QUERCUS - Nightfall
ECM 574 3078
June Tabor (voice); Iain Ballamy (tenor & soprano saxophones); Huw Warren (piano)
Recorded December 2015
Following on from their eponymously named debut album, Nightfall once again demonstrates the power of three. Despite being a far cry away from any form of standard jazz trio, and never laying any claim to be, yet at the same time Quercus embodies all that is great about the trio tradition. The intimacy they bring to their sound and the depth to which the song is explored is quite, and quietly, breath taking.
It is therefore somewhat of a travesty that, despite being active for more than a decade, this is only the trio's second album, with the debut album having been in the can for seven years prior to it's release in 2013. Now that it appears that we can now expect recordings on a more regular basis, it is with open arms that we should welcome Nightfall, and enjoy the music conjured up by this remarkable group.
By definition, Quercus is a type of oak, and like the tree the group have their roots deeply seated and branches spread wide. Their repertoire for Nightfall therefore draws upon traditional songs arranged by the trio, along with a jazz standard, a show tune and a piece by Bob Dylan and to each the the three musicians stamp their collective identity that has been carefully honed over the last ten years.
Once again the album, as did their debut, with the words of Robert Burns in this instance with a reworking of the traditional and familiar 'Auld Lang Syne' ; and then followed by two more traditional songs, 'Once I Loved You Dear (The Irish Girl)' and the hauntly serene 'On Berrow Sands' collected by Somerset folklorist Ruth L. Tongue (1898-1981) with the tenor saxophone of Iain Ballamy delicately shadowing and enhancing Tabor's vocal, and Warren's sparse yet sombre undercurrent at the piano.
And herein lies the beauty inherent in the music, always understated yet full of drama. June Tabor has this uncanny gift of wringing every last drop of emotion from a song, without ever detracting from the original lyric and the song's story. This is superbly borne out by the sublime and tender reading of 'The Manchester Angel' that tells of a lost love between a young woman and a soldier deployed with the ill fated Manchester regiment that marched towards London in support of Prince Charles Edward Stuart's claim to the British throne in November 1745, and ended with the massacre at battle at Culloden Moor in April 1746.
The interpretations of songs from the past have are given a new lease of life, making them required listening and serve as an abject lesson in storytelling. The more contemporary and familiar material is handled with the same aplomb, with 'You Don't Know What Love Is' being instantly recognisable within a few bars of Warren's beautiful introduction, and a poignant and understated 'Somewhere' from West Side Story and the pens of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim.
Throughout the nine songs and two instrumental duets, the music presented has a beauty, delicacy and fragility that is, by equal measures compelling and heartwarming. Such is the degree of empathy between the trio that all are free to contribute and find their own space in the music, whilst at the same time the combined whole is far greater than the sum of it's parts. Ballamy's tenor saxophone brings a fine singing voice to counteract and complement Tabor's exquisite vocal, with Warren's wonderful accompaniment lifting the music to greater heights.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
ECM 574 3078
June Tabor (voice); Iain Ballamy (tenor & soprano saxophones); Huw Warren (piano)
Recorded December 2015
Following on from their eponymously named debut album, Nightfall once again demonstrates the power of three. Despite being a far cry away from any form of standard jazz trio, and never laying any claim to be, yet at the same time Quercus embodies all that is great about the trio tradition. The intimacy they bring to their sound and the depth to which the song is explored is quite, and quietly, breath taking.
It is therefore somewhat of a travesty that, despite being active for more than a decade, this is only the trio's second album, with the debut album having been in the can for seven years prior to it's release in 2013. Now that it appears that we can now expect recordings on a more regular basis, it is with open arms that we should welcome Nightfall, and enjoy the music conjured up by this remarkable group.
By definition, Quercus is a type of oak, and like the tree the group have their roots deeply seated and branches spread wide. Their repertoire for Nightfall therefore draws upon traditional songs arranged by the trio, along with a jazz standard, a show tune and a piece by Bob Dylan and to each the the three musicians stamp their collective identity that has been carefully honed over the last ten years.
Once again the album, as did their debut, with the words of Robert Burns in this instance with a reworking of the traditional and familiar 'Auld Lang Syne' ; and then followed by two more traditional songs, 'Once I Loved You Dear (The Irish Girl)' and the hauntly serene 'On Berrow Sands' collected by Somerset folklorist Ruth L. Tongue (1898-1981) with the tenor saxophone of Iain Ballamy delicately shadowing and enhancing Tabor's vocal, and Warren's sparse yet sombre undercurrent at the piano.
And herein lies the beauty inherent in the music, always understated yet full of drama. June Tabor has this uncanny gift of wringing every last drop of emotion from a song, without ever detracting from the original lyric and the song's story. This is superbly borne out by the sublime and tender reading of 'The Manchester Angel' that tells of a lost love between a young woman and a soldier deployed with the ill fated Manchester regiment that marched towards London in support of Prince Charles Edward Stuart's claim to the British throne in November 1745, and ended with the massacre at battle at Culloden Moor in April 1746.
The interpretations of songs from the past have are given a new lease of life, making them required listening and serve as an abject lesson in storytelling. The more contemporary and familiar material is handled with the same aplomb, with 'You Don't Know What Love Is' being instantly recognisable within a few bars of Warren's beautiful introduction, and a poignant and understated 'Somewhere' from West Side Story and the pens of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim.
Throughout the nine songs and two instrumental duets, the music presented has a beauty, delicacy and fragility that is, by equal measures compelling and heartwarming. Such is the degree of empathy between the trio that all are free to contribute and find their own space in the music, whilst at the same time the combined whole is far greater than the sum of it's parts. Ballamy's tenor saxophone brings a fine singing voice to counteract and complement Tabor's exquisite vocal, with Warren's wonderful accompaniment lifting the music to greater heights.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
