//

Jeff Williams’ The Listener released next week doesn’t shout from the rooftops: it doesn’t have to. But, in case you were wondering, it’s not whispery-soft either and might make you a convert to ‘human scale’ recordings. An American in London Williams can sound like the late Paul Motian at times but really it’s not an issue hunting down the stylistic lineage. The Listener knows where it lives in terms of style, which is always an advantage as there’s no self-consciousness; and the composing is excellent the musicians working piece by piece to build the record into something special. Recorded a year ago at the Vortex  it’s fitting that Williams is launching the album there this time in the company of Finn Peters (known for his album Su-Ling), Josh Arcoleo (ex-Pee Wee Ellis), Kit Downes (http://bit.ly/18pzqGo) and Sam Lasserson recently in action at the club with Ethan Iverson. On the record, going by the applause, the club audience really got the treatment of the Saul Chaplin and Sammy Cahn standard ‘Dedicated to You’. Maybe they will next Tuesday as well if it makes the set-list. Tickets www.vortexjazz.co.uk
Jeff Williams above