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Instrumation

Gwilym Simcock

Instrumation

Price: € 22.95
Format: CD
Label: ACT music
UPC: 0614427956422
Catnr: ACT 95642
Release date: 15 August 2014
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Label
ACT music
UPC
0614427956422
Catalogue number
ACT 95642
Release date
15 August 2014
Album
Artist(s)
Composer(s)
EN

About the album

I wrote 'Move!' for myself on piano with the City of London Sinfonia in Spring 2011. When the opportunity came to record it I decided to enhance the rhythmic aspect of the music by creating a trio with Yuri and Martin at the heart of the piece. This allowed me to explore further the improvised sections of the music, and although I've been a little more selfish than usual in taking most of the solo spots, it is the interplay of the rhythm section as a whole which I feel gives the music its drive and energy. The suite runs straight through as one long piece of music, with solo interludes providing a link between the varying styles of the three movements, and providing a contrast to the through-composed nature of them.

'Clunky' is based on a very simple harmonic progression, the bass line of which is mapped out by the cello right from the initial statement. It blossoms out from this basic 4-section form, and develops with space for myself to improvise over an orchestral backing that builds underneath. This textural scheme reappears throughout the suite, and one of the interesting challenges in the mixing process was to weigh up the importance of the piano and the orchestra to create a satisfactory 'foreground' and 'background' to the music. For me the piano is simply an instrument of the ensemble, but sometimes the importance of the solo line needs to take precedence, and I hope we arrived at a successful 'blend' of these two in the end.

'Columns' refers to the initial theme, stated by the piano (coming out of the improvised interlude), which has a stately, almost chorale/organ-like feel to it. Again, the piano leads the movement from a soloist's point of view, but also has the job of fitting into the texture of the orchestra as a whole. As the movement develops, I wanted the harmonic progression to feel not only vertical but also have a strong sense of the horizontal, so the main improvised piano solo is accompanied by a lighter approach to the bass than would maybe be the case in a more conventional jazz context. At the end is a clearly stated progression of seven chords, which brings a conclusion to the harmonic arc that I wanted to create across this movement.

The second piano interlude is quite programmatic - a firing up and winding up of the 'machine' that is the spirit of 'Industrial'. In recent years I’ve tried to develop the rhythmic side of my piano playing, as well as the exploring the possibilities of becoming more expansive and less restrained in my approach to music making in general. I owe a big thanks to my fellow pianists Michael Wollny and Iiro Rantala for their inspiration in this regard - I learned a lot from playing with them recently on an ACT piano summit tour. This movement has an almost constant mechanical drive to it - beautifully led by the energetic but sensitive playing of Martin and Yuri – and this, I hope, provides an exciting climax to the suite.

'Industrial' is dedicated to my Dad, and his love of all things industrial - not to mention his fondness for a tune you can actually tap your feet to!
‘Simple Tales’ requires a little less explanation. I feel, save to say that it was originally a commission for Classical piano trio (violin, cello and piano) that I wanted to augment (as with 'Move!') by adding bass and drums. The suite has been reworked to make it more suitable for this line-up, but essentially it is a collection of more straightforward tunes that are a little more conventional in form and hopefully a suitable contrast to 'Move!' Part of me wanted to expand this line-up further, along the lines of the excellent chamber music albums made by Billy Childs in America, but I concluded that a quintet would be a more effective way to complete this recording.
'Dance!' is dedicated to my Mum and her great enjoyment of Celtic folk music.
'Mr. Bricolage' is inspired by a French builders’ merchants.

I hope you enjoy it!
Gwilym Simcock

Artist(s)

Gwilym Simcock

Chick Corea simply calls him an 'original. A creative genius', while Jamie Cullum raves about his playing: 'I'll be watching our finest young piano-player Gwilym Simcock.' Born 1981 in Wales, Simcock – now living in London –is undoubtedly right at the top of European jazz and considered one of the most gifted pianists and imaginative composers on the British scene. He took classical piano lessons at one of England's most renowned music schools from the age of three, building up a musical background that defines his playing to this day. He certainly could have become a successful classical pianist if he had not discovered Keith Jarrett's and Pat Metheny's music by the age of 15, finally drawing him into jazz. Having...
more
Chick Corea simply calls him an "original. A creative genius", while Jamie Cullum raves about his playing: "I'll be watching our finest young piano-player Gwilym Simcock." Born 1981 in Wales, Simcock – now living in London –is undoubtedly right at the top of European jazz and considered one of the most gifted pianists and imaginative composers on the British scene. He took classical piano lessons at one of England's most renowned music schools from the age of three, building up a musical background that defines his playing to this day. He certainly could have become a successful classical pianist if he had not discovered Keith Jarrett's and Pat Metheny's music by the age of 15, finally drawing him into jazz. Having completed his studies at the Royal Academy of Music he is able to move effortlessly between jazz and classical.
Simcock was acknowledged as a great talent very early on and soon got to play with stars like Dave Holland, Lee Konitz, Bob Mintzer and on Bill Bruford's "Earthworks". Winner of the Perrier Award, BBC Jazz Awards and British Jazz Awards in 2005, Simcock was the first BBC Radio 3 "New Generation Jazz Artist". He also was voted "Jazz Musician of the Year" at the 2007 Parliamentary Jazz Awards.
The release of his ACT debut "Good Days at Schloss Elmau" (ACT 9501-2) early in 2011 marks his final breakthrough. Along with recordings by Adele, Katy B and James Blake, the solo piano album was nominated for the prestigious Mercury Prize as one of Great Britain's 12 best albums of the year. His music has been widely acclaimed as 'engaging, exciting, often unexpected, melodically enthralling, complex and wonderfully optimistic' – and it is exactly his harmonic sophistication and ability to creatively combine a vast array of musical traditions to a very unique and highly energetic narrative that fascinates people.
Like a weaver combining all sorts of different threads to one beautiful drapery; Simcock fashions his musical identity out of reminiscences from Mozart, Bach, Chopin, Ravel, Gershwin or Ligeti, Shearing, Monk, Evans, Peterson – and of course Jarrett. In collaboration with saxophone player Tim Garland and percussionist Asaf Sirkis, Simcock goes even further in combining different musical traditions on his most recent ACT album "Lighthouse" (ACT 9525-2).
Together they sound out all imaginable possibilities of this unusual instrumentation and form a unique miniature orchestra in skilfully interweaving strong distinctive melodies, complex harmonies and bounding folk-tinged rhythms along with many other influences from around the world. German radio station BR Klassik praised the album as "a virtuous and energetic variety of styles all of a piece." - A judgement easily to be applied to Simcock's playing in general.

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Clark Rundell (conductor)

Composer(s)

Gwilym Simcock

Chick Corea simply calls him an 'original. A creative genius', while Jamie Cullum raves about his playing: 'I'll be watching our finest young piano-player Gwilym Simcock.' Born 1981 in Wales, Simcock – now living in London –is undoubtedly right at the top of European jazz and considered one of the most gifted pianists and imaginative composers on the British scene. He took classical piano lessons at one of England's most renowned music schools from the age of three, building up a musical background that defines his playing to this day. He certainly could have become a successful classical pianist if he had not discovered Keith Jarrett's and Pat Metheny's music by the age of 15, finally drawing him into jazz. Having...
more
Chick Corea simply calls him an "original. A creative genius", while Jamie Cullum raves about his playing: "I'll be watching our finest young piano-player Gwilym Simcock." Born 1981 in Wales, Simcock – now living in London –is undoubtedly right at the top of European jazz and considered one of the most gifted pianists and imaginative composers on the British scene. He took classical piano lessons at one of England's most renowned music schools from the age of three, building up a musical background that defines his playing to this day. He certainly could have become a successful classical pianist if he had not discovered Keith Jarrett's and Pat Metheny's music by the age of 15, finally drawing him into jazz. Having completed his studies at the Royal Academy of Music he is able to move effortlessly between jazz and classical.
Simcock was acknowledged as a great talent very early on and soon got to play with stars like Dave Holland, Lee Konitz, Bob Mintzer and on Bill Bruford's "Earthworks". Winner of the Perrier Award, BBC Jazz Awards and British Jazz Awards in 2005, Simcock was the first BBC Radio 3 "New Generation Jazz Artist". He also was voted "Jazz Musician of the Year" at the 2007 Parliamentary Jazz Awards.
The release of his ACT debut "Good Days at Schloss Elmau" (ACT 9501-2) early in 2011 marks his final breakthrough. Along with recordings by Adele, Katy B and James Blake, the solo piano album was nominated for the prestigious Mercury Prize as one of Great Britain's 12 best albums of the year. His music has been widely acclaimed as 'engaging, exciting, often unexpected, melodically enthralling, complex and wonderfully optimistic' – and it is exactly his harmonic sophistication and ability to creatively combine a vast array of musical traditions to a very unique and highly energetic narrative that fascinates people.
Like a weaver combining all sorts of different threads to one beautiful drapery; Simcock fashions his musical identity out of reminiscences from Mozart, Bach, Chopin, Ravel, Gershwin or Ligeti, Shearing, Monk, Evans, Peterson – and of course Jarrett. In collaboration with saxophone player Tim Garland and percussionist Asaf Sirkis, Simcock goes even further in combining different musical traditions on his most recent ACT album "Lighthouse" (ACT 9525-2).
Together they sound out all imaginable possibilities of this unusual instrumentation and form a unique miniature orchestra in skilfully interweaving strong distinctive melodies, complex harmonies and bounding folk-tinged rhythms along with many other influences from around the world. German radio station BR Klassik praised the album as "a virtuous and energetic variety of styles all of a piece." - A judgement easily to be applied to Simcock's playing in general.

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