Latest Album: Plan B
Downbeat Magazine
“Brady is a well regarded drummer, his quartet create a collective sound that is classicist, yet adventurous enough to insist on it’s own modernity” 4.5 Stars *****
Jazzwise
“The drummer’s themes are coaxingly brooding invitations to his partner’s collective elequence, an expertly accomplished show” Contributed by John fordham
Jazz Podium
“A very complex sequence of impressive compositions. Wanderlust shines with Brady’s polyrhythmic structures, which are occasionally reminiscent of jon christensen and paul motian” Contributed by rainer bratfisch 4 Stars ****
London Jazz News
“Brady, a leading light in Irish jazz, his drumming is a deft mix of sensitivity and power” Contributed by John Bungey 4 Stars ****
Something Else (U.S.A.) ****
“ Clearly these guys are very comfortable playing together, and the immediacy and unity heard on “Plan B” proves it.” Contributed by S. Victor Aaron
Marlbank.net – Plan B
Album Review
5 Stars *****
Drummer Kevin Brady’s new studio record is tough bustling jazz-rock in complexion, more like the kind of thing you’d hear in the 1970s or later in the 80s and chargingly spearheaded by the Thelonious Monk Prize winning saxophonist Seamus Blake who say on ‘Suicide Squeeze’ is completely compelling. Bill Carrothers on Fender Rhodes electric piano provides balm on ‘Quiet Beach’ and much more but really it’s the Brady and Blake floorshow in terms of sheer firepower which is an important part of the album’s success.Even when Blake goes all bruised romantic it’s still salted through with edge and commitment that says dry your tears. Bassist Dave Redmond is agile and supremely beefy in support and the album has deep roots and the beat he lays down cannot be taken for granted. Final word the quality of the compositions (written alternately by Brady and by Carrothers) is outstanding. I’ll certainly add Plan B to the next albums of the year update in a couple of months. That’s a no-brainer as is its five-star rating. Contributed by Stephen Graham
The Irish Times – Plan B Review
4 stars ****
Drummer Kevin Brady has been leading his acoustic trio with renowned US pianist Bill Carrothers and long-time rhythm partner, bassist Dave Redmond, for more than a decade, and the trio’s deep connection and mutual understanding has developed over three excellent studio recordings, including 2016’s superb Ensam, which included a guest appearance by famed UK vocalist Norma Winstone.Now Brady adds muscular New York saxophonist Seamus Blake to the mix and the mercurial Carrothers switches to Fender Rhodes for an electric – and electrifying – set of originals which traverse the still under-explored terrain mapped out by Miles Davis’s quintet in the late 1960s.
The Dublin drummer’s conversion to electricity couldn’t have come from a more impeccable source. In 2016, Brady and Redmond played on what was to be fusion pioneer Larry Coryell’s last studio album, and it was at the great guitarist’s suggestion that Brady began to think about a more electric sound for his group.
The result is Plan B, whose title references not only this new musical direction but also the strategies musicians have had to adopt to music making over the last year and half.
Creative and open-ended, Brady’s fourth release as a leader is an engrossing conversation between a rhythm section at the top of their game and two inventive, inquisitive, melodically generous soloists who respond to the open setting with timeless, joyous music that will further burnish the reputations of all concerned.
Contributed by Cormac Larkin
Jazzmann
Album Review 4 stars ****
by Ian Mann
Brady’s decision to ‘turn electric’ has proved to be an inspired choice and the music on this album also represents a fitting tribute to the departed Larry Coryell, who sowed the seed for the project.The Kevin Brady Electric Quartet “Plan B” (Ubuntu Music UBU0091) Kevin Brady – drums, Bill Carrothers – Fender Rhodes, Seamus Blake – tenor saxophone, Dave Redmond – electric bass
Kevin Brady is one of the most in demand jazz drummers in Ireland. The Dublin based musician has appeared on the JazzMann web pages on numerous occasions, initially back in 2006 with the album “New Light”, recorded by the organ trio Organics, a combo that featured Brady at the drums alongside John Moriarty on guitar and Justin Carroll on the mighty Hammond B3.The Organics album also revealed Brady to be an accomplished composer and this aspect of his talent can also be appreciated through the music of his long running international piano trio featuring the Irish bassist Dave Redmond and the American pianist and composer Bill Carrothers.
This line up first came together in 2006 and has since toured regularly, in addition to releasing three studio albums, “Common Ground” (2007), Zeitgeist” (2009) and “Ensam” (2016), the last named featuring a guest vocal from the great Norma Winstone.
I saw the trio perform at the 2011 Brecon Jazz Festival and very much enjoyed their playing in a set that unfortunately had to be truncated due to logistical difficulties
(i.e.. flight delays) and was further hampered by an unsympathetic venue, the sports hall at Christ College.In addition to his work as a leader Brady has been a prolific sideman, often working with illustrious American jazz visitors to the Emerald Isle. The full international list includes guitarists Larry Coryell, Peter Bernstein, Lage Lund, Tommy Halferty and Nir Felder, saxophonists Seamus Blake, Bobby Watson, Ronnie Cuber, Pee Wee Ellis and Perico Sambeat, trumpeter Guy Barker, pianists Randy Ingram, Jason Rebello and Lars Jansson, organist Brian Charette and vocalists Norma Winstone, Ian Shaw and Van Morrison. He has also supported vocalists Kurt Elling and Gil Scott Heron, pianist Andrew Hill and the bands Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters and E.S.T.
Brady and Redmond appear on the recently issued album “Last Swing In Ireland”, the final studio recording of the late, great Larry Coryell (1943 – 2017). Review here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/larry-coryell-last-swing-with-ireland
Brady’s latest project, his Electric Quartet, takes the core trio of himself, Redmond and Carrothers and adds the talents of tenor saxophonist Seamus Blake, a musician born in the UK, raised in Vancouver and now resident in New York, where he is considered to be one of the real heavyweights of that city’s jazz scene, playing with leading American and international jazz musicians and holding down the tenor chair in the Mingus Big Band.
The idea for Brady to record in an electric format initially came from the late Larry Coryell, as Brady explains when discussing the sound of “Plan B”;
“This is one of the most musically connected experiences that I have had since my first outing as a leader in 2007. While I was working with the late great guitarist Larry Coryell, I had many insightful discussions with him about music. His suggestion for my group to explore a change to an electric format was hugely influential on my new musical direction. I had been performing with Bill Carrothers and Dave Redmond in a piano trio for many years and I was excited to hear how we would perform with this new instrumentation. The inclusion of my friend and wonderful saxophonist Seamus Blake made a significant impact on how the trio performed. Seamus added an incredible musical dimension and texture to the compositions. His musicality added so much to the work.
The music whether simple or complex was brought to another level by Bill and Dave’s strong melodic and rhythmic understanding and intuition. I believe that each composition—whether groove based, free or in odd meters—encapsulates and blends elements of musical styles that each musician in this quartet really enjoys playing.”
Electric era Miles Davis and the Headhunters band led by Herbie Hancock have been suggested as influences for Brady’s Electric Quartet. Personally I’m reminded of the more contemporary sounds of saxophonist Donny McCaslin’s group with electric keyboard specialist Jason Lindner, electric bass maestro Tim LeFebvre and drummer extraordinaire Mark Guiliana. The material on “Plan B” is comprised of eight original compositions, five from leader Brady and a further three from Carrothers.
In fact it’s one of Bill’s that kicks things off as his “Airbourne” sets the scene, introduced by the composer on Rhodes and with Brady and Redmond establishing a stealthy, mobile groove that forms the basis for Blake’s tenor sax soloing. In terms of both power and fluency I’ve always regarded Blake as the natural heir to the late, great Michael Brecker, and I also hear something of Chris Potter in his sound, too. The saxophonist is followed by Carrothers, playing an authentic 70s Fender Rhodes that Brady sourced for him in Dublin prior to the album recording at Arthouse Studios in Naas Co. Kildare. Carrothers conjures a fascinating array of sounds from the instrument and brings the same levels of inventiveness and imagination to the electric keyboard as he has previously done to the acoustic piano. Redmond’s bass is featured prominently in the mix and his agility on the instrument is a distinctive component of the music. Leader Brady holds it all together from the kit, mixing power with precision and rhythmic solidity with splashes of colour and detail.
Brady’s own “Plan B” is introduced by a combination of bass and drums, these joined by the plaintive wail of Blake’s tenor and Carrothers’ keyboard colourations. The saxophonist then stretches out more expansively, followed by a thoughtful solo from Carrothers on Rhodes above the fluid rhythms of Redmond and Brady. Blake then returns to continue his saxophonic ruminations on this atmospheric and intriguing piece.
Carrothers takes up the compositional reins again for “Short ‘N’ Sweet”, which rather contradicts its title by lasting for a fraction under nine minutes. Musically it’s something of a tour de force, building from a gentle sax/Rhodes opening to embrace an urgent bass and drum groove, above which the opening snippet of sax melody now flies. Blake continues to stretch out, probing deeply and mercurially above the polyrhythmic rumble of Brady’s drums. Carrothers adopts the classic Rhodes sound for his solo as Brady continues to dazzle at the kit, the piece culminating in something of a drum feature.
A sequence of Brady originals follows, commencing with the free-wheeling, “Spindletop”, which combines an ostinato bass pulse with a rolling drum groove to create the framework for typically fluent, muscular and inventive solos from Blake and Carrothers.
As its title might suggest “Quiet Beach” presents a gentler side of the band, a contemporary ballad that finds Blake playing with a quietly simmering intensity before Redmond steps right out of the shadows for the first time to deliver a liquidly melodic electric bass solo. Carrothers is subtly exploratory on Rhodes, with Brady subtly steering things from the kit. There’s then a dramatic change of pace as the leader’s drums take over and the tempo increases dramatically, with Blake’s tenor taking flight. Perhaps the schizophrenic structure of this piece is a commentary on the vagaries of the Irish weather.Ushered in by Carrothers at the Rhodes “Out Of The Blue” finds Blake brooding eloquently over a fluid bass and drum groove, giving the piece an updated ‘modal’ feel. Carrothers subsequently takes over to solo with a feverish inventiveness on Rhodes, before Blake makes his return, the piece subtly fading away to finish with just the leader’s drums.The nine minute “Wanderlust” begins quietly with gently chiming ‘musical box’ Rhodes, subsequently joined by sax, drums and bass as Blake takes up the theme. A mood of quiet reflection imbues the performances with Carrothers soloing on gently trilling Rhodes and Blake on ruminative tenor sax. Brady’s subtle polyrhythmic flow recalls drum colourists such as Paul Motian and Jon Christensen.
The album concludes with the upbeat funk of the Carrothers composition “Suicide Squeeze”, with Redmond’s percolating electric bass and Brady’s shuffling drum patterns providing an infectious momentum for the exploratory solos of Blake and Carrothers. It’s a great way to end an excellent album.
As an experiment “Plan B” succeeds magnificently. The intelligent and multi-faceted writing of Brady and Carrothers ensures that this is far more than just another ‘fusion’ album. Brady’s decision to ‘turn electric’ has proved to be an inspired choice and the music on this album also represents a fitting tribute to the departed Larry Coryell, who sowed the seed for the project. Of course the presence of the great Seamus Blake is an asset to any recording but the playing of the original trio of Brady, Carrothers and Redmond is also central to the album’s success. The rapport that they have established during the many years that they have been playing together forms the backbone of the music and provides a sturdy rhythmic framework for Blake’s solo flights.
Carrothers takes an almost ‘orchestral’ approach to the Rhodes and delivers a fascinating variety of sounds, adding depth and colour to the music as well as impressing as an intelligent and imaginative soloist. The ease with which he adapts to the electric version of his instrument is matched by Redmond at the bass. He and Brady form an exceptional rhythm team, flexible, intelligent and technically adept. The leader steers the music from the kit without being overly dominant, displaying power if needed but also playing with delicacy and precision when required. He impresses with his accuracy, sense of colour and attention to detail throughout.
The critical reaction to “Plan B” appears to have been overwhelmingly positive and rightly so. The quartet’s forthcoming tour of Ireland promises to be a hugely exciting event.
Album: Ensam
New York City Jazz Record | U.S.A. ****
“Brady is a less-is-better drummer in the tradition of Paul Motian,the album’s prevailing mood is thoughtful and accessible with hints of quirkiness here & there ” Contributed by Tom Greenland.
Record Collector Magazine | U.K. ****
“Augmented by the cosmic pipes of legendary British singer, Norma Winstone, the interplay between the musicians on ENSAM is sublime.” Contributed by Charles Waring.
The Irish Times | Ireland ****
“Ranks among the best jazz albums this year” Contributed by Cormac Larkin.
All About Jazz | U.S.A. ****
“Brady is an impressive drummer with strong chops, impeccable taste, creative & most notably, terrific tone” – Contributed by John Kelman.
Downbeat Jazz Magazine | U.S.A. ***
“Brady is worth keeping an eye on” ***
Over the years, the commendable efforts of the label Fresh Sounds New Talent have provided some exposure to young musicians who. if deserving, are yet to define their musical vision. Although Irish drummer cannot be accused of bringing Bill Carrothers’ with the unique purpose of gaining credibility – the two seem to have developed a solid working relationship – the pianist provides most of the material and the recording definitely bears his mark and displays his most lyrical and romantic side. The most memorable aspects of the first part of the program are Brady’s playing on his ” Out of the Blue” and Carrothers Russian folk song quotes on his own ” That Russian Thing.” At midpoint, with the delightfully zany ” Waltz Macabre” characterized by the pianist’s rhythmic imagination and the drummer’s circus rolls, the proceeding take a turn for the better. The title track is a collective effort that suggests that the trio is even more at ease without the constraints of fixed parameters.
As a drummer and a leader, Brady avoids the common mistake of indulging himself and only takes one short solo. The wild card in this trio is, Dave Redmond, who’s a sensitive musician and understands how to move the music forward without getting in the way, especially while dealing with Carrothers’ personal harmonic approach. Brady is worth keeping an eye on. Contributed by Alain Drouot.
Record Collector Magazine | U.K. ****
“Brady & Redmond’s finely nuanced contributions should not be underestimated” ***
Another noteworthy new album comes courtesy of the Kevin Brady Trio. Led by the Irish composer/drummer (who’s also a member of the group, Organics) the trio has produced an engaging CD entitled Zeitgeist (**** Fresh Sound), which features American pianist, Bill Carrothers, and bassist, David Redmond. Carrothers’ beautifully limpid piano filigrees – especially on the mournfully elegant Gitchee Gumee – are a key component of the trio’s appeal, though Redmond and Brady’s finely nuanced contributions should not be underestimated. Contributed by Charles Waring
Chicago Reader | U.S.A. ****
“A stunning equilibrium, the group to move as one”
Bill Carrothers sounds particularly strong on a new date called Zeitgeist (Fresh Sound New Talent), led by Irish drummer Kevin Brady an admirer who asked Carrothers to visit Ireland & The U.K. for some live dates. Along with bassist Dave Redmond they formed an easy bond. Redmond and Brady each contribute a tune, but the strongest material comes from Carrothers–the aptly titled “Waltz Macabre,” for instance, presents contrasting simultaneous vibes, like sprightly vs. dark and graceful vs. jagged. Carrothers never really grandstands, and he and the other players achieve a stunning equilibrium, allowing the group to move as one. Contributed by Peter Margasak
The Irish Times ****
“A transatlantic relationship destined to get better and better”
Both subtlety and verbosity are at play on Dublin drummer Kevin Brady’s latest hook-up with American pianist Bill Carrothers. Brady and Bassist Dave Redmond have considerable playing experience together, so much so that they can probably anticipate each other’s twists and turns. But the arrival of Carrothers brings new vibrancy to the mix. Listen to how the dialogue develops and note the point at which individual characters dominate the discourse. Carrothers is at his best when adjusting new harmonic shapes, a challenge which drummer and bassist respond to with considerable vim. There’s a beautiful, slow motion lyrical drag to the tune ‘ That Russian Thing’. While their version of Wayne Shorter’s Black Nile makes a vintage bottle taste fresh and new. Review by Jim Carroll
Sunday Independent | Ireland ****
“Tracks capture spirit of the time”
Bill Carrothers is an American pianist who tours regularly with Kevin Brady and Dave Redmond. This is the trio’s second CD, launched in June. They establish a feeling of spontaneity right from the opening number, Brady’s Out Of The Blue. Six tunes composed by Carrothers vary in pace and mood and Redmond’s Big Mouth is a calm piece that belies its title. Zeitgeist, co-written by all three musicians, is a highlight!. Equally engaging is the lyrical, melancholy treatment of Wayne Shorter’s Black Nile. Review by Grainne Farren
Journal Of Music | Ireland ****
“Zeitgeist is a truly international effort, another notch in Brady’s expanding producer’s belt, and a superb collection of music”
It is nearly three years since drummer Kevin Brady formed his current trio with fellow Dubliner Dave Redmond and the mercurial American pianist Bill Carrothers. That the group has developed and sustained a deep musical relationship across this span, with four national tours and two first-rate recordings to its credit, is particularly noteworthy as Carrothers lives in the rugged, distant reaches of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, far from the urban centre’s where jazz usually flourishes and farther still from Ireland.
But this collaboration transcends geography just as its music transcends genre.
The trio’s first record, Common Ground, one of the top jazz issues of 2008, documented the sensitive feel these musicians have for each other’s playing and for the harmonic and rhythmic challenges they set for themselves. Zeitgeist builds on their ever-growing sense of common purpose and is full of surprising moments that run against the grain of expectation, eschewing cliché and exploring musical territory that is broad and compelling.
The atmospheric opening track ‘Out of the Blue’, written by Brady, is evidence of his maturing compositional sense and offers an ideal platform for the trio’s well-knit, interactive approach. Likewise, bassist Redmond’s ‘Big Mouth’ is a harmonically probing tune that seems to define itself as it goes along. Both Irishmen are writing with the assurance and sense of adventure that has marked their playing for many years.
Most of the tunes on the album, however, are written by Carrothers. Well known for his openness to sources many jazz musicians are not even aware of – music-hall songs, hymns, bluegrass, and maritime music, for example – his pieces are informed by a breadth of influence that gives them a dimension and richness well beyond the time-worn structures of post-bop jazz.
‘That Russian Thing’, with its stately, dance-like feel and references to Fiddler on the Roof, and the slyly humorous ‘Waltz Macabre’ give evidence of an interest in European musical forms that rarely intersects with jazz. ‘Home Row’ and ‘In the Wheelhouse’ show us that side of Carrothers that loves Clifford Brown and Sonny Rollins. But for me the album’s highlight is the closing track, ‘Gitchee Gumee’, a lovely, lyrical tribute to Lake Superior, the world’s largest fresh-water lake, which presides over Carrothers’ home state of Michigan with the kind of mythic grandeur (cleverly evoked by quotes from Stravinsky’s Firebird) that the Irish Sea holds for Stephen Dedalus in the opening pages of Ulysses.
Anyone who has seen this trio live will know how these three very individual players love to push each other and themselves, and how the result is always exciting and distinctive. Zeitgeist captures that spirit. With eloquent liner notes from Ray Comiskey and distribution and production support from Barcelona’s dynamic Fresh Sound Records, Zeitgeist is a truly international effort, another notch in Brady’s expanding producer’s belt, and a superb collection of music. Contributed by Kevin Stevens
JAZZWISE | U.K. ***
“Excellent, something that needs to be heard”
An excellent follow-up to this trio’s debut Common Ground and a worthy motivation for the tour they undertook this May. Much of the character of the trio, and a majority of the original repertoire, are down to the rather unique contribution of the still neglected Carrothers. I’ve endeavored before to describe his rhythmic flexibility and harmonic language, which, while resembling a few other pianists in small ways, result in a sound that’s difficult to nail in non-technical language.
In this context, it’s not surprising that Brady’s opening track, a moody minor 3/4 piece called ‘ Out of the Blue’, sounds remarkably different from the recent version by the trio Organics which also includes the drummer.
But this seems the best forum for drawing out Brady’s qualities, and likewise Redmond is usefully stretched, more than in some other contexts. For some reason Carrothers’ lyrical closing item, ‘Gitchee Gumee’ contains an extended quotation from Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite, but these comments are mere listening notes to something that needs to be heard. Contributed by Brian Priestly
JAZZ JOURNAL | U.K. ****
“The interaction between the musicians is first class”
Irish drummer Brady and fellow countryman Redmond have been teaming up with New York pianist Carrothers for many years.
The interaction between the musicians is first class. Their approach comes out of the Bill Evans trio of the early 1960s, but is thoroughly contemporary.
All the material, except Wayne Shorter’s Black Nile, comes from within the group, and there is a strong organic relationship between composition and interpretation. Carrothers is technically very correct, his playing has spirit, originality and emotional force. Definitely not background listening; concentration is required to hear the many subtle nuances. Contributed by Mark Gardner
All Music Guide | U.S.A. ****
“Jazz fans should seek this one out and be quite pleased with the results“
Drummer Kevin Brady has languished in the Irish jazz scene as this recording done in Dublin attests, but the distinctively American aspect of the music is more prevalent that any fusion with jigs or reels. Due to the presence of veteran pianist Bill Carrothers, the sounds are cast in phrasings closer to Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, or Denny Zeitlin, an all-original program of poetic jazz with straight ahead bop, ballads, or contemporary jazz as the focal point’s.
Carrothers – a true unsung hero of modern jazz piano – puts Brady and bassist Dave Redmond through the paces of the stair-step, cat-quick, neo-bop, Kenny Clarke – flavored straight bop ” In the Wheelhouse” and the playful, tuneful ” Home Row.” But there’s scheming and misdirection lurking in the deep ” Out of the blue” reflecting Jarrett; the purely mysterious ” Big Mouth”; and the circus-veil surrounding ‘ Waltz Macabre” a la Kurt Weill.”
At times a Native American or spiritual quality creeps in, but the trio keeps the ghostly visage in check, even offering up a super slow version of Wayne Shorter’s ” Black Nile” to reaffirm the group is cognizant of past masters. Brady himself is Spartan in his rhythm navigating, aware that Carrothers is being given complete freedom to weave in and out as he pleases melodically. A sleeper of an album, jazz fans should seek this one out and be quite pleased with the results. – Contributed by Michael G. Nastos.
Jazzwise Magazine – Live Review Pizza Express Jazz Club, London
Bill Carrother’s is one of those well kept secrets in American jazz – another name tat comes to mind is pianist Marc Copland – with an impressive CV that includes recordings as leader with Bill Stewart, Gary Peacock and many high profile sideman roles. Perhaps Carrothers’ retreat to a remote part of Michigan a few years ago added something to his elusiveness.
However, for the past few years he’s been touring and recording with the Dublin based drummer Kevin Brady’s trio, One of Ireland’s leading jazz musicians. For someone who has been out of the limelight he steals it here in Soho on the trio’s penultimate gig, which also features Dublin bassist Dave Redmond, coming at the end of a two-week Irish tour showcasing a new CD Zeitgeist on Barcelona’s splendid Fresh Sound New Talent label. Carrothers is difficult to pigeonhole and it’s his unpredictability that quickly reveals itself in the first set particularly on ‘Waltz Macabre’. Contributed by Selwyn Harris
The Brecon Jazz Festival | The Tribune U.K.
“The Kevin Brady Trio displayed an enviable poise and togetherness amid cascading instrumental breaks and improvised flourishes”
Contrary to the popular myth about jazz musicians, we didn’t all just get stoned and forget to get here” quipped pianist Bill Carrothers, by way of apology that the acclaimed Irish-American trio he stars in took the stage some half an hour later than billed at the Brecon Jazz Festival 2011.
“Airport issues” was the official line given, and judging by their disheveled appearance, the trio, led by Dublin drummer Kevin Brady, were straight off the plane. Happily, however, their flustered arrival didn’t hinder an accomplished, varied set with flashes of virtuoso beauty.
Hunched crab-like over his piano, Massachusetts-based Carrothers – whose 20-year career has included playing sideman for Ira Sullivan and Buddy De Franco – stole the show. The trio’s stock trade of frenetic, effervescent post-bop is an invigorating sound, with Carrothers’ hands galloping left and right across the ivories, matched blow for trilling blow by the intricate percussive stabs of Brady and running bass lines of fellow-Dubliner Dave Redmond.
The band has been playing together for “four or five years”, according to Brady, and displayed an enviable poise and togetherness amid cascading instrumental breaks and improvised flourishes.
However, the biggest thrills came when the pace was slackened, allowing Carrothers to emerge as a clear focal point. With the ominous opening chords of ‘Delilah’, he summoned a sort of gothic drama, made all the more eerie by the huge looming shadows of each man projected on the back wall by sparse stage lighting. Even more impressive was ‘Peg’ – written for Carrothers’ wife, he told us – which started with a plaintive lone piano figure that evoked the undulating melancholia of an Einaudi score, before swelling to a joyous crescendo, during which Carrothers appeared to be humming every note along in time with his fingers.
The crowd was certainly appreciative (one man almost decapitated me he was clapping so ferociously) – Worth the wait, for sure.”
The Sydney Morning Herald | Australia
“Brady brings sensitivity and an indefinable Irish lilt to the feels surrounding the work”
Some albums hit you on the head at first hearing. This one creeps up. Initially it sounds like conventional enough piano-trio jazz, but you gradually become aware that the musical world is being viewed through a slightly distorted prism, and that some of the collective magic can be missed, having been glossed over with a veneer of simplicity.
The idiosyncrasy is more overt on the wonderful Waltz Macabre, where a slowly unraveling um-pah-pah rhythm is like the soundtrack for a fairground hallucination going horribly wrong. Drummer Kevin Brady and bassist Dave Redmond bring sensitivity and an indefinable Irish lilt to the feels surrounding the work of brilliant American pianist Bill Carrothers. Contributed by John Shand