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Review

Mark Donlon

Ashia

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by Ian Mann

January 19, 2008

/ ALBUM

Lyrical solo piano that should appeal to both jazz and classical followers.

Pianist/Composer Mark Donlon’s debut recording for the F-ire label consists of thirteen original pieces for solo piano. Donlon is Senior Lecturer in Jazz at Leeds University and has a diverse musical background including a thorough grounding in Cuban music, but it is the lyrical side of his musical personality that predominates here.

The music on Ashia is unfailingly melodic and unhurried, the pastoral mood reflecting Lydia Laxey’s beautiful photography on the album cover. Donlon exhibits an affinity with nature on titles such as the opening “Hardknot Pass”.

The album’s centrepiece however is a trio of epitaphs in memory of the great saxophonist Michael Brecker. These reflective pieces are in keeping with the mood of the album and make no attempt to emulate the clamour of Brecker’s own playing. Nonetheless they are a fitting memorial to a great musical talent.

Donlon’s playing reveals influences from both the classical and jazz idioms. There are elements that seem to borrow from composers such as Delius, Debussy and Satie and his blending of jazz and classical techniques is reminiscent of both Keith Jarrett and our own John Taylor.

That said, Donlon is very much his own man and he establishes a distinctive and personal mood on this highly listenable album. “Ashia” has a wholly different feel to “Equinox”, the recent solo piano album by Robert Mitchell (also released on F-ire), the Mitchell album being characterised by a more intense atmosphere and greater emphasis on technique.

Donlon’s album is very much a mood piece but slowly grows on the listener. The pieces are short and succinct and nothing is allowed to outstay it’s welcome. Fans of lyrical solo piano and of Jarrett and the ECM sound in general should find much to enjoy here.

This album should also hold some appeal to classical followers. F-ire would appear to be courting both jazz and classical audiences following last year’s success of the Mercury nominated Basquiat Strings.

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