Nikki Iles/NDR Bigband - Face to Face

Styles: Piano Jazz, Big Band
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:52
Size: 137,6 MB
Art: Front

(8:18) 1. Misfits
(7:15) 2. Red Ellen
(6:28) 3. Face to Face
(8:38) 4. Wild Oak
(6:16) 5. Big Sky
(6:41) 6. The Caged Bird
(9:28) 7. Hush
(6:45) 8. Awakening

This highly anticipated album stands as a resounding testament to the unmatched quality, meticulous artistry, and virtuosity of these extraordinary musicians. “Face to Face” marks a transformative turning point, propelling her artistry onto a grand stage where it rightfully belongs. Her piano compositions bear an unparalleled emotional depth, captivating listeners with each exquisite note.”

Joined by the NDR Bigband, known for their impeccable performances and musical prowess, this album delves into the heart of contemporary jazz. Together, they craft a sonic tapestry that redefines the genre and transcends conventions. Beyond a mere celebration, “Face to Face” is a revelation of Nikki Iles’ genius and a testament to her impact on the music world. It offers an intimate encounter with her raw talent and undeniable charisma. With each listen,

“Face to Face” unravels the layers of Nikki Iles’ musical brilliance, perfectly complemented by the grandeur of the NDR Bigband. This album invites us into the magic of true artistry. “Face to Face” is an album that will leave an indelible mark on the world of jazz and beyond.
https://editionrecords.com/releases/nikki-ilesndr-bigband-face-to-face/

Face to Face

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Martin Speake, Nikki Iles, Duncan Hopkins, Anthony Michelli - Secret

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 78:30
Size: 180,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:14) 1. Secret Place
(3:42) 2. Veils
(6:47) 3. The Heron
(6:20) 4. Oncology
(5:09) 5. J.T.'s Symmetrical Scale
(8:15) 6. The Thrill Is Gone
(5:31) 7. Westerly
(5:09) 8. Coventry
(1:53) 9. So To Speake
(5:27) 10. Fly's Dilemma
(5:14) 11. Nikki
(8:05) 12. Secret Wood
(6:53) 13. Willow (For Mick Hutton)
(4:43) 14. Luiza

Secret is a cooperative quartet comprised of British altoist Martin Speake and pianist Nikki Iles, together with Canadian bassist Duncan Hopkins and drummer Anthony Michelli. Their eponymous debut as a unit, recorded in the fall of 2000 in London, is a 79-minute opportunity to hear a new combo. All but two of the compositions are written by Iles (5), Speake (5) and Hopkins (2).

The most immediate reason for celebration is the work of Martin Speake. He has more than a passing resemblance to Jackie McLean and carries the torch of post bop into the new millennium without a glance backwards. His styling is that of a bopper with the fluency of a Charles McPherson in the mid-1960s updated to today's scene. Speake was responsible for the formation of the group and they seem to mesh very well together. In fact, the others record and tour as a working unit as the Nikki Iles Trio.

The album begins in a ballad or mid-tempo fashion, almost leisurely, on the first four tracks. On "J.T.'s Symmetrical Scale" Speake picks it up and interplay with Iles leads into an acerbic solo. Michelli uses brushes throughout on the tune. Speake also plays aggressively on "Fly's Dilemma," followed by a surging piano solo by Iles. B.B. King may have advised all that "The Thrill is Gone," but on Secret's updating of the Brown & Henderson standard, an attractive ballad delivery becomes a funky showcase.

In all, most of the original tunes are fine vehicles for ensemble and solo performance, and the album concludes with Jobim's "Luiza." Since this album, the different group members have recorded on several other Basho albums. Speake has a pending ECM release with Bobo Stenson and Paul Motian and expects to be signed to the label. His duo album My Ideal with Ethan Iverson, pianist for the Bad Plus, was released by Basho in spring of 2004.By Michael P. Gladstone https://www.allaboutjazz.com/secret-martin-speake-basho-records-review-by-michael-p-gladstone

Personnel: Martin Speake, alto sax; Nikkii Iles,piano; Duncan Hopkins,bass; Anthony Michelli,drums.

Secret

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Kenny Wheeler, Norma Winstone & London Vocal Project - Mirrors

Styles: Jazz, Post-Bop
Year: 2013
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:40
Size: 160,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:21)  1. Humpty Dumpty
(3:58)  2. The Broken Heart
(5:36)  3. The Lover Mourns
(7:48)  4. Black March
(8:59)  5. Through the Looking Glass
(3:59)  6. The Hat
(5:57)  7. Breughel
(8:37)  8. Tweedledum
(6:16)  9. The Bereaved Swan
(8:42) 10. The Deathly Child
(4:22) 11. My Soul

That trumpeter/flugelhornist/composer Kenny Wheeler is challenging himself at 80 is surely inspirational. Mirrors represents his first recording where poems provide the music's source, though he composed the music over 20 years ago. The project was then commissioned for five solo voices in 1998, but the combination of Wheeler, singer Norma Winstone and the London Vocal Project, led by Pete Churchill, brings a fluid, suite-like permanency and epic scale to the original concept. Poets Stevie Smith, Lewis Carroll and W.B. Yeats provide strikingly diverse imagery surreal, visceral and profound and Wheeler weaves it all together in a sumptuous melodic tapestry where the music of language is meaning enough. The inimitable Winstone's strength and nuanced delivery belie her 70 years. Hers is a remarkable performance, though the balance struck between all the voices makes Mirrors a truly collaborative success. Bassist Steve Watts, drummer James Maddren and pianist Nikki Iles engender a swinging undercurrent, breezy and understated, that's irrevocably felt throughout. These musicians enjoy tremendous understanding; Winstone and Wheeler first recorded together in Azimuth in the 1970s and Iles, saxophonist Mark Lockheart, Watts and Maddren all play with Winstone in the group Printmakers. Little wonder, then, that the evident chemistry seems so effortless and joyfully intuitive.

The LVP's seven sopranos, eight altos, five tenors and five basses are the protagonists on three numbers. "Humpty Dumpty" is a playful take on Carroll's poem, with delightful passing around of the vocals between the choir sections. A deceptive intensity inhabits the mantra-like vocal rhythm of Smith's "The Broken Heart," a particularly hypnotic number punctuated by Wheeler's fine bluesy solo. Wheeler and Iles shine on a swinging arrangement of Smith's "Black March," though its buoyancy derives primarily from the snappy choral cadences. Winstone's performance sets the jewel in the crown. Her dreamy, almost ethereal reading of Carroll's "Through the Looking Glass" is wonderfully sympathetic. A rootsy and mellifluous instrumental passage, driven by Wheeler and Lockheart, serves as an interlude before the choir restores the contemplative mood. Carroll's "Tweedledum" is similarly episodic; jaunty in the choral passages, intimate and spare when Winstone holds court, and swinging when the quintet steps up. The singer, Iles and Lockheart confer a gentle majesty on Smith's seemingly throwaway, four-line poem, "My Hat."

Winstone and Iles treat the ghostly subject matter of "The Deathly Child" with a palpable sense of wonder, though when Winstone sits out the ensemble refashions this harbinger-of-death tale into joyous celebration. The fatalistic view of humankind's condition in Smith's "Breughel" is similarly dressed in more soothing robes by a lovely Burt Bacharach-esque melody. "The Bereaved Swan" captures the contrasting elements of melancholy and lyricism in Smith's words, whereby the choir's graceful waves form a canvas for Wheeler and Lockheart's more emotionally urgent colors. The subdued rhythm of "My Soul" highlights the powerful lyric content, lent suitable poignancy by Winstone's pitch-perfect delivery. How to categorize this glorious music, the ingenuity of Wheeler, Winstone and the LVP? To quote Smith: "Whatever names you give me, I am a breath of fresh air, a change for you." And what price Vol. 2 from James Joyce, via Robert Frost to John Cooper Clarke? ~ Ian Patterson https://www.allaboutjazz.com/mirrors-kenny-wheeler-edition-records-review-by-ian-patterson.php
 

Personnel: Kenny Wheeler: flugelhorn; Norma Winstone: vocals; Nikki Iles: piano; Mark Lockheart: saxophones; Steve Watts: double bass; James Maddren: drums; London Vocal Project: Pete Churchill: Director; sopranos: Fini Bearman; Hannah Berry; Jessica Berry; Helen Burnett; Katie Butler; Joanna Richards; Janni Thompson; tenors: Tommy Antonio; Sam Chaplin; Brendan Dowse; Richard Lake; Adam Saunders; altos: Mishka Adams; Paolo Bottomley; Nikki Franklin; Clara Green; Andi Hopgood; Chloe Potter; Emma Smith; Emmy Urquhart; basses: Kwabena Adjepong; Pat Bamber; Ben Barritt; Pete Churchill; Andrew Woolf.

Mirrors

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Tina May, Nikki Iles, Tony Coe - More Than You Know

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 55:37
Size: 127.3 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2006
Art: Front

[5:53] 1. The Touch Of Your Lips
[5:32] 2. Very Early
[6:47] 3. More Than You Know
[5:18] 4. Ocean
[5:37] 5. Sometime Ago
[4:30] 6. Cruel September
[5:20] 7. November Girl
[4:50] 8. What Kind Of Fool Am I
[5:59] 9. My Man's Gone Now
[5:47] 10. So Long Big Time

Voice, piano and tenor saxophone or clarinet; with an odd setup like that, you just don't know what to expect. In the case of these three, however, the chances are that it will turn out to be an interesting, quirky and, above all, enjoyable hour's music. And it is. In the first place, they have performed together so much that they must enjoy each other's company. That enjoyment includes a shared sense of what is possible with this tiny format and complete trust in one another's musical instincts. Tina May has a fine, expressive voice, with immaculate pitch, clear diction and no annoying mannerisms. Nikki Iles plays the piano with a crystalline touch and a technique that enables her to cover for the missing double bass when necessary. Coe is one of today's best clarinettists, in any idiom, with an inquisitive, slightly irascible saxophone style that is quite inimitable. The result is like overhearing an intelligent, often witty three-way conversation. ~Dave Gelly

More Than You Know

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