Small Blue is a piano trio in the modern jazz tradition comprising David Beebee (piano), Marianne Windham (bass) and Martin Pyne (drums), but while one would imagine the bandleader and composer would be Beebee it is actually Pyne, who normally is more well-known as an improvising drummer. In many ways, the music hangs on the work of Windham, as it is often her bass which keeps provides the structure for the other two to work from, with her skeleton allowing the flesh to survive and for the result to stand up on its own.
Space is a very important aspect of this album, combined with wonderful touches from all, meaning that to get the best from it is really does need to be played on headphones as otherwise some of the nuances would get lost in the ambient room noise. Although the musical style is very different, I did find myself being reminded of Roger Eno’s classic ‘Fragile (Music)’, where space combines with piano as an important additional instrument. Pyne must have been playing with a huge smile on his face while they were in the studio as there is a real feeling of happy enjoyment coming from those involved which is then replicated in the listener. Although the album is instrumental, there are notes within the digipak detailing what inspired each song, and it is certainly a very diverse list indeed. Delightful, enjoyable, relaxing, the world feels much more at peace while this is playing.
Rating: 9/10
Links:
https://discus-music.org/