SAM WATTS – Mime Music
Spark 003
Sam Watts: piano, accordion; Michael Fletcher: saxophone, flute, clarinet; James Davison: trumpet, flugelhorn; Kieran McLeod: trombone; Lucia Capellaro: ‘cello; Thomas Seminar Ford: guitars, banjo; Flo Moore: double bass; Ben Brown: drums, percussion.
Recorded Red Gables Studio, January 2015.
The opening drum roll and slow-step brass ensemble that introduces this CD (on track 1, ‘Overture’) might hint that this would be a fairly laconic set of pieces that could serve as the music to a Silent Movie (or, as per the title, a mime-show). Certainly, the inspiration of music from early days of cinema is very much in evidence here – whether it be the opening track or the waltzing brass on ‘8½’, track 2, which manages to mix the drunken Salvation Army band sound from later Tom Waits albums with something vaguely mariachi. In between the burst of squabbling instruments which opens track 2 and the brass playing, Watts plays some delicate accordion to introduce the theme – but this is played in an argument with the other instruments, until they pick up the theme for a while, only to have some radio static and retuning push them off course.
The ways in which Watts is able to merge a well-turned melody with its own destruction on the pieces shows an admirable mix of the traditional with the avant-garde, and this mix shows a unique style that is quite difficult to place alongside other performers on the current scene. The languid tangos that pepper the collection hint at late night revels, and these are generously shot through with either high tempo rag-time playing or simply with noise. Each of Watts’ melodies has a charming sense of pathos, and you can just imagine Charlie Chaplin walking into the sunset as the closing credits appear on the screen. Most of Watts’ tunes felt as if they were written for the end of a film… perhaps his next set could be about beginnings.
The instrumentation on the CD is also worth noting, because it does not seem like a formally configured grouping of instruments but rather a collection of players who have brought their kit to an after show gig. Each player is clearly having a ball, playing in an exaggerated manner when called upon, but also working the melodies with grace and panache. It is hard to believe that this is a debut set of tunes and I hope that Watts continues to make his own original sound for many years to come.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Spark 003
Sam Watts: piano, accordion; Michael Fletcher: saxophone, flute, clarinet; James Davison: trumpet, flugelhorn; Kieran McLeod: trombone; Lucia Capellaro: ‘cello; Thomas Seminar Ford: guitars, banjo; Flo Moore: double bass; Ben Brown: drums, percussion.
Recorded Red Gables Studio, January 2015.
The opening drum roll and slow-step brass ensemble that introduces this CD (on track 1, ‘Overture’) might hint that this would be a fairly laconic set of pieces that could serve as the music to a Silent Movie (or, as per the title, a mime-show). Certainly, the inspiration of music from early days of cinema is very much in evidence here – whether it be the opening track or the waltzing brass on ‘8½’, track 2, which manages to mix the drunken Salvation Army band sound from later Tom Waits albums with something vaguely mariachi. In between the burst of squabbling instruments which opens track 2 and the brass playing, Watts plays some delicate accordion to introduce the theme – but this is played in an argument with the other instruments, until they pick up the theme for a while, only to have some radio static and retuning push them off course.
The ways in which Watts is able to merge a well-turned melody with its own destruction on the pieces shows an admirable mix of the traditional with the avant-garde, and this mix shows a unique style that is quite difficult to place alongside other performers on the current scene. The languid tangos that pepper the collection hint at late night revels, and these are generously shot through with either high tempo rag-time playing or simply with noise. Each of Watts’ melodies has a charming sense of pathos, and you can just imagine Charlie Chaplin walking into the sunset as the closing credits appear on the screen. Most of Watts’ tunes felt as if they were written for the end of a film… perhaps his next set could be about beginnings.
The instrumentation on the CD is also worth noting, because it does not seem like a formally configured grouping of instruments but rather a collection of players who have brought their kit to an after show gig. Each player is clearly having a ball, playing in an exaggerated manner when called upon, but also working the melodies with grace and panache. It is hard to believe that this is a debut set of tunes and I hope that Watts continues to make his own original sound for many years to come.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
