Seriously - does jazz get any better? Featuring covers of 'The Black Angel' by Kenny Barron and 'Crystal Silence' by Chick Corea - the latter has a sumptuous Ambrose Akinmusire solo - plus US pianist Billy Childs' own tunes steeped in nostalgia, this quartet affair (the Childs band completed by bassist Scott Colley and by drummer Brian Blade) the leader takes inspiration in movie score noir. This sits more than well alongside Charlie Haden's Quartet West navigations of the dark romance of classic Hollywood psychological drama - the difference is the more expansive style that Childs injects. While only a small group record it sounds so orchestral and scaled up therein lies the skill of the writing and the open architecture of the group interplay. Deserves every award and honour going.
'The End of Innocence' is streaming ahead of the full album's release on 17 March
MORE READING:
Billy Childs' Acceptance - review, 2020
Tags: reviews