Oct 31 2016
Work Space: Clovis Nicolas, Manhattan
Here’s the work space of bassist Clovis Nicolas.
The space is located in Manhattan, in the SoHa neighborhood of Harlem.
Some of the music originating from this work space ended up on Nicolas’s 2014 release Nine Stories. It was one of my Wondering Sound recommendations back when it came out, and I find it no less enjoyable a few years later. Of the album, I wrote (in part)…
Nice session from bassist Nicolas, who leads a sextet through a series of straight-ahead tunes. Many of those tunes take a hard bop approach… some nice swing, some pleasant groove, lots of heat. But a few of the tracks take on the mannerisms of modern straight-ahead, leading to strong melodies being allowed to roam further from home. These instances, however, still provide plenty to appeal to the old-school crowd.
Re-listening to the album for the first time in a while, I find that those compositions with a modern sound still burn pretty strong. That said, it’s also cool to hear a rendition of Sonny Rollins’ “The Bridge.”
Here’s one of my favorites, the track “Thon’s Tea,” which would fall under the modern category…
Your album personnel: Clovis Nicolas (bass), Riley Mulherkar (trumpet), Luca Stoll (tenor & soprano saxes), Alex Wintz (guitar), Tadataka Unno (piano) and Jimmy MacBride (drums).
The album was released on Sunnyside Records, and you can listen to more of the album on their Bandcamp page.
You can explore more of Nicolas’s music on his Soundcloud page and his artist site.
The album Nine Stories is available at: Bandcamp | Amazon | eMusic
On the horizon: Nicolas is about the enter the recording studio for his next release. It’ll be a quartet date with tenor sax, trumpet, drums and his bass. He also appeared on the new release, Samora Pinderhughes’ The Transformations Suite, which is in my queue and seemed more than a little intriguing. You can check it out for yourself on Bandcamp.
*****
Bird is the Worm had a Tumblr site. It was titled Work Space. Its raison d’etre was to present the areas where the artist is in the thick of their creativity, the places where the inspiration happens before a project makes its way to a recording studio.
Well, Work Space is still gonna happen, but we ditched the Tumblr site and post those photos directly on Bird is the Worm. Get in touch if you’d like to be featured. Here’s a post (LINK) that explains what we’re looking for (but ignore all references to Tumblr, as the previous paragraph already explains).
Jan 2 2018
Work Space: Matthew Bourne, Yorkshire, England
Here’s the work space of pianist Matthew Bourne.
The space is located in Bourne’s rural Yorkshire home.
This is where Bourne’s 2017 release Isotach was brought to life. Overlooking the moors, the music of Isotach reflects the stark beauty of the countryside.
A solo piano work with a bit of cello added in for effect, Isotach was one of the best things to come out in 2017. On this site, I wrote:
There’s a sparseness to Isotach and it’s delivered with a delicate touch, and yet somehow, each piece resonates with a strength that could obliterate entire cities with a single note. After a series of recordings sourcing from experiments on the moog, Matthew Bourne returns to piano, and the results are as stunning as anything released this year.
It earned the #25 slot on the Best of 2017 list. It was also included in my Best of Bandcamp Jazz column for The Bandcamp Daily.
Here’s the title-track from Isotach.
Your album personnel: Matthew Bourne (piano, cello).
The album was released on the Leaf Label, and you can listen to more of the on the artist’s Bandcamp page.
Be sure to check out Bourne’s artist site.
The album Isotach is available at: Bandcamp | Amazon | eMusic
On the horizon: Matthew has already moved onto new projects, which had led to new music and upcoming recordings. Unsurprisingly, they diverge from the sounds of past projects. You can check it out for yourself on Bandcamp. There’s also news of the music on his artist site.
Well, Work Space is still gonna happen, but we ditched the Tumblr site and post those photos directly on Bird is the Worm. Get in touch if you’d like to be featured. Here’s a post (LINK) that explains what we’re looking for (but ignore all references to Tumblr, as the previous paragraph already explains).
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By davesumner • Work Space • 0 • Tags: Work Space