ESTHER BENNETT & TERENCE COLLIE - Safe Places
Esther Bennett - vocals; Terence Collie - piano, synth bass and keyboards; Richard Sadler - double bass; Sophie Alloway - drums; Duncan Lamont Jr. - flute, tenor and soprano saxophones; Hannah Horton - baritone and tenor saxophone; Matt Hodge -percussion
The title of this EP is inspired by the autobiography of the saxophonist Dick Heckstall Smith in which he describes being on stage as 'The Safest Place in the World'.
On this EP, Esther Bennett, one of the jazz scene's most experienced and highly loved vocalists, works with the enormously respected jazz pianist Terrence Collie.
Spawned from a pandemic, the album offers a beautifully eclectic palette of music. In March 2020, the UK government announced a national lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic that gripped much of the world. Esther Bennett, faced with the conundrum of what to do when you are a singer in this situation, decided to write a contrafact - a musical composition built using the chord progression of a pre-existing song but with a new melody and arrangement.
She chose two well-known jazz standards; Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons' 'All of Me' and Monk's 'Well You Needn't', on which to paint new colours. (The Monk composition was re-labelled 'Yellow Label Stuff' and is on the EP).
With endless song writing possibilities now possible, Bennett would have carried on in the same vein, were it not for one day coming across a recording of an instrumental composition, written and performed by pianist Terence Collie - a beautiful composition in 5/4 entitled 'End of Summer'.
Bennett decided she wanted to write lyrics to this piece, and Collie, who knew Bennett well through the music scene, was happy to allow her to do just that. Collie also suggested they record together after Bennett revealed she had a few more original tunes in her armoury. Some were recent, a couple were written with other musicians over ten years ago, and one was in progress. Collie's response was to ask Bennett if she was willing to work with him on an EP.
As experienced musicians, both have connections with some of the best musicians in the UK and Europe. They found selecting a band who would bring these compositions to their most full and beautiful life relatively easy. Bennett explains, "We chose the traditional jazz trio format with the addition of percussion, saxes and flute to give just the right flavours that the swing, bossa, funk, Latin and 5/4 grooves required".
The tracks were recorded remotely by each musician. Collie then mixed, engineered and produced the album adding subtle vintage synth pads for textures on the opening two songs.
'End of Summer' ( Bennett, Collie) is about the cycle of life, how the seasons change from summer to autumn, and we eventually approach the September of our years, how we reflect and lament upon the tapestry we have woven of our life so far, but then cast away wasted tears and past regrets which fall, like golden leaves from the trees, to fade like life's embers, leaving only love behind. It is a melodic ballad, the words interpreted by the music which accompanies them. ' Keep love in your sight, let its path grow bright, then die, then die.'
'Wandering Lost' (Bruno D'Ambra, Bennett) reflects the British rare groove and acid jazz scene of the late 80s and early 90s. The lyrics speak of spring, fertility and youth. The young lover searches for commitment, a true heart, soul mate and possible lifetime partner. The music switches between wistful and harsh, reflecting the conflicting emotions told in the lyrics. Horton's baritone sax is quite delicious in the middle section, and its presence is felt to the end of the track, as can Collie's deft playing on piano.
'Please (Save Me)' ( Jeremy Stacey, Bennett) was written by Bennett when she was in her 30s. She says, "I reached a crossroads in my life, with two stark choices; either find a suitable partner, start a family and settle into the (apparent) safe haven of some kind of "normality", or continue to enjoy the roller coaster journey of the free-spirited Bohemian artist." Bennett chose the latter path. The introductory bars of this song are stolen almost entirely from those of Wayne Shorter's 'Beauty and the Beast'. On this track, Bennett is sassy, defiant. This attitude is supported admirably by the ensemble, ' despite everything that you told me, I insisted that I always knew best, I was deluded you see, come on baby, please save me' Bennett pleads but then asserts, over a sax playing out the box, 'I'm hanging in jazz clubs, flirting with boys, digging new musicians making wonderful noise.....don't you stop me. So to save or not to save? Collie's piano then does its magic, and you get the sense that a different kind of saving is going on. This track is simply great jazz music, with solos from sax, bass, piano and a rock-steady accompaniment from drums guiding the tempos. The vocalese from Bennett in the final section is impressive.
'Yellow Label Stuff A Contrafact' written by Esther Bennett over the changes of 'Well You Needn't' by Thelonious Monk, is also known as 'The Pandemic Song (Ode to Covid 19)'. It is about the phenomenon of discounted food offered by supermarkets, which helped many a musician through the pandemic and lockdowns. ' Yellow label stuff, you just can't beat it.....I went to the corner just to get my supply, there's a mean-looking woman trying to give me the eye '. There is an ambiguity in the lyrics in that they could also refer to the certain habits and indulgences of our jazz heroes of the not too distant past too. Bennett then scats her way through before a sax solo dances down the aisles to greet her, and the band prove their worth in solos and ensemble work before the voice drops back in. A song that speaks of need and desperation, but the musical construction gets the message across in a genial manner.
'Forever Now (Ode to Duncan)' (Words and music inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach and Andrew Pooley) was written in tribute to the late jazz musician and composer Duncan Lamont Snr, who inspired Bennett to be 'in the moment' and to live 'in the now'. The composition is modal in its harmony, and the melody is derived from a section of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos. This piece is also intended to reflect the mood and feel of the great John Coltrane, which is achieved when the sax soars free. The piano work is clever and intricate on this track, and the ensemble is tight, belying the fact they were recording individually and remotely.
Reviewed by Sammy Stein
Esther Bennett - vocals; Terence Collie - piano, synth bass and keyboards; Richard Sadler - double bass; Sophie Alloway - drums; Duncan Lamont Jr. - flute, tenor and soprano saxophones; Hannah Horton - baritone and tenor saxophone; Matt Hodge -percussion
The title of this EP is inspired by the autobiography of the saxophonist Dick Heckstall Smith in which he describes being on stage as 'The Safest Place in the World'.
On this EP, Esther Bennett, one of the jazz scene's most experienced and highly loved vocalists, works with the enormously respected jazz pianist Terrence Collie.
Spawned from a pandemic, the album offers a beautifully eclectic palette of music. In March 2020, the UK government announced a national lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic that gripped much of the world. Esther Bennett, faced with the conundrum of what to do when you are a singer in this situation, decided to write a contrafact - a musical composition built using the chord progression of a pre-existing song but with a new melody and arrangement.
She chose two well-known jazz standards; Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons' 'All of Me' and Monk's 'Well You Needn't', on which to paint new colours. (The Monk composition was re-labelled 'Yellow Label Stuff' and is on the EP).
With endless song writing possibilities now possible, Bennett would have carried on in the same vein, were it not for one day coming across a recording of an instrumental composition, written and performed by pianist Terence Collie - a beautiful composition in 5/4 entitled 'End of Summer'.
Bennett decided she wanted to write lyrics to this piece, and Collie, who knew Bennett well through the music scene, was happy to allow her to do just that. Collie also suggested they record together after Bennett revealed she had a few more original tunes in her armoury. Some were recent, a couple were written with other musicians over ten years ago, and one was in progress. Collie's response was to ask Bennett if she was willing to work with him on an EP.
As experienced musicians, both have connections with some of the best musicians in the UK and Europe. They found selecting a band who would bring these compositions to their most full and beautiful life relatively easy. Bennett explains, "We chose the traditional jazz trio format with the addition of percussion, saxes and flute to give just the right flavours that the swing, bossa, funk, Latin and 5/4 grooves required".
The tracks were recorded remotely by each musician. Collie then mixed, engineered and produced the album adding subtle vintage synth pads for textures on the opening two songs.
'End of Summer' ( Bennett, Collie) is about the cycle of life, how the seasons change from summer to autumn, and we eventually approach the September of our years, how we reflect and lament upon the tapestry we have woven of our life so far, but then cast away wasted tears and past regrets which fall, like golden leaves from the trees, to fade like life's embers, leaving only love behind. It is a melodic ballad, the words interpreted by the music which accompanies them. ' Keep love in your sight, let its path grow bright, then die, then die.'
'Wandering Lost' (Bruno D'Ambra, Bennett) reflects the British rare groove and acid jazz scene of the late 80s and early 90s. The lyrics speak of spring, fertility and youth. The young lover searches for commitment, a true heart, soul mate and possible lifetime partner. The music switches between wistful and harsh, reflecting the conflicting emotions told in the lyrics. Horton's baritone sax is quite delicious in the middle section, and its presence is felt to the end of the track, as can Collie's deft playing on piano.
'Please (Save Me)' ( Jeremy Stacey, Bennett) was written by Bennett when she was in her 30s. She says, "I reached a crossroads in my life, with two stark choices; either find a suitable partner, start a family and settle into the (apparent) safe haven of some kind of "normality", or continue to enjoy the roller coaster journey of the free-spirited Bohemian artist." Bennett chose the latter path. The introductory bars of this song are stolen almost entirely from those of Wayne Shorter's 'Beauty and the Beast'. On this track, Bennett is sassy, defiant. This attitude is supported admirably by the ensemble, ' despite everything that you told me, I insisted that I always knew best, I was deluded you see, come on baby, please save me' Bennett pleads but then asserts, over a sax playing out the box, 'I'm hanging in jazz clubs, flirting with boys, digging new musicians making wonderful noise.....don't you stop me. So to save or not to save? Collie's piano then does its magic, and you get the sense that a different kind of saving is going on. This track is simply great jazz music, with solos from sax, bass, piano and a rock-steady accompaniment from drums guiding the tempos. The vocalese from Bennett in the final section is impressive.
'Yellow Label Stuff A Contrafact' written by Esther Bennett over the changes of 'Well You Needn't' by Thelonious Monk, is also known as 'The Pandemic Song (Ode to Covid 19)'. It is about the phenomenon of discounted food offered by supermarkets, which helped many a musician through the pandemic and lockdowns. ' Yellow label stuff, you just can't beat it.....I went to the corner just to get my supply, there's a mean-looking woman trying to give me the eye '. There is an ambiguity in the lyrics in that they could also refer to the certain habits and indulgences of our jazz heroes of the not too distant past too. Bennett then scats her way through before a sax solo dances down the aisles to greet her, and the band prove their worth in solos and ensemble work before the voice drops back in. A song that speaks of need and desperation, but the musical construction gets the message across in a genial manner.
'Forever Now (Ode to Duncan)' (Words and music inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach and Andrew Pooley) was written in tribute to the late jazz musician and composer Duncan Lamont Snr, who inspired Bennett to be 'in the moment' and to live 'in the now'. The composition is modal in its harmony, and the melody is derived from a section of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos. This piece is also intended to reflect the mood and feel of the great John Coltrane, which is achieved when the sax soars free. The piano work is clever and intricate on this track, and the ensemble is tight, belying the fact they were recording individually and remotely.
Reviewed by Sammy Stein
