ELLIOTT GALVIN TRIO - Punch
Edition Records EDN 1076
Elliott Galvin (piano, kalimba, melodica's, accordian, cassette player, stylophone) Tom McCredie (bass) Simon Roth ( drums, percussion, glockenspiel)
Recorded in Berlin, this is the follow up album to the critically acclaimed "Dreamland" from the erupting volcano of creativity that is Elliott Galvin. The 25 year old pianist and composer, who graduated from Trinity Laban in 2013 is a co-founder of "The Chaos Collective" alongside Laura Jurd and with his trio became European Jazz Artist Of The Year in 2014. Award winning bassist Tom McCreadie and Irish drummer Simon Roth make up this eclectic trio.
The music here is hard to categorize but lies somewhere between free form, avant garde and the sheer quirky, with self confessed influences as far reaching as Keith Jarrett, Stravinsky and The Beatles. Things start off with cassette player and piano in perfect harmony on "Punch & Judy" where the recorded broadcast involves violence, death, a policeman and a crocodile. It is not long however before the Jarrett like soundings of the piano kick in bringing a period of sanity before the track returns to it's gruesome tale. The following two pieces underline the superb composing talents of the leader along with the empathy between all three players. "Hurdy Gurdy" is full of modernistic keyboard dissonance, with great use of time and space, along with an accordion interlude, the instrument that the tune was originally written for. "Tipu's Tiger" is a reflection of a life size model of a tiger devouring a soldier. (this can be seen at London's V & A Museum, if you so wish). It is a sparse and dramatic piece featuring piano and glockenspiel which gives more at every listen. Taking the quirkiness to another level is "Rolling" a full nine second cut salvaged from the studio floor, before "Blop" features both tuned and de-tuned melodicas in a real pot boiler of creation accentuated by busy bass and drums. The essential use of duct tape to dampen the piano strings is employed on the constantly changing tempo of "Lions" a piece written in acknowledgement of the little known fact that there has been at least one of the creatures alive some where in London since 1210. The leader employs thoughtful, austere and dense piano chords on "1666" a doom laden portrayal of the Great Fire Of London, the finely crafted theme being one of the best on the album. The only original title, Bertyl Brecht's "Mack The Knife" from The Threepenny Opera of 1931 bears little resemblance to the original, or indeed the Bobby Darin hit, but benefits from an almost complete re- working full of wit and drama with Simon Roth's glockenspiel being released before the finale.
The recording draws to it's close with the cascading, almost Cecil Taylor like runs of "Polari" before the gentle and tuneful strains of "Cosy" are just that as homely periods of whistling and references to extracts from The Beatles "A Day In The Life" ease the listener out from the forty eight minutes of this most adventurous and forward thinking musical extravaganza. A sure candidate for jazz album of the year.
Reviewed by Jim Burlong
Edition Records EDN 1076
Elliott Galvin (piano, kalimba, melodica's, accordian, cassette player, stylophone) Tom McCredie (bass) Simon Roth ( drums, percussion, glockenspiel)
Recorded in Berlin, this is the follow up album to the critically acclaimed "Dreamland" from the erupting volcano of creativity that is Elliott Galvin. The 25 year old pianist and composer, who graduated from Trinity Laban in 2013 is a co-founder of "The Chaos Collective" alongside Laura Jurd and with his trio became European Jazz Artist Of The Year in 2014. Award winning bassist Tom McCreadie and Irish drummer Simon Roth make up this eclectic trio.
The music here is hard to categorize but lies somewhere between free form, avant garde and the sheer quirky, with self confessed influences as far reaching as Keith Jarrett, Stravinsky and The Beatles. Things start off with cassette player and piano in perfect harmony on "Punch & Judy" where the recorded broadcast involves violence, death, a policeman and a crocodile. It is not long however before the Jarrett like soundings of the piano kick in bringing a period of sanity before the track returns to it's gruesome tale. The following two pieces underline the superb composing talents of the leader along with the empathy between all three players. "Hurdy Gurdy" is full of modernistic keyboard dissonance, with great use of time and space, along with an accordion interlude, the instrument that the tune was originally written for. "Tipu's Tiger" is a reflection of a life size model of a tiger devouring a soldier. (this can be seen at London's V & A Museum, if you so wish). It is a sparse and dramatic piece featuring piano and glockenspiel which gives more at every listen. Taking the quirkiness to another level is "Rolling" a full nine second cut salvaged from the studio floor, before "Blop" features both tuned and de-tuned melodicas in a real pot boiler of creation accentuated by busy bass and drums. The essential use of duct tape to dampen the piano strings is employed on the constantly changing tempo of "Lions" a piece written in acknowledgement of the little known fact that there has been at least one of the creatures alive some where in London since 1210. The leader employs thoughtful, austere and dense piano chords on "1666" a doom laden portrayal of the Great Fire Of London, the finely crafted theme being one of the best on the album. The only original title, Bertyl Brecht's "Mack The Knife" from The Threepenny Opera of 1931 bears little resemblance to the original, or indeed the Bobby Darin hit, but benefits from an almost complete re- working full of wit and drama with Simon Roth's glockenspiel being released before the finale.
The recording draws to it's close with the cascading, almost Cecil Taylor like runs of "Polari" before the gentle and tuneful strains of "Cosy" are just that as homely periods of whistling and references to extracts from The Beatles "A Day In The Life" ease the listener out from the forty eight minutes of this most adventurous and forward thinking musical extravaganza. A sure candidate for jazz album of the year.
Reviewed by Jim Burlong
