If you’re prepared to dig a little deeper with this music, you’ll uncover lots of musical surprises. Jazz fans will find plenty of interesting music to explore on this release.
Earshift Music – EAR 103
Danny Widdicombe (vocals, guitar, synth); Sean Foran (piano, keyboards); Samuel Vincent (electric bass); John Parker (drums, percussion); Luke Moller (strings)
Recorded Frying Pan Studios, Mona, Australia January 2024
Jazz, as the well-worn saying goes, is a broad church that combines with a wide range of musical genres, often shaping them into something new and engaging. This collaboration between singer/composer/guitarist Danny Widdicombe and jazz trio Trichotomy certainly pushes at the boundaries of jazz, bringing strong elements of rock, folk, soul, funk, country and pop into the mix.
This is their second collaboration. Their first resulted in the award-winning album Between The Lines, released in 2020. Widdicombe also guested on Trichotomy’s 2023 album To Vanish. As Widdicombe explained in an interview with Jazz Views earlier this year, Iridescence is a continuation of that project, with a number of songs written during the earlier sessions. He also described their approach to the recording: ‘We gave the music more space to be more free-form and exploratory. A lot of it we improvised/wrote in the studio.’ All four musicians are credited with the compositions and arrangements.
Widdicombe comes from a country blues background, while Trichotomy has been together for fifteen years, releasing more than half a dozen albums. Sean Foran, Samuel Vincent and John Parker all have impressive jazz chops (the track ‘Mercury’ for example, from To Vanish is straight out of EST/Go-Go Penguin territory and a splendid performance).
The country rock sound permeates through the opening track, ‘Ebb And Flow,’ a midtempo song featuring soft rock beat, pedal steel guitar and dreamy vocals (Widdicombe’s website describes him possessing: ‘an honest and world-weary voice.’). It’s a nice tune and Widdicombe has a good voice, but it’s a lot closer to American rock than jazz.
But if you’re tempted to stop listening at this point and dismiss the music, hold your horses, because it’s well worth exploring a little further. The album’s two instrumentals, the title track and ‘Shipping News’, highlight the jazz trio’s playing, especially Sean Foran’s keyboard skills. The latter also has some fine jazz guitar licks from Widdicombe. ‘It’ll Be Ok’ is inspired by the gritty New Orleans funk of The Meters. ‘Hypocrite’ and ‘Stare Into Sun’ initially sound like a county-rock/soft-rock tunes but also feature nimble jazz solos by Foran on electric piano. The closing number ‘It’s Your Turn’ neatly combines a gritty soulful vocal performance with elements of jazz, funk and blues.
If you’re prepared to dig a little deeper with this music, you’ll uncover lots of musical surprises. Jazz fans will find plenty of interesting music to explore on this release.
