Album Information:
Recorded 3 years after their debut album Conversations,
Songs Of The Year sees this drummerless trio continue their musical
explorations of Ben Crosland’s fine compositions. Recorded on Crosland’s own
Jazz Cat label, Songs Of The Year is a concept album comprising of 12 songs
based on the English Meteorological calendar. Crosland originally composed 8 of
the tunes for a much larger ensemble to perform at the 2003 Malden Jazz
Festival. The success of this session eventually led to 4 more compositions and
this fine recording.
Lodder introduces the opening tune, Crystal Morning, with
shimmering broken-chords, evoking the silent, biting nature of those early
winter rises. Waterman’s take of the melody flows with an absorbing clarity
above Lodder and Crosland. Waterman’s sound is a big draw to this album. He
ties punchy, staccato accents alongside melodious streams with natural
familiarity. Nothing ever sounds forced or pre-conceived, just unpretentious
and sincere. Crosland’s playing gives the tune a gorgeous depth, whilst
Lodder’s accompanying note clusters elicit the clash between the cold morning
air and serene pastoral remoteness.
In contrast Lazy Heat, the fifth track on the album, stirs
memories of British summers; strolls down the promenade, 99ers spilling on to
the deckchairs of Blackpool’s sea-front – Crosland is from Huddersfield after
all! Lodder is given free-reign on the Hammond organ, immediately evoking those
Punch And Judy flashbacks, but this is no novelty number. Lodder regularly
plays the organ in Asaf Sirkis’ Inner Noise trio, a real modern rock-jazz unit.
Add to this the subtle warmth of Waterman’s muted trumpet, plus the swinging,
walking bass of Crosland, and it’s a Jimmy Smith meets Miles Davis jam session!
Lodder also uses electric piano on a couple of numbers,
including Storm Warning, an up-tempo tune with a driving, pulsating beat and a
melody reminiscent of Freddy Hubbard’s work on Blue Note. The swirling, nimble
finger work in Lodder’s solo echoes Chick Corea’s Return To Forever, and Crosland’s
hard swinging style is executed with aplomb.
This is gorgeous album that stays true to the chamber
jazz (emphasis on jazz) ethos from Conversations. It’s too easy to forget that
Crosland composed all of these tunes, all of which demonstrate his honed craft
in song writing. The three-year gap between the recording of Conversations and
Songs Of The Year was well worth the wait.
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