File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:16
Size: 142,8 MB
Art: Front
(5:02) 1. Winterspring
(5:57) 2. Something Good
(6:32) 3. Ophelia
(6:13) 4. The Hazel Wood
(2:35) 5. Lines
(7:31) 6. Nose Dive
(5:25) 7. The Giant
(0:53) 8. A Dream is a Wish
(5:52) 9. Love
(7:48) 10. Going Home
(7:22) 11. Dawn
Downbeat’s 2018 ‘Undergraduate Vocal Soloist of the Year’ Allison Wheeler is a rising talent from California (based in the Czech Republic), who’s now set to release her debut album winterspring. The album features leading Czech pianist Daniel Bulatkin and his trio, Max Makagonoy on double bass, Petr Nohavica on drums, as well as guest guitarist David Doružka and Luboš Soukup on saxophone and clarinet. This impressive instrumental ensemble fuses perfectly with Wheeler’s dynamic and folky vocals, creating an extraordinary sound world that dominates each track on the album. Wheeler successfully constructs a world of her own imagination, fuelled by her expansive vocal improvisation, folk-like nostalgia, and love for impressionism. Through crossing genre boundaries and combining various stylistic techniques, Allison Wheeler has created a contemporary jazz album which frequently borrows from folk and world music traditions. This can also be heard in the work of Wheeler’s musical influences, including Russian-American songwriter and vocalist Regina Spektor, experimental songwriter Fiona Apple and Irish American folk-rock vocalist Aoife O’Donovan.
The album begins with the title track ‘winterspring’ and a single-note piano introduction joined by Wheeler’s soothing vocals. The song slowly builds into a web of shifting time signatures and deviating harmonic structures, which are merged with Wheeler’s overlapping main and backing vocals. The lyrics provide a narrative based on the static and calm natural world, contrasting the busyness of the song's texture. Wheeler finds ways to create contrast throughout the track, with climactic and bustling sections instantly followed by more spacey moments, where her vocals shine through beautifully. The interactivity between the backing and main vocal lines can be heard further on in the song, where the melodies repeat each other canonically like a vocal chain heard in a traditional folk song. The prominence of the backing vocals is apparent throughout the album, particularly in the tracks ‘Ophelia’, ‘The Hazel Wood’ and ‘Nose Dive’.
Though Wheeler’s folk-like style shines through in ‘winterspring’, ‘Ophelia’ and ‘The Hazel Wood’, many of the other tracks on the album explore other contemporary jazz approaches. The second track, ‘Something Good’, with its more electronic and synthesised feel, references the sounds used by various musicians in the contemporary jazz scene. Wheeler’s ability to explore the music of the current jazz world while embracing her distinct style makes this album all the more exciting and unpredictable. The track features the virtuosic playing of Luboš Soukup, heard in his elaborate interjections throughout the verses and in his distinct improvisational style.
Wheeler’s impressive scat-soloing becomes more apparent, especially in ‘Nose Dive’, which spotlights her incredible vocal range and melodic creativity. The subsequent guitar solo also demonstrates dulcet originality, becoming more experimental and tonally explorative. The whole band drives the improvisation section to a climax before dramatically falling to a delicate piano moment, which is extremely effective. ‘The Giant’ also exhibits a more experimental side to Wheeler’s compositional style. The introductory sound world is based around the travelling drum line, with occasional high-pitched interjections from the piano, woodwind, strings, and Wheeler’s vocals. The use of extended performance techniques such as trills and growls create a setting which is sonically vibrant and unique.
‘A Dream is a Wish’ becomes a momentary pause from the chaotic nature of the previous track. Wheeler’s acapella singing of this popular Disney song is both nostalgic and soothing, perhaps allowing the listener to connect with the sounds of their childhood. This leads effectively into the graceful and scalic piano introduction of ‘Love’. The piano solo epitomizes the light-hearted feel heard from the starting melody, musically translating this message of love and warmth. The wordless tenth track ‘Going Home’ translates this message also, not through lyrics, but its introspective and sentimental feel. Each song throughout the album has its own narrative which can be heard through the instrumentation alone, making this album a very special and reflective listen indeed.
By Isabel Marquez https://www.jazzviews.net/allison-wheeler---winterspring.html
Personnel: Allison Wheeler - vocals & music; Daniel Bulatkin - piano/fender rhodes/prophet; Max Makagonov - double bass; Petr Nohavica - drums with special guests: David Doružka - guitar; Luboš Soukup - soprano and tenor saxophone/clarinet strings (tracks 3 &4); Lucie Agopianová - violin 1; Šárka Ozgová - violin 2; Zuzana Korenová - viola; Nozomi Sekine - cello
The album begins with the title track ‘winterspring’ and a single-note piano introduction joined by Wheeler’s soothing vocals. The song slowly builds into a web of shifting time signatures and deviating harmonic structures, which are merged with Wheeler’s overlapping main and backing vocals. The lyrics provide a narrative based on the static and calm natural world, contrasting the busyness of the song's texture. Wheeler finds ways to create contrast throughout the track, with climactic and bustling sections instantly followed by more spacey moments, where her vocals shine through beautifully. The interactivity between the backing and main vocal lines can be heard further on in the song, where the melodies repeat each other canonically like a vocal chain heard in a traditional folk song. The prominence of the backing vocals is apparent throughout the album, particularly in the tracks ‘Ophelia’, ‘The Hazel Wood’ and ‘Nose Dive’.
Though Wheeler’s folk-like style shines through in ‘winterspring’, ‘Ophelia’ and ‘The Hazel Wood’, many of the other tracks on the album explore other contemporary jazz approaches. The second track, ‘Something Good’, with its more electronic and synthesised feel, references the sounds used by various musicians in the contemporary jazz scene. Wheeler’s ability to explore the music of the current jazz world while embracing her distinct style makes this album all the more exciting and unpredictable. The track features the virtuosic playing of Luboš Soukup, heard in his elaborate interjections throughout the verses and in his distinct improvisational style.
Wheeler’s impressive scat-soloing becomes more apparent, especially in ‘Nose Dive’, which spotlights her incredible vocal range and melodic creativity. The subsequent guitar solo also demonstrates dulcet originality, becoming more experimental and tonally explorative. The whole band drives the improvisation section to a climax before dramatically falling to a delicate piano moment, which is extremely effective. ‘The Giant’ also exhibits a more experimental side to Wheeler’s compositional style. The introductory sound world is based around the travelling drum line, with occasional high-pitched interjections from the piano, woodwind, strings, and Wheeler’s vocals. The use of extended performance techniques such as trills and growls create a setting which is sonically vibrant and unique.
‘A Dream is a Wish’ becomes a momentary pause from the chaotic nature of the previous track. Wheeler’s acapella singing of this popular Disney song is both nostalgic and soothing, perhaps allowing the listener to connect with the sounds of their childhood. This leads effectively into the graceful and scalic piano introduction of ‘Love’. The piano solo epitomizes the light-hearted feel heard from the starting melody, musically translating this message of love and warmth. The wordless tenth track ‘Going Home’ translates this message also, not through lyrics, but its introspective and sentimental feel. Each song throughout the album has its own narrative which can be heard through the instrumentation alone, making this album a very special and reflective listen indeed.
By Isabel Marquez https://www.jazzviews.net/allison-wheeler---winterspring.html
Personnel: Allison Wheeler - vocals & music; Daniel Bulatkin - piano/fender rhodes/prophet; Max Makagonov - double bass; Petr Nohavica - drums with special guests: David Doružka - guitar; Luboš Soukup - soprano and tenor saxophone/clarinet strings (tracks 3 &4); Lucie Agopianová - violin 1; Šárka Ozgová - violin 2; Zuzana Korenová - viola; Nozomi Sekine - cello
Winterspring