Mark Edwards, In Deep, Quiet Money Recordings

First published in 2013. Kent-born Mark Edwards has a strong reputation as a gospel and jazz pianist, often in demand on the acoustic modern-mainstream jazz scene, and began his professional career touring internationally with the Style Council. And …

Published: 16 Dec 2019. Updated: 2 years.

First published in 2013. Kent-born Mark Edwards has a strong reputation as a gospel and jazz pianist, often in demand on the acoustic modern-mainstream jazz scene, and began his professional career touring internationally with the Style Council. And it’s no wonder that he's so well regarded, when you listen to In Deep.

Along with trumpeter James McMillan, Edwards has arranged this collection of instrumentals and vocal tracks, with Jazz FM Award-winning singer Carleen Anderson and gospel singer Priscilla Jones-Campbell joining Liane Carroll and Claire Martin and a band that besides Ben Castle, Andy Cleyndert and McMillan also includes influential Spin Marvel drummer Martin France who excels on '2+2=5'.

Edwards played on Carroll’s superlative Ballads album earlier in the year, and Liane returns the favour by appearing to considerable effect accompanied empathetically by Edwards on opening track ‘Enough To Be on Your Way’, the James Taylor song that appeared on Sweet Baby James’ 1997 album, Hourglass. Clearly Carroll has found her pianist, the kind of sound Don Grolnick was so astute at capturing with Carly Simon.

On the ten-track In Deep, clearly a singers' album, recorded in Hastings and Brighton, Claire Martin performs a very fine, smokey, version of Rufus Wainwright’s ‘This Love Affair’, and Anderson is in her element with a highly nuanced take on ‘Superstar’, the Leon Russell/Bonnie Bramlett song made famous by The Carpenters. A beautifully recorded album, stocked full of delights. SG

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2019 Highlight: Yes! trio, groove du jour

A stellar trio who know each other’s moves instinctively: the sound bubbling up from the drums on this Jazz and People label release Ali Jackson you may well recall from his work at the kit within the Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln …

Published: 15 Dec 2019. Updated: 4 years.

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A stellar trio who know each other’s moves instinctively: the sound bubbling up from the drums on this Jazz and People label release Ali Jackson you may well recall from his work at the kit within the Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra sound; star pianist Aaron Goldberg who habitually thrives in a trio situation; and bassist Omer Avital whose own work as a leader is also worth checking out. The highly accurately exclamatory monikered, for once, Yes! Trio seriously swing but are not at all indulgent or tired the trio keep it interesting and you feel the narration in the way they handle each tune.

The album has deftly conceived and executed compositions by all three elegant players who each contribute pieces plus look drilling down for a version of Jackie McLean’s ‘Dr Jackle’ and a treatment of the Sammy Fain-Irving Kahal standard ‘I’ll Be Seeing You’. Groove de la semaine et de I'année.