitarist in Trish Clowes’ group as well as Troyka and Squarepusher, with Goller, bassist in Melt Yourself Down and Acoustic Ladyland, have backgrounds in some of the most exciting and musically diverse outfits, and Downes has continued to define the art of the keyboard in his own inimitable style (as well as playing with Montague in Troyka). Indeed, in terms of approach to music, it is with Troyka that immediate comparisons were drawn for me in my listening to this set; the same approach to making tunes in which experimentation in sound and structures are so lightly presented that it is easy to miss the complexity of the pieces.
The set opens with Montague soloing with in gentle reverb on electric guitar using a plucking style somewhere between folk and flamenco with chord structure just dissonant enough to twist the undulating patterns over the two and half minutes of the piece (a style that he reprises latter in the delicate ballad ‘Moira’, track 8 and the introduction to the closing track ‘Rendered’). The result is the auditory equivalent of mist gently rolling over fields and melting in the early morning sun. Given that the piece (with several others here reference his Irish heritage, this is image feels quite apt). That the opening tune, and the track which follows, are called ‘Irish Handcuffs’ (a pint of Guinness in one hand and whisky in the other) illustrates the sly humour and warmth that the trio bring to their music and Montague to his compositions. Montague says, “…writing for a band without drums made us work much harder to create dynamics and shape…” But, at no time do you notice the absence of drummer in the trio, as each player takes on rhythm marking duties in a variety of ways. The intro segues into sustained tones and taps (possibly knocking the body of the piano or guitar or bass), with pedal sustain working through chords from the intro as bass bridge is plucked to create clicks that mark time. On ‘C-squad’, track 5, echoes and reverb suggest the scraping of cymbals.
The press release introduced me to the term ‘hocketting’ (the rhythmic linear technique, derived from Medieval music, that alternates notes, pitches, or chords) and the trio use this approach across several pieces to build rhythmic patterns in some of the pieces. On other tunes, such as the title track, ‘Moira’, track 8, (named for Montague’s grandmother), ‘Not my usual’, track 6, and ‘FTM’, track 4, (named for Montague’s son), lilting ballads are contemplative pieces which the trio play almost straight, working the melodies and creating delicate filigrees of accompaniment.
This is Montague’s first release as a leader composing all the pieces on this set. Each piece is beautifully crafted and showcases the talent of each member of the trio without ever straying into grandstanding or overblown playing (even the wig out that Montague and Goller threaten in ‘The Internet’, track 7, is quickly subdued as Downes steps in to calm things down). This is a real treat and easily one of my favourite recordings of this year.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
