Solace by Roy Powell
“It is my belief that in such times as these, the need for beauty is greater than ever. The quiet, simple voice speaks loudly faced with despair. Music is made to help us live”. Roy Powell
"Solace" with its nine balladic originals is Roy Powell’s fourth album as a leader and is his second for Nagel Heyer Records. In a recording career starting some nine years ago with "A Big Sky" 1994 ("It would be surprising if a more comprehensively conceived electric jazz record were to be issued this side of the millennium." Gramophone Jazz Good CD Guide) Powell’s music has explored such genres within jazz as fusion (A Big Sky), free improvised (Holus), post bop (North by Northwest), and now his attention is turned to a simpler more understated acoustic trio jazz.
Soon after releasing "A Big Sky" Powell moved from England to Norway where he has been based since; that country’s prominence at the epicentre of European jazz trends seems to have influenced Powell in his choices both of sidemen and the direction his music has taken. The trio consist of some of Scandinavia’s most in-demand musicians with credits including newer, cutting- edge jazz performers such as Supersilent, Bugge Wessletoft, Nils Petter Molvær, Silje Nergaard as well as more established names such as Billy Cobham, Michael Brecker, Art Farmer etc.
There is a distinct “coolness” to much Scandinavian jazz and it is this influence together with Powell’s continuing devotion to the music of Miles Davis that informs the music on this CD.
Powell’s previous recording for Nagel Heyer Records "North by Northwest" was chosen as Best Jazz CD of 2001 by Amazon UK.
Tracklist
| 1. | Solace | 6:08 |
| 2. | Another Time Another Place | 5:52 |
| 3. | Love's Circles | 4:49 |
| 4. | Rendezvous | 4:23 |
| 5. | The Garden's Song | 4:39 |
| 6. | Nymphs | 6:25 |
| 7. | Lament | 6:23 |
| 8. | Absolution | 5:45 |
| 9. | My Beatrice | 4:52 |
Credits
Roy Powell - piano
Terje Gewelt - bass
Jarle Vespestad - drums
License
All rights reserved.
Roy Powell (born 2 October 1965) is a British jazz pianist. In the 1970s, when other teenagers were listening to The Clash and The Ramones, Powell was listening to Duke Ellington and Miles Davis.
He attended the Royal Northern College of Music, studying piano and composition. After departing school, he started a jazz fusion band and choreographed a ballet. In 1995 he moved to Norway to teach.