If ever there was an album to simply drift away with, it’s this. It has the same power as Herbie Hancock’s 1965 Maiden Voyage, in that it requires total attention from the listener to really feel its benefits; press play, sit back and immerse yourself in unrushed genius.
There is a timeless quality to the tracks, with the production allowing the music to breathe and giving the feeling of being in the same room as the musicians. Nichols Blues is pure Miles Davis/Blue Note joy, with each facet from crisp trumpet to a gorgeous piano solo underpinned by a bouncing bass set against that tappity-tap drum and a sax that guides you through the music – stunning!
From Dust opens with a lovely organic bass intro, the knock of strings on the neck. It’s haunting and poignant, before piano and a thoughtful trumpet enter – understated, lazy Sunday morning brilliance.
Just when it feels like the album needs a change of pace, we’re treated to Green Juice. When I say “change of pace” I mean that literally, because the pace of the tune shifts from bebop to swing and back again within a short run-time.
All in all, I enjoyed this album. It feels in parts like a throwback to those combos that peopled the basements of smoky jazz clubs in the 50s and 60s but it also feels modern and bang up to date. This is definitely a musician I’ll be keeping an eye (and ear) out for.
Discography
When All Is Said And “Dunn”; Treyarnon; Nichols Blues; From Dust; Every Cloud; Green Juice; Nebula (40.52)
Nichols (t, flh); Charlie Rees (ts); Reuben Goldmark (p); John Jones (b); Amund Kleppan (d). UK, 2023.
Ubuntu Music UBUO159
