- Label: 'Clonmell Jazz Social'
- Genre: 'Ambient'
- Release Date: '30th May 2025'
Our Rating:
Following the advice that discretion is the better part of valour, the instrumental textures on this album are never jarring or exaggerated.
Bassist Joel Humann and drummer Joshua Blackmore ensure nothing disrupts Ted Morcaldi’s elegant and harmonious guitar refrains. The Connecticut born, Cambridgeshire based guitarist focuses on the luminous over the dark, leaving the arrangements light and open-ended.
The mostly understated mood is more akin to ambient than jazz. The gentler side of Pat Metheny springs to mind,
The tracks are mostly short with only the most strident piece Stand There exceeding six minutes.
All the tunes are by Morcaldi with the exception of a cover of David Bowie’s Art Decade which features Blackstar Tim Lefebvre on bass and effects.
Onward is based on an improvisation Morcaldi recorded the night of Jon Hassell’s death.
The chill out factor is high and Pealing Bells also suggests that spiritual inspirations are never far away.
