Colin Steele: Stramash (Gadgemo Records GAD001)
There is a piano introduction that sets a poised tone, almost jazzy but not quite, then a bunch of folk fiddles underpinned by cello set up a melody that could be a centuries old Scottish traditional song, and that is soon underpinned by jazz acoustic bass and brushed drums as a rich, grainy and lyrical tenor saxophone sets up an unmistakably jazz solo that soars over the whole.
This is The Recurring Dream, the first of 11 tunes that make up the main body of Stramash, written for the most part on the island of Islay. There has always been a strong Scottish traditional feeling at the heart of the trumpeter’s compositions but it has never had so overtly a folk element as with this band which sets his jazz quintet (Phil Bancroft on tenor, Dave Milligan on piano, Aidan O’Donnell on double bass and Stu Ritchie on drums) alongside the pipes and whistles of Rory Campbell, the fiddles of Aidan O’Rourke, Catriona MacDonald and Mairi Campbell, and the cello of Su-a Lee.
For music to put the hairs up on the back of your neck and have your eyes prickling with moisture, try Farewell My Love which is given a stately reading on the pipes by Campbell against a string cushion. This would be enough to stir the soul, especially a purely folk one, but it’s the jazz soul that is stirred when, just over two minutes in, there is a piano chord of an unfolky hue and Steele enters with muted trumpet and a yearning improvisation. The whole thing lifts into another realm before both musical worlds unite at the close.
It is this ability to blend these folk and jazz traditions that marks Steele out as an important composer and this as an album of importance. It’s always been the natural place to look for a locally inspired jazz music to match the blues-sourced jazz from America, and while Stramash may lean pretty heavily towards the folk side, this disc proves it can be done.
It not only contains some great tunes, the playing by all is of the highest level. And Dave Milligan is a soloist who, for some reason, always has me swearing with appreciation. He’s that *&%$@ good.
Categories: CD review
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