Tape Notes Episode 61

In this biscuit fuelled episode, John is joined by Lianne La Havas along with producers Sam Crowe and Beni Giles to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced Lianne’s latest album ‘Lianne La Havas’.

Delving into Lianne's most personal work yet, the trio takes us through the moments the initial song ideas were formed, through the various stages of their development right to the finished versions.

Illustrated with recordings made throughout the album’s journey, we hear stories of capturing the perfect vocal takes, trying piano voicing's on guitar and tales on the phenomenon of song writing.

Listen to find out why talkback mics sometimes trump fancy mics, how they ventured to the scariest parts of a flute, and how cabbages made it onto the record.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7IHHRRhBbmo79M0QYg4LrA

Towards the Center of Everything

Sam Crowe Group – Towards the Centre of Everything

(Whirlwind WR 4632 / 1st May Vortex. CD and launch review by Alison Bentley)

One of pianist Sam Crowe’s compositions is called Gaia, referring to the idea of the Earth as a living, self-regulating being. It’s a good way to describe a jazz group: musicians listening to each other and responding with subtle adjustments to Crowe’s beautiful writing. As Adam Waldmann’s soprano soared over Crowe’s brimming arpeggios, there were ghosts of British folk music haunting Robert Glasper-like repeated chord. There were strong (acoustic) Glasper influences throughout. When soloing, Crowe seemed to defer to the band’s whole sound, using chords and arpeggios rather than virtuosic flourishes. But in Gaia he extended, too, into some exquisite Herbie Hancock-style runs.

Several tunes referred to the idea of re-creation; what Crowe has called ‘micro-universes’- but introduced with disarming humour. In Journey to the Centre of Everything, he had a wonderful way of releasing tense modal chords with rock changes. You might think that such an organic approach to music would require acoustic instruments- but Will Davies’ electric guitar, with distortion in the sound, brought a distinctive and personal voice. He has his own style, not bluesy, but expressive, with hints of Kurt Rosenwinkel and Wolfgang Muthspiel.

https://londonjazznews.com/2013/05/04/combined-review-sam-crowe-group-journey-to-the-centre-of-everything-cd-plus-launch-gig-vortex/

The Album That Will Establish Sam Crowe

The latest release on the F-ire presents imprint is this album from a group led by the young Bristol born pianist and composer Sam Crowe. Crowe is a graduate of Trinity College, London and is now a freelance musician on the capital’s jazz scene. His path to jazz has been circuitous and embraced an early interest in classical music, a flirtation with pro basket ball and an involvement with Bristol’s trip hop and drum and bass scenes. He has also had some success as a film composer contributing to the soundtrack of “Lullaby For Pi” starring Forest Whittaker and Rupert Friend.

For his début album he has assembled a cast of some of London’s finest young jazz musicians. Saxophonist Adam Waldmann and bassist Jasper Hoiby are already familiar as members of the acclaimed Kairos 4tet. Drummer Dave Smith is a leading figure in the increasingly influential Loop Collective and leader of the band Outhouse. The group is completed by guitarist Will Davies, like Crowe a name hitherto unfamiliar to me. However “Synaesthesia” leaves one in no doubt as to the abilities of both and the UK jazz scene will doubtless hear a lot more from these talented young players.

https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/sam-crowe-group-synaesthesia#google_vignette

Synaesthesia Review

Trinity College pianist Crowe's group reflects the active cross-breeding currently happening at the young end of the UK jazz scene: the members of his quintet on this debut album include bassist Jasper Høiby and drummer Dave Smith from Phronesis, and saxophonist Adam Waldmann from Kairos 4tet. Like those groups, Crowe's band focuses on original compositions, though they're a little less succinctly sinewy than Phronesis, and not as idiomatically broad as Kairos. Crowe is a fluent piano improviser with percussive McCoy Tyner allegiances when things heat up, and guitarist Will Davies lends the band a signature sound where warm-toned sax/piano/guitar arrangements colour the theme statements. But it's the rhythm section partnership of sonorous, bell-clear bassist Høiby (who plays anchoring ostinatos with a peremptory crispness) and bold and imaginative drummer Smith that really imparts the band's drive. Saxophonist Waldmann, a fascinating newcomer of the past year, also plays with real character, his Julian Arguelles influences on tenor sax more audible here than on the Kairos 4tet release.

Towards the Center of Everything Review

On this successor to his 2010 album, Synaesthesia, pianist Sam Crowe has added some New York muscle to his lineup – with Kairos 4tet's Adam Waldmann and Oxford guitarist Will Davies joined on sax by US-resident Brit Will Vinson, genre-crunching downtown drummer Mark Guiliana and bassist Alan Hampton. It's a set of robust originals in which Crowe writes impressively for the sax/guitar voicings that made Synaesthesia stand out, and his tunes are lifted here by the extra firepower. The backbeat-driven title track features Vinson's soulful alto and Davies's shapely reflections; the chiming, floaty Gaia engages Crowe and Hampton in an elegant dance; and Guiliana's hip-hop precision marshals the riff-melody of The Global Brain. Occasionally the plethora of clever sounds seem like a throng of characters in search of stories, but Crowe is a maturing compositional force and his A-list players rise to his challenges.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/may/02/sam-crowe-group-towards-centre-review

Sam Crowe, Symphony Hall Foyer

Originally from Bristol but now based in London pianist and composer Sam Crowe has attracted a compelling amount of critical acclaim for his group’s début album “Synaesthesia”, released in 2009 on the F-ire Presents imprint. The album is favourably reviewed elsewhere on this site but seeing Crowe’s compositions performed live really brought the music to life for me.

Crowe brought his group to Birmingham for one of the popular free early evening jazz events that take place in the Symphony Hall foyer each Friday under the “Rush Hour Blues” banner. Presented by Birmingham Jazz in conjunction with Symphony Hall RHB is becoming an increasingly important presence on the UK jazz scene with bands from London and other UK regions frequently coming to play. Not that local talent is forgotten, Midlands based artists are still a substantial presence on the agenda, but RHB is now beginning to assume a national importance.

https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/sam-crowe-group-symphony-hall-foyer-birmingham-10-12-2010