For their Watermill gig, Tommy Smith and Gwilym Simcock mainly featured their own compositions. Tommy played with expressive power, occasionally using high-register harmonics and fluently navigating the complex chord progressions of the tunes. Gwilym maintained a strong forward momentum in his piano accompaniment, and played intricately spiralling lines during his solos.
Eternal Light (the title of their current album) featured an atmospheric piano introduction from Gwilym with mysterious impressionistic harmonies. Body Or Soul (an original tune, not the well-known standard) featured Tommy playing a folk-inspired melody reminiscent of a Scottish lament. The only standard, Blue In Green, was slowly revealed by fragments of the melody gradually unfolding inside Gwilym’s angular chords and reharmonisations. The gig concluded with Gwilym’s One Hand Blues, a humorous reference to his experience of becoming a father and having to hold the baby under one arm all the time.
Gwilym Simcock (p) and Tommy Smith (ts) at Watermill Jazz Club, Betchworth Park Golf Club, Dorking, Surrey, Tuesday, 14 October 2025
