Ophelia Gordon: Kapustin, Between The Lines
This debut from British pianist Ophelia Gordon is a solo album – but features two musicians. Ukrainian pianist Nikolai Kapustin (1937-2020) perches on his protégé’s shoulder to observe her renditions of 20 of his tunes. It’s probably sent here for review because Kapustin’s work blends classical structures with rhythmic and harmonic ideas from the jazz tradition. However, it’s fully composed, with no improvisation. Some may thus question the jazz value but it is nevertheless a perspective on jazz, much composition begins as improvisation, and Gordon is a very polished player.
That polish glimmers on the contours of the clear-cut fiddly bits and intricate twiddly bits that characterise the music. Big Band Sounds Op. 46 is a sparkling ragtime-ish number that evokes an imagined silent movie. The piano sound is gorgeously warm and Gordon’s enunciation of each twisting phrase is deliciously crisp. Prelude No. 11 in B Major is another peppery piece, where listeners glimpse more of Gordon’s personality through the track’s funky attitude and swaggering blues feeling. Prelude No. 5 in D Major is a dreamier tune that Gordon nudges along with great skill. Eight concert etudes turn a blazing spotlight on the pianist’s fast-flying fingertips. It’s a collection of high-energy excursions that unleash endless avalanches of sonic matter. Clearly, Gordon has achieved outstanding levels of instrumental proficiency and has wolfed a triple helping of Weetabix, too.
This is a toe-in-the-water release that introduces an impressive talent to the world. It would be interesting to hear Ophelia Gordon playing jazz standards with a trio and improvising.
Discography
Big Band Sounds, Op. 46; Selections From 24 Jazz Preludes, Op. 53; Contemplation, Op. 47; Concert Etudes, Op. 40; Paraphrase On Dizzy Gillespie’s Manteca For Two Pianos, Op. 129 (63.44)
Gordon (p). London, 2024-2025.
Divine Art DDX 21130
Sara Serpa and Matt Mitchell: End Of Something
Listeners lose their bearings in this album of low-lying cloud. Pianist Matt Mittchell and singer Sara Serpa generate an immersive experience via 15 portentous compositions and improvisations. But the duo gently leads its audience across an out-of-focus landscape – with bright light shining from the piano’s sharp-angled sound and warm hands reaching out from the smudged edges of the vocals. The album’s blurry character is perhaps a result of the long recording process, which stretched over 12 months. End Of Something is also a contextual collage, with original pieces by both artists that leverage quotes from philosophers and poets. That gives the music a richly stratified quality that rewards careful investigation.
First up is a Serpa composition called News Cycle. It’s an uptempo number, where piano and vocalisations helix around similar cadences and colours. Serpa’s gift for addressing her song’s topic without language is displayed lucidly here. Audible breathing patterns, as well as the micro-undulations of Serpa’s voice, give the recording a pleasing texture. Mitchell’s written contributions often stick to on-the-beat figures that feel lean and modest. The title track, for example, begins with a hesitant arpeggio-like shape. Serpa hisses a shushing noise. It’s a typically ominous piece.
Les Bergers, from Oliver Messiaen’s La Nativité Du Seigneur, is the album’s only second-hand composition. The artists spend time working separately here. Mitchell gets things started with a high-register passage. Serpa enjoys some alone-time in the middle of the track. Her voice has a pyramid property, with expansive low notes at the bottom and laser-focused high notes on top.
End Of Something is an aural kaleidoscope that presents familiar shapes and pretty patterns – then twists them, blurs them and moves to the next, the next, the next. Serpa and Mitchell combine their ideas with patience, warmth and sensitivity. Listeners may lose their bearings. But they gain a lot, too.
Discography
News Cycle; Diction; Hyper Pathos; The Future; Trouvaille; Les Bergers; Gluey Clamor; Carry You Like A River; Fettleau; Elegiac Foldouts; Ar e Vento; Tooth Helmet; End Of Something; Dead Spirits; Hypo Bathos (51.11)
Serpa (v); Mitchell (p). New York, 5 December 2023.
Obliquity Records
Kate Wyatt: Murmurations
This album’s title refers to the movement of a large flock of birds, often forming wave-like patterns. It’s the right name. The trio’s music sweeps and swirls effortlessly. Individual tracks share a similar size, shape and colour. But listeners who possess suitably robust sonic binoculars will find intriguing distinctions in the crest and plumage of each trill, song and solo.
Canadian pianist Kate Wyatt composed most of the 11 tracks on Murmurations, which is her second release. Drummer Louis-Vincent Hamel contributes one tune, while bassist Adrian Vedady wrote two pieces and arranged another – the Kurt Weill standard, Mack The Knife. They present their swing-driven work via open-eared interplay. Unusually, the album’s only borrowed song sits up front instead of being plonked on the end. It’s a clever starting point that showcases the group’s imaginative prowess by darkening a chirpy tune into something more threatening. Vedady plays a calm-tempered solo that favours motifs over momentum.
Finding and Patience are two halves of one compositional concept, intended to prioritise music with plenty of empty space. The first piece expresses a sadder sentiment that seems off script, off kilter and slightly off with the fairies. The second has more pep in its step. It includes a solo from Wyatt, who permits her fingers to meander freely in a single-line style. There’s a pleasant propulsive thrust to the galloping rhythm on Going To The Sun. It carries a shoulder-bumpy attitude that contrasts with the rest of the music. Hamel gets a chance to stretch out here and makes a tentative start before rising to a rattly finish.
Kate Wyatt steers her three-bird flock through a gliding and graceful display on this satisfying record. Murmurations is aptly named, adeptly composed and ably delivered. A sleek and high-soaring album.
Discography
Mack The Knife; Murmurations; Sunrise; Coruscation; Finding; Patience; Going To The Sun; Bardo; Succession; Embers; Music Is Beautiful (53.23)
Wyatt (P); Adrian Vedady (b); Louis-Vincent Hamel (d). Montreal, 2025.
katewyattpiano.com