NICK MALCOLM - Real Isn't Real
Green Eye Records: GE002
Nick Malcolm: trumpet, piano, Rhodes, keyboards, vocals; Alexander Hawkins: piano, Rhodes, organ, pump organ; Olie Brice: double bass, electric bass; Ric Yarborough: drums; Emily Wright, Marie Lister, Josienne Clarke, Lauren Kinsella: vocals.
Recorded at Giant Wafer Studios by Alex Killpatrick
From the skittering trumpet lines that open this set and the way that bass, drums and piano pick up and play with the disjointed rhythms, you know that you’re in the presence of some of today’s best exponents of contemporary jazz. This is music that completely understands the rules of bebop and then wilfully deconstructs these, without sacrificing the sense of swing that marks the best jazz music. This description, to some extent, fits the collection of pieces that are called ‘Spiral I to V’. But what makes the set truly remarkable is the way that Malcolm’s compositions seamlessly shift from these ‘Spirals’ into four songs. There are echoes of melody that are carried from the songs into the ‘Spirals’, and hints of the melodies that develop from these. Each of the songs evokes a musical style that fits the voice of the singer, while still retaining the logic of the overall suite. On ‘Floating Earth’ (track 2) Hawkins richly lyrical solo perfectly complements the soulfulness of Wright’s singing. Wright has, of course, worked for some time with Malcolm (on the project Moonlight Saving Time) so is a familiar presence in his music. The album also calls upon hip-hop singer Lister, on the gentle groove of ‘Silent Grace’ (track 4), folk singer Clarke, on a piece that uses words of W.B Yeats and electronic sounds that give an impression of an accordion (‘Grass Remembers’, track 6), and Kinsella (who I know best from her work with Snowpoet, on one of last year’s best CDs) who delivers her characteristic mix of singing-speaking of Malcolm’s lyrics of ‘Real isn’t real’ (track 8).
The set closes with Spiral V in which the acoustic sounds of the quartet gradually merge with echoing vocals that are overdubbed and each instrument distorted until the whole is drenched in electronic sounds before fading on the phrase ‘real isn’t real’. I was immediately struck by the ingenuity of the compositional structure, moving between individual Spiral pieces and the songs, but on repeated listening I have really enjoyed the way that each player and singer so thoroughly immerses themselves in the music and is able to express their own personalities while contributing to the cycle of tunes that Malcolm has created. This is a CD that I will keep listening too and will want to put into my ‘best of’ list this year.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Green Eye Records: GE002
Nick Malcolm: trumpet, piano, Rhodes, keyboards, vocals; Alexander Hawkins: piano, Rhodes, organ, pump organ; Olie Brice: double bass, electric bass; Ric Yarborough: drums; Emily Wright, Marie Lister, Josienne Clarke, Lauren Kinsella: vocals.
Recorded at Giant Wafer Studios by Alex Killpatrick
From the skittering trumpet lines that open this set and the way that bass, drums and piano pick up and play with the disjointed rhythms, you know that you’re in the presence of some of today’s best exponents of contemporary jazz. This is music that completely understands the rules of bebop and then wilfully deconstructs these, without sacrificing the sense of swing that marks the best jazz music. This description, to some extent, fits the collection of pieces that are called ‘Spiral I to V’. But what makes the set truly remarkable is the way that Malcolm’s compositions seamlessly shift from these ‘Spirals’ into four songs. There are echoes of melody that are carried from the songs into the ‘Spirals’, and hints of the melodies that develop from these. Each of the songs evokes a musical style that fits the voice of the singer, while still retaining the logic of the overall suite. On ‘Floating Earth’ (track 2) Hawkins richly lyrical solo perfectly complements the soulfulness of Wright’s singing. Wright has, of course, worked for some time with Malcolm (on the project Moonlight Saving Time) so is a familiar presence in his music. The album also calls upon hip-hop singer Lister, on the gentle groove of ‘Silent Grace’ (track 4), folk singer Clarke, on a piece that uses words of W.B Yeats and electronic sounds that give an impression of an accordion (‘Grass Remembers’, track 6), and Kinsella (who I know best from her work with Snowpoet, on one of last year’s best CDs) who delivers her characteristic mix of singing-speaking of Malcolm’s lyrics of ‘Real isn’t real’ (track 8).
The set closes with Spiral V in which the acoustic sounds of the quartet gradually merge with echoing vocals that are overdubbed and each instrument distorted until the whole is drenched in electronic sounds before fading on the phrase ‘real isn’t real’. I was immediately struck by the ingenuity of the compositional structure, moving between individual Spiral pieces and the songs, but on repeated listening I have really enjoyed the way that each player and singer so thoroughly immerses themselves in the music and is able to express their own personalities while contributing to the cycle of tunes that Malcolm has created. This is a CD that I will keep listening too and will want to put into my ‘best of’ list this year.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
