Eyeshutight

“Resonance”

(Hungry Bear Records HBR001)

Eyeshutight is a trio led by bassist and composer Paul Baxter that also features the talents of pianist Johnny Tomlinson and drummer Kristoffer Wright. Their previous two album releases, “Evolution” (2010) and “The Thaw” (2012) both appeared under the name Eyes Shut Tight and both are reviewed elsewhere on the Jazzmann. I’m not sure that the conflation of the band’s name to Eyeshutight is entirely a good thing, for me it just causes confusion and is also a bit of a bugger to type.

Fortunately my misgivings about the trio’s choice of moniker don’t extend to the music. Both “Evolution” and “The Thaw” demonstrated considerable promise and I enjoyed them both. “Resonance”, due to be released on 21st October 2014, builds upon these successes and with an extensive UK tour coming up, including an appearance at the 2014 London Jazz Festival, Baxter is clearly harbouring hopes that this will be THE breakthrough album. The recorded evidence suggests that he might well be right.

Eyeshutight hail from Leeds, the city in which this album was recorded, and both Wright and Tomlinson are graduates of the Jazz Course at Leeds College of Music. Tomlinson has worked with Bonobo and with the band If Destroyed Still True (IDST) while the more experienced Baxter has appeared with the long running Seven Pieces Of Silver (inspired by the recently departed Horace) and with the Ariya Astrobeat Arkestra.  His other projects include the Paul Baxter Quartet, the freely improvising Destination Out! and the jazz/classical collaboration the Potter Ensemble.

However Eyeshutight remains Baxter’s primary creative outlet, the group name stemming from what their leader describes as their “hard won intuitive group dynamic”. The more astute among you will have noted that the initials of their former group name obliquely acknowledge the influence of the Esbjorn Svensson Trio while other names that have been quoted as inspirations include The Bad Plus, Avishai Cohen, Phronesis, Neil Cowley, Keith Jarrett and Charles Mingus. Outside the jazz canon figures ranging from Bela Bartok to Rage Against The Machine have been cited and there is certainly a contemporary edge to the trio’s music that speaks of both rock and hip hop influences. The album’s cover art is inspired by the comedian Bill Hicks, the Evil Eye talisman a depiction of his wish for the world to “squeegee their third eye” to attain real vision.

Although it’s not made clear in the album notes I’m assuming that once more the compositions are all from the pen of Baxter. The album begins with the title track and the sound of spliced voices intoning a definition of the word “resonance”, something of an unnecessary indulgence and perhaps the sign of a band striving just a little bit too hard to be modish. They really get down to business a minute or so in when Wright sets up a colossal drum groove inspired by a Rage Against The Machine riff. This is allied to Tomlinson’s darting piano motifs and suddenly we’re into classic Eyeshutight territory. Dynamic and emotional contrasts have always distinguished the trio’s music and things rapidly quieten down again with a Baxter bass solo that combines both melody and that essential resonance. A hard driving final section features Tomlinson’s use of a doctored Rhodes style piano sound and a wilful dissonance.

The title of “Addict” references the 21st century addiction to computer and mobile phone screens with Wright’s motorik style drum groove initially replicating that of a machine before coming more humanised as Tomlinson’s piano takes flight. But it’s back to the mechanised stylings for Baxter’s solo on a track that is actually strangely invigorating and uplifting.

The ballad “Transition” presents a gentler side of the trio with Baxter’s warmly articulate bass shadowed by Wright’s brushed drums and with Tomlinson adapting a sparse but lyrical approach.
The reflective mood is carried over into the brief but beautiful “Theism”, a delightful miniature dedicated to the birth of Baxter’s young daughter, Ania.

The edgy, urban feel of the opening two pieces returns on the epic “The Precipice” with its compelling drum grooves, astonishingly agile bass solo and pressured, claustrophobic atmosphere as the trio artfully ratchet up and release the tension with Tomlinson utilising both acoustic and electric keyboard sounds.

“T & C” is described as a dedication to Wright’s former neighbours, a couple who encountered hard times. A freely structured but atmospheric intro featuring mallet rumbles and cymbal shimmers allied to Baxter’s big toned bass eventually leads into a gentle, piano led melody, this section song- like and with a definite elegiac quality. The two sections are actually presented as separate tracks on the disc itself. 

“Hit & Hope”  combines strong melodies and powerful grooves, lyrical passages alternating with vigorous rhythmic excursions in what has become something of an Eyeshutight trade mark. Apparently the piece can head off in pretty much any direction when performed live.

Finally “Re;Sounds” bookends the album with shadowy voices lurking and eddying beneath Wright’s drum grooves. Essentially it’s the intro in reverse.
The album appears to end with a passage of solo piano from Tomlinson but after a brief pause there’s also a secret track featuring subliminal children’s voices and a plucked instrument that I couldn’t quite identify, possibly an auotoharp or zither. In any event it’s quite charming - as secret tracks frequently are - so make sure you don’t miss out on this.

Minor quibbles aside “Resonance” is an excellent album which strikes a good balance between melody and groove, light and shade. It deserves to establish the trio more firmly on the national jazz scene.  The rapport between the three band members is evident throughout and although it’s essentially Baxter’s band and he allows himself plenty of solo space the whole is still emphatically greater than the sum of the parts -  rather like Jasper Hoiby and Phronesis in this respect.

And the chances are that if you like Phronesis and other contemporary piano trios like those mentioned at the top of this review then you’re going to enjoy this. I’ve yet to see Eyeshutight perform live but reports suggest that they’re a highly exciting live attraction. I hope to catch up with them at one of the dates on an extensive UK tour that is due to take place during October and November 2014, probably at the Cardiff gig. The full tour schedule is listed below;

  EyeShuTight Tour - Oct/Nov 2014

12 Oct - Marsden Jazz Festival, 4pm

21 Oct - Parrjazz at Frederiks, 32 Hope Street, Liverpool, 8.30pm

22 Oct - Jazz Bar, Edinburgh, 8pm

23 Oct - Blue Lamp Aberdeen, 7.30pm

24 Oct - Jazz Cafe, Newcastle, 8pm

25 Oct - Zefirellis, Ambleside, 8.30pm

29 Oct - Dempseys, Cardiff, 9pm

30 Oct - SoundCellar @ The Blue Boar, Poole

4 Nov - Matt & Phreds, Manchester, 9.30pm

5 Nov - Jazz @ The Lescar, Sheffield, 8.30pm

9 Nov - 7Arts, Leeds, 1pm

14 Nov - Fleece Jazz, Sudbury, 7.30pm

22 Nov - The Unitarian Chapel, York, 7.30pm

23 Nov - The Forge, Camden, 7.30pm (london Jazz Festival)

http://www.paulbaxtermusic.com

 

 

 

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