I’ve featured a few albums from last week already, but before I turn to today’s new releases I wanted to squeeze in a few words about Little North, who’ve returned with their unique hybrid of American jazz and classical influences in a new release entitled ‘Familiar Places’.
They’re a young 3 piece piano trio from Denmark, and they‘ve already released an album, the acclaimed ‘Finding Seagulls’, and on this release they’ve been joined on some tracks by trumpeter Kasper Tranberg and the particularly interesting Swedish indie guitar songwriter Viktor Spasov - who I really must write about at some point.
Anyway their writing and performing is described as “near-telepathic”, and that is apparent from the very start of opening track ‘Running Down the Park’, which has the most beautiful subtle piano chord progressions which will immediately make you feel as if you’re being drawn towards your favourite comfy armchair.
‘Calysteglia’ draws on classical piano influences, which I’d try and guess but would probably get wrong (Ravel, Satie perhaps) and it’s accompanied by a beautifully expressive trumpet, whilst ‘Tide’ is just mesmerising as it slowly builds up in intensity.
Of course regular readers will know my knowledge on Jazz is pretty limited so I’m just going to suggest you go away and explore this one for yourself, but the performances by all the musicians are stunning and the result is a really absorbing album, which will take you thousands of miles away from the stresses of daily life.
Comments