Advertisement
Advertisement

Reviewed: Colin Steele Quartet | Airelle Besson, Sebastian Sternal, Jonas Burgwinkel | Ofri Nehemya

Colin Steele Quartet: The Blue Nile (Marina MA 99) | Airelle Besson, Sebastian Sternal, Jonas Burgwinkel: Surprise! (AJT787619) | Ofri Nehemya: Time Traveller (AR00113)

Colin Steele Quartet: The Blue Nile (Marina MA 99)

Some musicians tastelessly plunder songbooks from other artists. Some merely copy the material because they have run out of ideas. Some (in rare cases) burnish the original songs with fresh meaning and depth. Colin Steele most definitely falls into the last category with this stunning album of material from The Blue Nile.

Starting in the early 1980s, the Blue Nile were experts in sophisticated pop and ambient, reflective music. Their slightly melancholy songs are perfect for jazz, and Colin Steele and his quartet have treated the music with respect and love. Pianist Dave Milligan must get a special mention for his wonderful arrangements of the 10 tracks, which lend the whole project a reflective and understated sense of class and restraint. The playing throughout is sublime. Calum Gourlay (bass) and drummer Alyn Cosker weave an air of mystery into the album with subtle bass and drumming reminiscent of some of the finest Scandinavian and European jazz – which is meant as the highest of compliments. Milligan’s piano provides emotion and depth, leaving Steele to explore the soul of the songs with some achingly lovely phrasing on trumpet.

‘…this has become one of my most listened to albums of the year’

- Advertisement -

This album completes a trilogy of songbook projects from the quartet. This started with interpretations of music from The Pearlfishers and continued with covers of Joni Mitchell. As enjoyable as those albums are, this latest one of Blue Nile songs has taken the quartet to new heights. There is an emotional depth and connection with the material that makes this a powerful, moving listen. From the haunting opening strains of Easter Parade, to a gorgeous arrangement of Family Life and the bluesy wrap-up of Happiness, this has become one of my most listened to albums of the year. When the right material meets the right musicians, magic takes place, and here is the proof. Every nuance of this subtle, intimate music is captured with superb engineering from Stuart Hamilton at Castlesound Studios – which is where the Blue Nile recorded their albums. Nothing short of a masterpiece from the Colin Steele Quartet and a joy to review.

Airelle Besson, Sebastian Sternal, Jonas Burgwinkel: Surprise! (AJT787619)

An impressive trio of musicians come together for this dynamic and diverse set of songs featuring trumpet, keyboard and drums. Airelle Besson, the French multi-award-winning trumpeter, composer and arranger, has teamed up with Sebastian Sternal, a German jazz pianist and professor of jazz piano, plus German drummer and drum professor Jonas Burgwinkel.

- Advertisement -

Despite the academic credentials, the music is free-flowing and enjoyable rather than too heavy on the theory. Besson cites Keith Jarrett and Bach as major influences on her work, and the compositions she offers on this album are certainly rich in both precision and improvisation. Time To Say Goodbye, the album’s opener, is a hauntingly simple melody that delivers high impact and instantly engages the listener. Sternal’s compositions sound slightly more angular, fragmented and scurrying, but work well alongside the tracks written by Besson.

Given the different background and influences brought to the project by Besson, Sternal and Burgwinkel, there is an impressive cohesion to the album despite those differences. Besson’s playing on trumpet is very much the glue that binds the album, moving seamlessly from wistful and melodic to challenging and experimental as the mood demands. A sense of energy and enquiry characterises the music across the span of its 42 minutes.

- Advertisement -

Ofri Nehemya: Time Traveller (AR00113)

Time Traveller is drummer and composer Ofri Nehemya’s debut album. Born and raised in a musical family, Nehemya built on his musical studies in Israel by performing with his teachers and getting involved in the local jazz scene. Moving to New York at the age of 22, Ofri joined the band of bass player and composer Omer Avital, worked with pianist Shai Maestro and recorded two albums with him for ECM. After touring and recording with some big names in jazz, with this release Nehemya has now become a bandleader in his own right.

Time Traveller is a very polished debut on which Ofri draws on some of his earliest compositions, demonstrating a link between jazz, fusion and Middle Eastern influences. The structures of the songs show considerable maturity in composition and performance from such a young musician. A sense of looking back but also contemplating the future shapes the overall album. The ticking of the clock, the rhythm of time, is present in Nehemya’s drumming, and the tracks are accessible, contemporary and very listenable.

Working with highly accomplished colleagues – Nitzan Bar on guitar, Tomer Bar on keyboards and Tal Mashiach on bass and guitars – Nehemya builds on friendships that have developed over the years. What impresses is the intricate, restrained connection between these musicians. Katniss is a lovely melodic composition, with Ofri happy to provide a gentle background rhythm as Tomer and Nitzan Bar explore and develop ideas on piano and guitar. Equally mature in approach is Memories, A Mother’s Light – a piano-led ballad that blossoms into a rich collaboration of ideas from all members of the band. Ten Years From Now ups the tempo a bit with, as the title suggests, a look ahead, and features some bluesy, questioning guitar solos.

Appropriately for a debut album, Nehemya closes Time Traveller with a drum solo track, One For Myself. Again, this shows a depth of musical ability and restraint in that it highlights considerable skills without ever sounding like grandstanding. At just under 50 minutes, the eight tracks demonstrate Ofri Nehemya’s talents as drummer and composer, and by anyone’s standards this is an impressive and enjoyable debut release.

- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

Read more

More articles