COLIN STEELE - Emerging From The Darkest Place
Trumpeter Colin Steele's emergence onto the UK jazz scene with his debut album for his quintet, Twilight Dreams, on the Scottish Caber Records imprint at the turn of the millennium was a cause for celebration. As part of a mini revolution coming out of Scotland, Steele's music at once acknowledged the hard bop idiom with more than a hint of his Celtic roots coupled with joyously melodic writing that that was as infectious as it was deeply rooted in both jazz and the music of his homeland.
The debut album was followed at two year intervals by The Journey Home and Through The Waves, with the latter being released on the major label ACT, and it seemed that Colin Steele and his superb quintet had definitely arrived. It was at this point that the quintet and the trumpeter seemed to vanish from the scene with barely a ripple.
Fast forward ten years and Colin Steele is back with a vengeance. Having reconvened the quintet and recorded a new album, Even In The Darkest Places, it seems as if no time has passed as the five musicians pick things up just as they left them, with the instantly identifiable group sound still intact and perhaps even sounding better than ever.
The debut album was followed at two year intervals by The Journey Home and Through The Waves, with the latter being released on the major label ACT, and it seemed that Colin Steele and his superb quintet had definitely arrived. It was at this point that the quintet and the trumpeter seemed to vanish from the scene with barely a ripple.
Fast forward ten years and Colin Steele is back with a vengeance. Having reconvened the quintet and recorded a new album, Even In The Darkest Places, it seems as if no time has passed as the five musicians pick things up just as they left them, with the instantly identifiable group sound still intact and perhaps even sounding better than ever.
"Sometimes you put things down for a minute and before you know it 10 years have gone past, and that's what happened with the quintet" explains the trumpeter. "For me it really is my dream band, made up of the musicians who's voices I hear in my head when I'm composing. I was nervous when we had our first rehearsal together after all this time, but those nerves vanished the moment we started to play because it felt like no time had passed at all. The quintet is truly a band effort, it's such a joy to play in a group were there is so little ego, no grandstanding, each of us taking joy in the others performances and being inspired in turn to up our games in response.
"Even in the Darkest Places is comprised of seven original tracks, all composed by myself and arranged by Dave Milligan, my long-term collaborator and right hand man. This album is, like my previous recordings, very much driven by melody. 'I Will Wait for You' is a tune that I had in my head for years, the final section of which, I randomly found myself singing one day to the lyric 'I will wait for you'. One of the longer pieces 'Suite for Theo', dedicated to my youngest son, was originally written for the Edinburgh Jazz Festival Big Band but I hated the fact that it was only ever played once, so I decided to adapt it for the quintet. 'Down to the Wire' is another track originally written for the Edinburgh Festival Big Band and is in three sections, the first featuring elements of Scottish folk, showcasing Michael Buckley on soprano, the middle section a gentle melody, and the final section, a rip-roaring Scottish blues, which we played as fast as we could manage! Other tracks on the album include 'Looking for Nessie', which was born out of a family trip to Loch Ness, 'There are Angels' is dedicated to the people who helped me through a dark time in my life and finally, 'Independence Song', which initially began as a mournful ballad but which morphed into something altogether more uplifting, reflecting the joy and optimism that surrounded the Scottish Independence debate in 2014.
"Even in the Darkest Places is comprised of seven original tracks, all composed by myself and arranged by Dave Milligan, my long-term collaborator and right hand man. This album is, like my previous recordings, very much driven by melody. 'I Will Wait for You' is a tune that I had in my head for years, the final section of which, I randomly found myself singing one day to the lyric 'I will wait for you'. One of the longer pieces 'Suite for Theo', dedicated to my youngest son, was originally written for the Edinburgh Jazz Festival Big Band but I hated the fact that it was only ever played once, so I decided to adapt it for the quintet. 'Down to the Wire' is another track originally written for the Edinburgh Festival Big Band and is in three sections, the first featuring elements of Scottish folk, showcasing Michael Buckley on soprano, the middle section a gentle melody, and the final section, a rip-roaring Scottish blues, which we played as fast as we could manage! Other tracks on the album include 'Looking for Nessie', which was born out of a family trip to Loch Ness, 'There are Angels' is dedicated to the people who helped me through a dark time in my life and finally, 'Independence Song', which initially began as a mournful ballad but which morphed into something altogether more uplifting, reflecting the joy and optimism that surrounded the Scottish Independence debate in 2014.
The new album is one that all concerned can be justifiably proud of, and for Steele particularly hard won, as Colin describes the long delay between recordings and the break in his playing activities. "In 2011 I took the decision to try improve my playing technique. I had always felt that my range was limited but more than that every time I played my mouth would get badly cut and was taking longer each time to heal. I decided to take lessons over the internet from a highly recommended American trumpeter. This decision proved disastrous, I was persuaded to completely change my trumpet technique, I was reluctant to do this but I was reassured that within a month I would be playing stronger and better than ever. Over the following months I worked really hard but my muscles were becoming increasingly confused, eventually my throat muscles were going into spasm even when I took a breath, leaving me incapable of playing at all. I had to cancel all of my gigs, but in addition to this I was also in a an enormous amount of debt, there really seemed no way out of the mess. A friend put me in touch with Mark O'Keefe, principal trumpet player with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Mark offed to teach me for free, giving me as many lessons as I needed until eventually I was able to begin playing again. I was still buried under a debt mountain, so recording a new album was out of the question and if it hadn't been for a chance meeting at a gig in a pizza restaurant, Even in the Darkest Places would never have seen the light of day. I was playing in the restaurant when a fan came up and said how much he had enjoyed my previous recordings and asked why I hadn't released an album for a while.I told him about my recent troubles and he offered to help by financing a new recording. The track Robin's Song is dedicated to this incredible act of generosity, it is something that I will be forever thankful for."
Now he's back in the saddle, so to speak. not to content to release one superb album, he also has another scheduled for release next month. Taking up the story, Colin says " It’s a funny one! I’ve played on many sessions for the Glasgow pop band the Pearlishers over the years. Their German record label, Marina, asked if I would be interested in recording jazz versions of their music. It sounded like a mad idea, but they sent me the full collection of Pearlfisher CDs, but as soon as I started listening, I heard these beautiful melodies, full of so much character. I instantly imagined my own voice playing the melodies, always on muted trumpet. I assembled a quartet with Dave Milligan and Calum Gourlay (both from my quintet) and with the amazing drummer Alyn Cosker. We rehearsed for an afternoon and recorded in one day, but I think the results are fabulous. Very much looking forward to this being released!"
In addition to the quintet, Colin is also renowned for his affection for the music of Chet Baker and can frequently be heard in the Chet Baker Theatre Show, Funny Valentine, and is quick to acknowledge the influence of the somewhat wayward genius saying " Absolutely. When he was on top form (which admittedly was fairly rare, given his erratic lifestyle) there was no finer musician. He had the most beautiful tone, and he could communicate on an emotional level that I hear in few musicians (Billie Holiday springs to mind). I have spent thousands of joyful hours immersing myself in Chet’s music!" Of other important influences the trumpeter elaborates, "Freddie Hubbard was my first love, with Miles coming a close second. It took me a long time to understand Louis Armstrong, but he is certainly a firm favourite now (I named my eldest son after him). So many others in between that I love of course – Rex Stewart, Roy Eldridge, Clifford Brown and Kenny Wheeler have all been ‘obsessed’ over. Of today’s current trumpeters, I love Tomasz Stanko, Mathias Eick and Till Bronner, and I’m not sure if a more beautiful sound has come from the trumpet than that of Chris Botti. So much inspiration to be had from all these players!"
Now he's back in the saddle, so to speak. not to content to release one superb album, he also has another scheduled for release next month. Taking up the story, Colin says " It’s a funny one! I’ve played on many sessions for the Glasgow pop band the Pearlishers over the years. Their German record label, Marina, asked if I would be interested in recording jazz versions of their music. It sounded like a mad idea, but they sent me the full collection of Pearlfisher CDs, but as soon as I started listening, I heard these beautiful melodies, full of so much character. I instantly imagined my own voice playing the melodies, always on muted trumpet. I assembled a quartet with Dave Milligan and Calum Gourlay (both from my quintet) and with the amazing drummer Alyn Cosker. We rehearsed for an afternoon and recorded in one day, but I think the results are fabulous. Very much looking forward to this being released!"
In addition to the quintet, Colin is also renowned for his affection for the music of Chet Baker and can frequently be heard in the Chet Baker Theatre Show, Funny Valentine, and is quick to acknowledge the influence of the somewhat wayward genius saying " Absolutely. When he was on top form (which admittedly was fairly rare, given his erratic lifestyle) there was no finer musician. He had the most beautiful tone, and he could communicate on an emotional level that I hear in few musicians (Billie Holiday springs to mind). I have spent thousands of joyful hours immersing myself in Chet’s music!" Of other important influences the trumpeter elaborates, "Freddie Hubbard was my first love, with Miles coming a close second. It took me a long time to understand Louis Armstrong, but he is certainly a firm favourite now (I named my eldest son after him). So many others in between that I love of course – Rex Stewart, Roy Eldridge, Clifford Brown and Kenny Wheeler have all been ‘obsessed’ over. Of today’s current trumpeters, I love Tomasz Stanko, Mathias Eick and Till Bronner, and I’m not sure if a more beautiful sound has come from the trumpet than that of Chris Botti. So much inspiration to be had from all these players!"
Of his own yearning to master the trumpet and his love of jazz, Colin says "I wanted to play music from a very early age, and pestered my parents to get an instrument – anything at all – but to no avail. It wasn’t until I went to secondary school where they had free instruments and lessons that I was able to start playing. I really wanted to play flute, but it was very much ‘flutes are for girls – you can play the trumpet or the tuba’. It wasn’t a difficult decision to make! Around about that time I remember watching ‘Roy Castle’s Record Breakers’, where at the end Roy would play a trumpet solo, and I couldn’t believe how fabulous it sounded – and how could he possibly play something different each time? My dad had a Tijuana Brass record that I loved, as well as some Joe Loss recordings. I knew I needed to try to learn how to play this music, but I had no idea how to find out – as far as I knew there was absolutely no jazz education at that time. So the only thing I could do was listen and play along with the records (as well as practice a lot of scales). It wasn’t until many years later that I realised that what I was doing was actually the very best thing I could do."
The best thing that he could do indeed, and now with a new album under his belt, what about future plans? "Well, I would love to tour the Quintet – I had booked up a Scottish tour for last month (March 2017), but obviously I would love to travel further afield. I’m sorry to say I’m a terrible businessman, I’ve never picked up the phone and asked for a gig – obviously I should get my act together!"
For more information, visit Colin Steele's website.
Click on the album cover to read our review of Even In The Darkest Places by the Colin Steele Quintet.
The best thing that he could do indeed, and now with a new album under his belt, what about future plans? "Well, I would love to tour the Quintet – I had booked up a Scottish tour for last month (March 2017), but obviously I would love to travel further afield. I’m sorry to say I’m a terrible businessman, I’ve never picked up the phone and asked for a gig – obviously I should get my act together!"
For more information, visit Colin Steele's website.
Click on the album cover to read our review of Even In The Darkest Places by the Colin Steele Quintet.
