TRIALOGUE - First Flight
Spark: SPARK005
Chris McMurran: piano; Arvin Vaghela: doube bass; Alexander Blackwell: drums
The title track of this CD, composed by Vaghela, pays homage to Herbie Hancock’s ‘Maiden Voyage’, but does so in a way that manages to be both oblique and obvious. In much the same way, McMurran’s cover art for the CD creates an impression of the work of M.C. Escher without directly copying it. In this way, the trio have a way of working that highlights a wide range of influences while striving for their own individuality. This is, perhaps not surprising, given the backgrounds of the musicians: they met as scientists in Cambridge in 2015. Several of the pieces make reference to their day jobs as working scientists, for example, track 4 ‘Mother Tongue’ is inspired by the FOXP2 gene which underpins language development and track 8 ‘ Bhaskara’s Wheel’ is influenced by the attempt to create perpetual motion.
The desire to delve deeply into the mechanics and mathematics of music is never far from the surface of the tunes on display. Having said that, what the compositions focus on is the creation of a melody that draws the listener into the way the pieces work. Even the CDs only cover version, Rogers and Hammerstein’s ‘My Favourite Things’, is taken at a pace and in a style that exposes the melody against a quietly complicated accompaniment so that it sounds familiar and oddly disjointed. Working with their own compositions shows a deep understanding, which is not surprising given McMurran being a recipient of a Dankworth Prize for Composition. ‘Seven Sounds’, for example, works an extremely single note pulse in a gently insistent minimalist vein, with occasional drum or bass bursts. Vaghela’s compositions (‘First Flight’, track 5, and ‘Petrichor’, track 3) opt for an expansive, spacey sound that resolves into compelling melodies. Certainly there is plenty here to warrant high hopes for future recordings – as long as the trio can fit the gift for making music around their day jobs (playing jazz never seems generous enough to pay the rent).
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Spark: SPARK005
Chris McMurran: piano; Arvin Vaghela: doube bass; Alexander Blackwell: drums
The title track of this CD, composed by Vaghela, pays homage to Herbie Hancock’s ‘Maiden Voyage’, but does so in a way that manages to be both oblique and obvious. In much the same way, McMurran’s cover art for the CD creates an impression of the work of M.C. Escher without directly copying it. In this way, the trio have a way of working that highlights a wide range of influences while striving for their own individuality. This is, perhaps not surprising, given the backgrounds of the musicians: they met as scientists in Cambridge in 2015. Several of the pieces make reference to their day jobs as working scientists, for example, track 4 ‘Mother Tongue’ is inspired by the FOXP2 gene which underpins language development and track 8 ‘ Bhaskara’s Wheel’ is influenced by the attempt to create perpetual motion.
The desire to delve deeply into the mechanics and mathematics of music is never far from the surface of the tunes on display. Having said that, what the compositions focus on is the creation of a melody that draws the listener into the way the pieces work. Even the CDs only cover version, Rogers and Hammerstein’s ‘My Favourite Things’, is taken at a pace and in a style that exposes the melody against a quietly complicated accompaniment so that it sounds familiar and oddly disjointed. Working with their own compositions shows a deep understanding, which is not surprising given McMurran being a recipient of a Dankworth Prize for Composition. ‘Seven Sounds’, for example, works an extremely single note pulse in a gently insistent minimalist vein, with occasional drum or bass bursts. Vaghela’s compositions (‘First Flight’, track 5, and ‘Petrichor’, track 3) opt for an expansive, spacey sound that resolves into compelling melodies. Certainly there is plenty here to warrant high hopes for future recordings – as long as the trio can fit the gift for making music around their day jobs (playing jazz never seems generous enough to pay the rent).
Reviewed by Chris Baber
