Well the word’s out and Monday 22 April is now confirmed for the release of Light From Old Stars, the Kit Downes quintet album first revealed in these pages on New Year’s Day. http://marlbank.tumblr.com/post/39377045983/1683
Featuring members of the London-based, Norwich reared, award winning pianist’s trio: that’s bassist Calum Gourlay (also on crooner Anthony Strong’s Stepping Out to be released a fortnight earlier by Naïve), and drummer James Maddren, with Golden Age of Steam’s James Allsopp on bass clarinet, and cellist Lucy Railton.
The album was recorded at Fishmarket Studios by Robert Harder who produced The Cherry Thing.
Light From Old Stars combines a variety of elements from chamber jazz signifiers in the arranging style through to free improv on a track such as ‘Owls’ and the more cinematic “road movie” conception of ‘Outlaws’, or the remoulded ‘jam’ blow-out feel of ‘What’s the Rumpus.’
Recorded on a special Steinway sourced from Beccles in Suffolk Light From Old Stars is to be released as reported previously by London-based indie jazz label Basho, home to The Impossible Gentlemen, and follows Downes’ Basho albums the Mercury nominated trio album Golden (2009), and Quiet Tiger (2011).
Tracks are ‘Wonder and Colossus’, ‘Bley Days’, ‘Outlaws’, ‘What’s the Rumpus’, ‘Two Ones’, ‘Falling, Dancing’, ‘Owls’, ‘The Mad Wren’, and ‘Jan Johansson’.
The cover of ‘lost leader’ Jan Johansson’s masterwork, above
‘Bley Days’, which the quintet played live on selected dates last year, is Downes’ homage to Paul Bley, and the final track is clearly named as a tribute for the lost leader of Swedish jazz, pianist Jan Johansson who died at the young age of 37 in 1968.
Johansson is best known for his classic album Jazz på svenska (‘Jazz in Swedish’), which used European folk music as an ingredient for jazz improvisation, one of the first so to do.
‘Jan Johansson’ is a quietly yearning dream-like track that begins with a scamperingly laidback Maddren rhythm, a low piano rumble, and a lovely melody line that Downes and cellist Railton state in unison before the softly unfolding melody line ascends. SG
Updated quintet tour dates include: The Verdict, Brighton, tomorrow (8 March); The Hive, Shrewsbury 13 April; Bonnington Theatre, Nottingham 18 April; and Jazz in the Round at the Cockpit Theatre, London, on 29 April, with more dates in May and June
The Kit Downes quintet top (courtesy Basho records); and Kit Downes, pictured in London, with St Paul’s, and Blackfriars bridge in the distance behind him (photo: Yamaha)