Robert Mitchell’s Panacea

“The Cusp”

(Edition Records EDN 1023)

Pianist and composer Robert Mitchell is a creative and highly versatile musician whose playing has been heard in a variety of contexts ranging from solo piano to the more expansive, song based work of his jazz/soul group Panacea.

Mitchell has garnered much praise of late for his album “The Greater Good” (2008) recorded in the piano trio format with bassist Tom Mason and drummer Richard Spaven under the band name Robert Mitchell 3io. This award winning album is certainly my favourite in the Mitchell canon, an oeuvre that also includes two other Panacea albums,“Voyager” from 2001 and “Trust” (2005), plus a duo album with violinist Omar Puente “Bridges” (2006) and the challenging solo piano work “Equinox” (2007).

Much of Mitchell’s previous output has been released under the umbrella of the F-ire Collective but “The Cusp” sees him moving to the enterprising Cardiff based Edition label, an increasingly influential force in British jazz.

Despite the success of 3io Mitchell remains committed to his longest running project Panacea, a group that combines Mitchell’s jazz, soul and classical leanings and places them in a literate, song based setting. As his other recordings show Mitchell is a brilliant acoustic pianist with a phenomenal technique. Panacea reveals a different side to his playing as he also performs on electric keyboards plus glockenspiel and other percussion. The current edition of Panacea also includes bassist Mason, here also doubling on violin, plus the group’s regular singer Deborah Jordan. Completing the group this time round are drummer Shaney Forbes of Empirical fame, percussionist Hammadi Valdez plus a string section of Julian Ferraretto on violin and viola plus cellist Ben Davis from Basquiat Strings. Spoken word artist HKB Finn guests on the album’s title track.

The album opens with the song “Essence” which establishes a highly individual ensemble sound with percussion and strings prominent. Mitchell’s piano brings a jazz sensibility to the performance but its certainly not “jazz” in any orthodox sense.  The rhythms are jerky and the instrumentation quirky but it’s Mitchell’s dazzling piano pyrotechnics that take the instrumental honours. Deborah Jordan’s soulful but fragile vocal floats above the busy musical backdrop but sometimes gets lost in the mix.

“Aura” offers a greater urgency and a similarly exotic arrangement. Mitchell’s piano is again the dominant solo instrument and the song includes another Jordan vocal. It’s unfortunate that my promo copy doesn’t include a transcription of the album lyrics. I don’t suppose for a moment that Mitchell, a serious young man, takes this side of his writing lightly but it’s an inescapable fact that   the sense of the words are sometimes lost in the dense and elaborate arrangements. Many of the lyrics seems to be a search for some kind of world truth and a call for tolerance and harmony. Not new concerns perhaps, but still highly pertinent for all that. 

The sparse voice and piano arrangement on “Mia Inamorato” allows us to hear Jordan rather better. This time the words concern the breakdown of a relationship and the struggle to save it.

“Fortunately So” features Jordan’s voice above Forbes’ hip hop grooves with Mitchell’s piano later   cutting loose to solo in exuberant fashion above a backdrop of strings and voices as Forbes continues to drive the song forwards.

The two part “The Blessing” begins with Jordan intoning above a shimmering backdrop of strings . The second part is more consciously jazzy with Forbes insistent brushwork but the chamber music element brought to the music by the strings is still a factor. This edition of Panacea is more “acoustic” and places less reliance on electronica than it’s predecessors, an approach illustrated by Mitchell’s own lyricism at the piano here.

That said electronic instrumentation makes it’s mark on the title track with Mitchell on subtly funky Fender Rhodes. Jordan shares the vocals with spoken word artist HKB Finn who intones a paean to Mitchell’s recently born baby daughter. Mitchell’s lyrics combine the subject of parenthood with social and environmental concerns. 

“Lucid Dreamt” has all the quiet beauty its title might suggest in a delicate arrangement for just voice and piano. “A Map Of The Sky” begins in similar fashion before Forbes and the rest of the band enter proceedings with electric bassist Mason featuring as a soloist alongside pianist Mitchell.

“Quantum” is suitably spacey and atmospheric with Jordan’s voice drifting above sombre piano chords, shimmering cymbal splashes and haunting strings.Finally come the percolations of “Flawless” with voice, piano and jagged strings riding the percussive grooves generated by Forbes and Valdez as the album ends on an energetic note.

With “The Cusp” Mitchell has created a distinctive ensemble sound that draws many of his influences together. The arrangements are taut, complex and neatly orchestrated with the contrasting sounds of percussion and strings making for a fascinating combination. Mitchell’s own piano is the glue that holds things together and the best solo moments are his. I’m less convinced with Jordan whose voice sometimes lacks the power to cut through the arrangements and although there is much to praise here I find I can’t warm to Panacea in the same way that I do to Mitchell’s 3io output, basically because here the pianist is operating in a totally different area. “The Cusp” has no pretensions of being a jazz record but as an expression of Mitchell’s song writing persona it’s a perfectly valid statement.

However as a jazz fan it’s “The Greater Good” that remains my personal favourite in the Mitchell catalogue.

“The Cusp” is released today (20th September 2010) and the group are touring extensively in support of the album. Dates are listed below;

?The Cusp’ Tour Dates 2010 / 2011
All dates feature full octet unless otherwise stated
23rd Sept - Robert Mitchell’s Panacea - Forge Arts Centre (Quartet Only)
8th Oct 10 - Robert Mitchell’s Panacea - Platform One, Newport, Isle of Wight - Workshop (Quartet Only)
9th Oct 10 - Robert Mitchell’s Panacea - Wiltshire Music Centre, Bradford on Avon,
10th Oct 10 - Robert Mitchell’s Panacea - Jazz @ Future Inn, Bristol
12th Oct 10 - Robert Mitchell’s Panacea - RWCMD, Cardiff (Workshop Only)
12th Oct 10 - Robert Mitchell’s Panacea - Dempseys, Cardiff
7th Nov 10 - Robert Mitchell’s Panacea - Hare and Hounds, Birmingham
11th Nov 10 - Robert Mitchell’s Panacea - Guitar X - Workshop, London
12th Nov 10 - Robert Mitchell’s Panacea - The Vortex - London Jazz festival
3rd Dec 10 - Robert Mitchell’s Panacea - Fleece Jazz, Colchester
21st Jan 11 - Robert Mitchell’s Panacea - Liverpool Phil - Rodewald Suite, Liverpool
27th Jan 11 - Robert Mitchell’s Panacea - The Spin Jazz Club, Oxford (Quartet Only)
12th Feb 11 - Robert Mitchell’s Panacea - Kings Place, London

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