DON AIREY - Going Home
Don Airey - Piano; Darrin Mooney - Drums, Orchestral Percussion; Laurence Cottle Bass Guitar
Don Airey has been the keyboard player for Deep Purple since 2001 He was inducted into the Heavy Metal Hall of Fame early in 2017. He has played with the group in massive venues all across the world, at the moment they are on a tour that will take in some of the major cities in South America.
In jazz there is a strongly held belief that many rock musicians are jazz musicians just waiting to get out. Probably not true in most cases. However, Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones started that myth. He has formed big bands, groups and small groups to express his love of Charlie Parker.
Airey has recently created his own label, Ravine Records, ‘Going Home’ is the first release. Jazz pianists know what a jazz pianist should do. Don Airey knows that but probably doesn’t care. As a result, this is a record that he wants to do, in his way, and it is a glorious mixture full of pianistics, panache, ebullience, energy, great tunes, innovation and enjoyment.
When you write ‘Suite For Bill Evans’ you obviously have a regard for Bill Evans, but trying to emulate the great introvert is risky; it is too easy to slip over into sentimentality and occasionally the suite does that. The bass guitar playing of Laurence Cottle is in tune with the reflective mood but it is a pity that he could not use a bass like Scott La Faro or Eddie Gomez.
‘Incantation’ which seems to owe something to Emerson, Lake and Palmer has that pseudo classical feel. It is atmospheric and has the kind of tempo change that goes well, like the Airey keyboard interludes in a Deep Purple concert. The virtuosic playing is exhilarating: all it needs at the end is the overwhelming sound of applause that would happen in the rock concert. Problem: it has a fade!
‘Klosh’ starts with a church bell in fact the bell tolls throughout the piece. How often have you heard that on a Jazz record? The counterpoints of bells works well with the passionate piano parts of the work which explores the deeper reaches of the keyboard. It is almost in the Cecil Taylor territory. In the notes Airey writes about the deadly nature of the English churchyard. This is the most successful track on the album. I have never heard anything quite like it. It is the kind of track that you want to repeat to gain more understanding.
‘On The Spot’ is a spirited improvisation at tempo that features both bass guitar and the drums of Darrin Mooney pushing the pianist very hard.
‘Bach on the Water’ is Jacque Loussier with guts. You come away admiring Airey’s pianistic skills and J S Bach’s wonderful musicality. ‘Going Home’ is a beautiful tune tribute to Airey’s writing and could well have a life beyond this album.
The ‘Honeysuckle Rose’ solo starts with a melodic intro and goes then straight into gutsy stride piano right from the 1920s. After the initial melody the improvisation is superb.
The recording has great clarity and both the Steinway and Yamaha show their different beauties. The overall feeling of the album is of someone off the leash escaping from the confines of rock and exploring the different confines of jazz. Some of the music is very much heart on sleeve and often shades over into romanticism. Other pieces have verve and great drive. All of it is worth hearing. I quite like the mixture of styles even though you end up feeling that this is a pianist who does not quite know which way to go but which ever way he does go will be more than interesting. I hope that Don Airey records more jazz. He is drenched with music and it is obvious that he can play almost anything that he wants to.
Reviewed by Jack Kenny
Don Airey - Piano; Darrin Mooney - Drums, Orchestral Percussion; Laurence Cottle Bass Guitar
Don Airey has been the keyboard player for Deep Purple since 2001 He was inducted into the Heavy Metal Hall of Fame early in 2017. He has played with the group in massive venues all across the world, at the moment they are on a tour that will take in some of the major cities in South America.
In jazz there is a strongly held belief that many rock musicians are jazz musicians just waiting to get out. Probably not true in most cases. However, Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones started that myth. He has formed big bands, groups and small groups to express his love of Charlie Parker.
Airey has recently created his own label, Ravine Records, ‘Going Home’ is the first release. Jazz pianists know what a jazz pianist should do. Don Airey knows that but probably doesn’t care. As a result, this is a record that he wants to do, in his way, and it is a glorious mixture full of pianistics, panache, ebullience, energy, great tunes, innovation and enjoyment.
When you write ‘Suite For Bill Evans’ you obviously have a regard for Bill Evans, but trying to emulate the great introvert is risky; it is too easy to slip over into sentimentality and occasionally the suite does that. The bass guitar playing of Laurence Cottle is in tune with the reflective mood but it is a pity that he could not use a bass like Scott La Faro or Eddie Gomez.
‘Incantation’ which seems to owe something to Emerson, Lake and Palmer has that pseudo classical feel. It is atmospheric and has the kind of tempo change that goes well, like the Airey keyboard interludes in a Deep Purple concert. The virtuosic playing is exhilarating: all it needs at the end is the overwhelming sound of applause that would happen in the rock concert. Problem: it has a fade!
‘Klosh’ starts with a church bell in fact the bell tolls throughout the piece. How often have you heard that on a Jazz record? The counterpoints of bells works well with the passionate piano parts of the work which explores the deeper reaches of the keyboard. It is almost in the Cecil Taylor territory. In the notes Airey writes about the deadly nature of the English churchyard. This is the most successful track on the album. I have never heard anything quite like it. It is the kind of track that you want to repeat to gain more understanding.
‘On The Spot’ is a spirited improvisation at tempo that features both bass guitar and the drums of Darrin Mooney pushing the pianist very hard.
‘Bach on the Water’ is Jacque Loussier with guts. You come away admiring Airey’s pianistic skills and J S Bach’s wonderful musicality. ‘Going Home’ is a beautiful tune tribute to Airey’s writing and could well have a life beyond this album.
The ‘Honeysuckle Rose’ solo starts with a melodic intro and goes then straight into gutsy stride piano right from the 1920s. After the initial melody the improvisation is superb.
The recording has great clarity and both the Steinway and Yamaha show their different beauties. The overall feeling of the album is of someone off the leash escaping from the confines of rock and exploring the different confines of jazz. Some of the music is very much heart on sleeve and often shades over into romanticism. Other pieces have verve and great drive. All of it is worth hearing. I quite like the mixture of styles even though you end up feeling that this is a pianist who does not quite know which way to go but which ever way he does go will be more than interesting. I hope that Don Airey records more jazz. He is drenched with music and it is obvious that he can play almost anything that he wants to.
Reviewed by Jack Kenny
