Small Blue

“Furrow”

(Discus Music – Discus 190CD)

Martin Pyne – drums, David Beebee – piano, Marianne Windham – bass

Small Blue is a ‘piano trio’ led by drummer, percussionist and composer Martin Pyne.

Pyne plays drums, vibraphone and other percussion, sometimes enhancing the sounds of these instruments via electronics. He is involved with a number of projects, including the leadership of his own quartet, featuring bassist Marianne Windham, guitarist Russell Jarrett and saxophonist Philippe Guyard. This line up has released the albums “Rickety Racket” (2020) and “ A New Pavan” (2022).

Then there’s Espial, which began life as the duo of Pyne and vibraphone and David Beebee on Fender Rhodes but has now been expanded to a trio featuring the addition of saxophonist Josephine Davies. The Pyne / Beebee duo released the album “Ripples” in 2022.

MPH features Pyne on both drum kit and vibes and is a trio featuring organist Alex Maguire and guitarist Mark Hewins. This line up recorded the album “Taxonomies” in 2019.

Although much of Pyne’s work takes place at the improvised end of the jazz spectrum he is also involved in a song writing collaboration with jazz vocalist Laura Zakian. The first results of this project can be heard on the EP “Minor Moments” (2019), featuring Zakian and her band with pianist Steve Lodder, drummer Nic France, bassist Simon Thorpe, and Paul Bartholomew on reeds. The full length album “Dreaming Life” subsequently appeared in 2022. This featured the same line up, with the addition of Pyne on vibes and percussion.

Pyne has also worked in a duo with pianist Stephen Grew with whom he released the vibraphone / piano duo album “Winter Landscape”.

Other duo recordings include “Blow Ball” (2018) with flautist / bass clarinettist Tom Ward and “Haunted Carbonek” (2020) which features pianist Sarah Walker playing Pyne’s compositions.

Reddleman, a trio collaboration between Pyne (drums, percussion), Ward (reeds) and Beebee, this time on double bass, released the digital album “Ways Of Walking” in November 2024.

Hi-Res Heart was a lockdown trio featuring Pyne on drums and vibes with trumpeter Charlotte Keeffe and multi-reeds player Martin Archer. Their remote collaborations were subsequently released as an album on Archer’s Discus record label.

The trio Busnoys, featuring Pyne on vibes together with bass guitarist Jeff Spencer and drummer Trevor Davies has recorded three albums, “San Angelo”, “By Tapering the Torchlight” and “Weaving The Spell”. Guest performers on these recordings include bassist Jim Barr, trumpeter Pete Judge and violinist / vocalist Gina Griffin.

In the 1990s and early 2000s Pyne was part of The Dangerous Kitchen, a trio featuring fellow percussionist / multi-instrumentalist Simon Allen and saxophonist Stan Sulzmann, this line up recording an eponymous album.

Pyne has also released the solo recordings “Behind The Mist” (2017) and “Spirits Of Absent Dancers” (2020).

All of the recordings discussed above, whether physical or digital, can be purchased via Pyne’s website or Bandcamp page.
https://martinpyne.com/
https://martinpyne.bandcamp.com/music

In addition to his jazz and improv output Pyne also works regularly in the world of contemporary dance, collaborating with such choreographers as Zamira Kate Mummery, Mikaela Polley, S Ama Wray, and Mark Baldwin.

He also performs regularly playing live accompaniment for silent films, most often in collaboration with leading Silent Film musician Stephen Horne. I recently enjoyed seeing Horne (piano) and Pyne (drums, percussion) provide the live soundtrack to the 1926 Buster Keaton film “The General” as part of Ludlow Piano Festival. Both Horne and Pyne gave brilliant performances that complemented Keaton’s film perfectly. The experience certainly whetted my appetite for reviewing “Furrow”, the second album from the trio Small Blue.

The first Small Blue album, “The Stealthy Moon” was released in February 2024. Pyne said of the group’s debut;
 “This music sits at the more straight ahead end of what I do. It was a delight to collaborate on this recording with David and Marianne, wonderful musicians and great friends who played my tunes beautifully.”

With regard to this latest recording Pyne states;
“Small Blue was formed in the summer of 2023. I wanted to create a vehicle for my ever growing catalogue of compositions in the classic piano trio format, which I’d never used before. It also gave me the opportunity to work with two of my favourite musical colleagues, bass player Marianne Windham and pianist David Beebee. While I’ve spent a good portion of my musical life playing completely improvised music I spend a huge amount of time sitting at the piano writing tunes. It’s both a therapeutic process and a very satisfying creative outlet, and over the years I have ended up with notebooks full of pieces. Exploring this repertoire with two such sympathetic and creative collaborators has been a joy. Marianne and David bring a huge range of experience and a really wide frame of reference when we play together, taking my ideas on sonic journeys that consistently surprise and delight me. The music can be by turns lyrical, atmospheric, groovy and mischievous. Most of the tunes have a back story, often being inspired by novels I’ve read, art I’ve seen, or places I’ve visited.”

The album packaging offers two definitions of the word “Furrow” - “long narrow cut in the earth” and “a line in the skin of the face”.

Pyne’s album notes also provide further insights with regard to the inspiration behind each individual tune. The album was recorded at Beebee’s Beeboss Studio with the pianist also acting as recording engineer. Although composed by Pyne the tunes are collaboratively arranged by the members of the trio.

The album commences with “The Expendable Man”, the title taken from that of the final novel by the author Dorothy B Hughes. Pyne describes the piece as “music for an imaginary Film Noir”. Introduced by Windham’s bass the piece has a suitably noirish quality but also retains an underlying lyricism. Pyne’s drumming is finely nuanced and full of subtle detail as he complements Beebee’s thoughtful piano solo. Windham’s bass is also woven carefully into the fabric of the music, which is full of unexpected twists and turns. Small Blue is a particularly well balanced trio with a well established group rapport.

Continuing the cinematic theme “Before The Thaw” is dedicated to pianist Stephen Horne, Pyne’s partner on numerous silent film projects. The melody of this composition was written for their collaboration for the 1926 silent movie “Before The Thaw”, set in the Yukon. There’s an unexpected warmth and lyricism about the music, which incorporates a delightfully lyrical double bass solo from Windham and some wonderfully delicate brush work from Pyne, plus some marvellous piano playing from Beebee.

“The View From Your Heart” takes its title from a line in Ben Okri’s love poem “Slept Badly”.
Pyne also explains that the drum groove was created for dancer and choreographer Buddy Watkins, to whom the tune is dedicated. Pyne introduces the piece at the kit, subsequently joined by Windham on bass and later Beebee at the piano. The colourful,  gently shuffling drum groove underpins Beebee’s subtly probing piano explorations. Eventually Pyne is left on his own for a neatly constructed drum feature that is rich in terms of colour and texture and which is positively melodic at times. Piano and bass then rejoin as Pyne renews his gentle dialogue with Beebee.

“Weaving The Spell” revisits an old Busnoys tune and is a composition inspired by Arthurian mythology. Pyne states that the music is meant to have an otherworldly quality and there’s something of this on an atmospheric intro that combines his mallet rumbles and deft cymbal work with Beebee’s crystalline piano.  This evocative piece draws on the influence of medieval music too. Windham’s bass briefly assumes the lead towards the close of this exquisite trio performance.

The next piece, “Stolen By The Breeze” takes its title from a line in a Haiku by the 17th century poet Ransetsu; “A single leaf falls, then another, stolen by the breeze”. It’s a delightful image and its fragile beauty also finds expression in the music. A freely structured intro featuring the sounds of Pyne’s brushed drums evolves into something more straightforwardly beautiful and lyrical, with Beebee’s thoughtful pianism at its heart and with Windham delivering another beautifully melodic double bass solo.

Pyne’s admiration for the talents of the great Nigerian poet and novelist Ben Okri find further expression in the composition “Okri”. This is another piece introduced by the leader’s drums and there’s something of an African quality about the rhythms he lays down, combining with Windham’s bass to provide a platform for Beebee’s lithe pianism with its darting motifs. The leader’s drums subsequently assume the lead towards the close distinguished by the colourful, polyrhythmic quality of Pyne’s playing. The piece resolves itself when bass and piano return, with Beebee entering into a final dialogue with the leader.

Of “Karesansui” Pyne states;
“Karesansui describes Japanese ‘dry landscape’ gardens. In this piece the trio improvises towards a complete statement of the written tune, as if making a garden”.
The freely structured intro features the sounds of percussion, including gongs and cymbals, combined with mallet rumbles plus the contributions piano and bass. It’s a genuine musical discussion, thoughtful and understated, and with Pyne’s delicately nuanced, finely detailed drums and percussion playing a vital role. Eventually the three way conversation leads to the statement of the written theme but it’s the improvisatory roots that are perhaps the most impressive.

From Japan to India and the very different feel of “Prabaker’s Taxi”, a tune that takes its title from a character in Gregory David Roberts’ novel “Shantaram”, set in 1980s Bombay. The music depicts the character, Prabaker, an incurable optimist, dodging through the chaos of the city traffic behind the wheel of a taxi. It’s an extremely evocative piece with Windham’s grounding bass pulse allowing Pyne’s playful drums and percussion, plus Beebee’s similarly impish piano, to capture the scene.  In a neat kind of reversal one can imagine one’s own mental silent movie to accompany the music as the worlds of literature, sound and film come together.

“Topaz” also takes its initial inspiration from literature and a character from the Dodie Smith tale “I Capture The Castle”. It’s an elegant and lyrical ballad, introduced by a passage of unaccompanied piano and featuring Pyne’s delicate brushwork, plus another beautifully melodic double bass solo from Windham.

It’s back to the cinema for “Flirting At The Acme Bookstore”, inspired by a scene from the movie “The Big Sleep”, starring Humphrey Bogart and Dorothy Malone, the film inspired in turn by Raymond Chandler’s novel. Introduced by Pyne at the kit it’s a playful piece that combines jazz swing with an agreeable quirkiness and cocquettishness that befits its title.
The performance includes a drum feature from Pyne, but Beebee and Windham play significant roles too.

“Honey Street” is inspired by a location on the Kennet and Avon Canal beneath the Alton Barnes White Horse. Pyne asks us to “imagine a hot, late summer evening just before sunset” and the gentle, bucolic feeling of the music allows the listener to do just that. Pyne is a highly democratic bandleader and once again there’s a beautiful double bass solo from Windham. Beebee’s piano solo is flowingly lyrical and Pyne largely deploys brushes, playing with great taste and delicacy throughout.

Pyne describes the final track “Laughing and Crying and Drinking and Waltzing” as “an after hours drinking song”, possibly at a canal side pub! Less manic and more mellow than its title might suggest it’s a beautiful way to finish an excellent album, with bassist Windham again getting her moment in the spotlight.

Pyne has established a long running relationship with the Discus record label and “Furrow” represents something of a departure for both artist and label, each is more commonly associated with more experimental, largely improvised music.

“Furrow” may be relatively ‘straight-ahead’ but it’s a recording that both Pyne and Discus can be proud of. Following on from the success of its predecessor “The Stealthy Moon” this is an album that reveals Pyne to be an excellent composer and there are some absolutely gorgeous tunes here. The music is by turns beautiful, playful and evocative with the leader’s drums at the heart of the music in what is a particularly well calibrated trio. Beebee deserves praise in his capacities as both pianist and sound engineer, the recorded sound is immaculate throughout. Windham forms an effective team with Pyne, her grounding bass lines allowing the leader a degree of freedom that he utilises to great effect. She also steps out from her supporting role to deliver a series of articulate and often beautiful bass solos.

At nearly seventy minutes there’s a lot of music on this album, but there’s no filler, it’s all high quality and in this sense the album represents excellent value for money.

Small Blue might be led by a drummer but this is one of the best ‘piano trio’ albums that I’ve heard in a long time.

 

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