Liam Noble

“A Room Somewhere”

(Basho Records SRCD 48-2)

Pianist and composer Liam Noble has been a regular presence on the Jazzmann web pages whether as the leader of his own groups or as a prolific sideman with saxophonists such as Julian Siegel, Alex Garnett, Tim Whitehead, Chris Biscoe, Zhenya Strigalev, Harrison Smith and Ingrid Laubrock, trumpeter Chris Batchelor’s Pigfoot group, and French horn virtuoso Jim Rattigan’s trio.

“A Room Somewhere”, Noble’s latest album release as a leader, is a solo piano album that takes its title from a line in the Lerner and Loewe song “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly”, a tune that undergoes a radical transformation as Noble focusses his formidable musical intellect on the standards repertoire and beyond. It is his first solo piano recording since “Close Your Eyes” which was released on the FMR label some twenty years ago.

In the press release accompanying this album Noble writes; “I deliberately avoided writing any music for this session. I like the idea of a solo record where improvisation is at the heart of it”. In the album liner notes he states “I decided on tunes for their particular technical challenges, their familiarity, for sentimental reasons or simply because they seemed unlikely pieces for a solo piano record”.

The album begins with “Major Major” credited to Noble but presumably largely improvised which includes the sound of dampened strings and some fiendishly complex left hand patterns amid the melodic flourishes. It’s a good introduction to Noble’s prodigious technical facility.

Next up is “Wouldn’t It Be Lovely”, effectively the title track. The album title “A Room Somewhere” not only references this song but is also an allusion to the lonely art of the solo improviser, essentially engaged in a dialogue with himself. The brightly coloured soft toy parrot that adorns the album cover is thus a visual representation of Noble’s alter ego “the imaginary bird within oneself”.
And so to the music, Noble states that the tune has “a melodic curve that just made me want to play”. He explores that melodic curve at length,  gradually drawing out its nuances and gently toying with its rhythmic structure. In its own way it genuinely is rather ‘loverly’.

Noble has always been greatly influenced by Thelonious Monk and its no surprise to find the almost obligatory Monk tune on this album. The much played “Round Midnight” is one of the items that has clearly been chosen for its familiarity, the others being “Body And Soul” and “There Is No Greater Love”. In the press release Noble notes how these tunes are “played endlessly in colleges and at jam sessions”. He continues; “they are a test of how well you can play, there are specific rules that need to be followed like skiing between the poles on a slalom course. The advantage of playing alone is that you don’t have to do that but you might lose the tune by letting go of its structure. Taking out all the poles only a bare slope remains so I leave some in but try to surprise myself and the listener about where they are” . Whatever the technicalities this gently ruminative version stays true to the spirit of Monk’s original, a sense of serenity combining with a palpable after hours feel to produce music that is genuinely beautiful. 

Joe Zawinul’s tune “Directions” represents one of the “technical challenges” of which Noble has spoken. The tune was originally written for Miles Davis during the trumpeter’s electric era and Noble describes the challenge of turning it into a solo piano piece as “a personal bet between me and my better judgement”. It’s a virtuoso performance from Noble as he tackles the complexities of the piece with an obvious relish.

The brief “Now” is another passage of improvisation credited to Noble. Again deploying the sound of dampened strings it’s one of the more obviously ‘avant garde’ moments in the set. The piece also provides the bedrock for the later “Now and Then (overdub)” which features Noble playing another improvised line above it. The pianist is clearly fascinated by this process and the “improvisation that then served as a composition to respond to”.

The two “Now..” pieces are bisected by Noble’s interpretation of “There Is No Greater Love”, a masterful re-imagining of a much loved standard played with an easy virtuosity and a high degree of harmonic and rhythmic sophistication.

Perhaps the album’s most fascinating performance is Noble’s take on “Six White Horses”, a contemporary American folk song written by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. Originally written for banjo Noble’s interpretation finds him using extended techniques to try and bring the sound of the banjo to the piano. “I like to be unpianistic on the piano” he explains, “pianism doesn’t always get you the notes you want to hear”. I’m not familiar with the original version of the song but it sounds like a great tune and I love the way in which Noble approaches it. I must ensure that I check out the voice and banjo rendition sometime.

“I Wish I Played Guitar” seems to be a natural follow on from the Welch/Rawlings piece, a vigorous passage of solo piano improvisation with Noble in the role of frustrated would be guitarist.  The pianist joins saxophonist Andy Sheppard in the ranks of thwarted axe heroes.

Paul Simon’s “Tenderness” is played with minimum adornment with Noble stating “the song is so rarely played that simply playing it straight and enjoying the sound of the piano felt enough”. The simple, pared down nature of the performance delivers its own beauty with the subtle key changes representing the “technical” aspect of the piece.

“Sophie”, by the late, great Kenny Wheeler is the subject of a more exacting examination with Noble declaring “its chords and melody are such a pleasure to play that it’s easy to get pulled under and absorbed by it rather than giving it the work out it deserves”. The piece was originally written for Wheeler’s “Music For Large And Small Ensembles”  project but this solo piano performance sacrifices nothing of the beauty and sophistication of Wheeler’s writing.

“A Room Somewhere” is filled with beautiful performances including a delightful version of the classic ballad “Body And Soul” which Noble interprets with genuine tenderness on a slowed down arrangement that makes effective use of the spaces between the notes.

The album concludes with Noble’s version of Edward Elgar’s “Salut D’Amour”, another familiar piece with a strong “melodic curve” which is delivered fairly straight but with a few characteristic Noble style twists. 

“A Room Somewhere” is an impressive album from a mature artist who has the technique, imagination and intelligence to succeed in the challenging format of solo piano performance. Noble has chosen a fascinating range of compositions to base his improvisations around and this well programmed set is a good showcase of his talents as a solo performer.

At the time of writing Noble has a number of solo piano performances scheduled around the country including a slot supporting the Maria Schneider Orchestra at the 2015 EFG London Jazz Festival. There will also be solo shows elsewhere in London and also in Sheffield and Derby. Please visit http://www.liamnoble.co.uk for full details. 

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