PETER HORSFALL - Nighthawks
APP:003 CD.
Peter Horsfall - vocals; Giacomo Smith - alto sax; Joe Webb - piano; Ferg Ireland - bass; Pedro Segundo - drums
Horsfall is a member of cult Lodon retro-swing outfit Kansas Smitty’s House Band; like Chet Baker, he’s equally known as trumpeter and singer. Here he puts down the horn to deliver a set of hushed, smoky ballads, evoking atmosphere of the eponymous painting by Edward Hopper. The tradition of ballad albums has become something of a lost art recently, despite its noble precedent set by such megastars as Sinatra and Cole and echt jazzers like Johnny Hartmann - Horsfall makes a convincing case for reviving the form with this beautifully understated set. The hidden strength here is is the songwriting - all originals by Horsfall, the five originals show how thoroughly he and co-writer Smith absorbed the Great American Songbook tradition, with ‘Secretly’ being a particularly satisfying example of restrained emotion and good old-fashioned melody over artfully understated chording. Horsfall’s voice is light and airy, restrained, breathy and intimate, reaching up affectingly into the upper registers without undue strain, with a light touch vibrato, and the band play up to him superbly. Webb’s piano evokes echoes of Tommy Flanagan’s effortlessly hip, light-touch backing for Ella Fitzgerald, the rhythm section are all subtle swing and controlled dynamics, with plenty of space allowed in the arrangements for the songs to breathe. There are some brief, delicious instrumental interludes to set the scene, the first of which breaks down to a simple kick drum pattern before receding into silence, and tastefully conceived, bittersweet Cannonball Adderley flavoured interjections from Smith. Horsfall has added lyrics to Ellington’s ‘The Sunset and The Mockingbird’ and Barry Harris’ ‘Paradise’ - the former has a particularly successful solo from Smith, and in both cases the venerable standards sit easily with Horsfall and Smith’s own material and demonstrate how convincingly it’s adopted the language; only ‘Couldn’t Stop Loving You’, with it’s meticulously arranged backing chorus, has more of a Ray Charles via Norah Jones vibe. Let’s hope that this extremely satisfying set doesn’t get overlooked in favour of more strident but less fulfilling offerings.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
APP:003 CD.
Peter Horsfall - vocals; Giacomo Smith - alto sax; Joe Webb - piano; Ferg Ireland - bass; Pedro Segundo - drums
Horsfall is a member of cult Lodon retro-swing outfit Kansas Smitty’s House Band; like Chet Baker, he’s equally known as trumpeter and singer. Here he puts down the horn to deliver a set of hushed, smoky ballads, evoking atmosphere of the eponymous painting by Edward Hopper. The tradition of ballad albums has become something of a lost art recently, despite its noble precedent set by such megastars as Sinatra and Cole and echt jazzers like Johnny Hartmann - Horsfall makes a convincing case for reviving the form with this beautifully understated set. The hidden strength here is is the songwriting - all originals by Horsfall, the five originals show how thoroughly he and co-writer Smith absorbed the Great American Songbook tradition, with ‘Secretly’ being a particularly satisfying example of restrained emotion and good old-fashioned melody over artfully understated chording. Horsfall’s voice is light and airy, restrained, breathy and intimate, reaching up affectingly into the upper registers without undue strain, with a light touch vibrato, and the band play up to him superbly. Webb’s piano evokes echoes of Tommy Flanagan’s effortlessly hip, light-touch backing for Ella Fitzgerald, the rhythm section are all subtle swing and controlled dynamics, with plenty of space allowed in the arrangements for the songs to breathe. There are some brief, delicious instrumental interludes to set the scene, the first of which breaks down to a simple kick drum pattern before receding into silence, and tastefully conceived, bittersweet Cannonball Adderley flavoured interjections from Smith. Horsfall has added lyrics to Ellington’s ‘The Sunset and The Mockingbird’ and Barry Harris’ ‘Paradise’ - the former has a particularly successful solo from Smith, and in both cases the venerable standards sit easily with Horsfall and Smith’s own material and demonstrate how convincingly it’s adopted the language; only ‘Couldn’t Stop Loving You’, with it’s meticulously arranged backing chorus, has more of a Ray Charles via Norah Jones vibe. Let’s hope that this extremely satisfying set doesn’t get overlooked in favour of more strident but less fulfilling offerings.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
