Ross Lorraine is a versatile composer and pianist whose roles have included being assistant and later editor for Sir Harrison Birtwistle. Writing songs has been a part of Ross’s life since his teenage years. “Timeless songwriting, exquisitely performed,” wrote Allaboutjazz of his first album of songs, ‘Heart Of Mine’ (2022). His new, second album of songs ‘More from the Heart’ assembles a cast of stellar British jazz vocal and instrumental artists.
Andrew Cartmel writes: To say that Ross Lorraine writes songs and plays the piano is to seriously understate the case…
He has performed as a keyboard player at jazz festivals (London and Cheltenham), recorded with top singers in the genre such as Sarah Moule and Emilia Martensson and, as he recalls, “Jazz goes back a long way for me. My mother, who was an actor, was very musical and even wrote a couple of songs herself. She loved singers like Ella Fitzgerald and Mel Tormé, and also had some very up-to-date records when I was a kid — people like Thelonious Monk and Jimmy Giuffre. And we had the kind of house where people would come round to sing and play boogie-woogie or “skiffle” (with broom-handle bass!).”
But jazz is just one part of an extremely broad musical spectrum where Ross writes, performs, and very clearly feels at home. Unusually, he also has a distinguished background in classical music, including a long association with Harrison Birtwistle as his assistant and later editor.
Such diversity of influences is clearly to be heard on Ross’s outstanding new album More From the Heart which boasts a potent roster of guest artists, including Claire Martin, who co-produced and provided backing vocals.
This isn’t their first collaboration, having previously worked together on Ross’s debut, Heart of Mine. Like that album, More From the Heart is a collection of songs by Ross, all original and all new — “I’m always writing new songs, so within about a year there was no problem in having enough material. I seem to have caught the song-writing bug now, and there are already a few new ones since More From the Heart! So whatever comes next will probably involve the voice, but in exactly what context remains to be seen.”
The core group of musicians on the new album are Nikki Iles on piano and accordion, Mike Walker on guitar, Laurence Cottle on electric bass, Ian Thomas on drums and percussion and James McMillan (who also co-produced and engineered the album) on trumpet, flugelhorn and keyboards.
This is already a crack team but it’s superbly supplemented by a gang of top guest vocalists including Joanna Eden, Iain Mackenzie, Charlie Wood, Irene Serra, Noemi Nuti and Christine Tobin.
And special mention must also be made of Joe Giddey’s splendidly distinctive contributions on the cello. It’s an unusual instrumental colour in jazz . I asked Ross if the decision to include it derived from his background in classical music and his work with Harrison Birtwistle.
“I like strings: the first instrument I studied seriously was the violin, and I always loved the expressive, almost vocal quality of the cello (Pablo Casals playing Bach Suites, or Jaqueline Du Pre playing Elgar). I do admire Birtwistle’s string writing, especially in his later work. When I was writing more in the world of contemporary classical music, I worked with a great cellist (Anton Lukoszevieze), and I was lucky enough to get a commission to write for the Arditti String Quartet for the Cheltenham New Music Festival.”
The songs themselves are a remarkably strong and varied collection. When asked to name his inspirations, Ross says, “I came of age in the time of singer-songwriters like Joni Mitchell and James Taylor, and they are huge influences, but I also greatly admire the songwriters of the Great American Songbook such as Jerome Kern, the Gershwins, Hoagy Carmichael, and the more chanson, storytelling style of Jacques Brel. I think Fran Landesman was a great lyricist, as are more recent singers like Tom Waits (and his partner Helen Brennan) and Rufus Wainwright.”
Ross is a gifted arranger and he described the process of making arrangements for the album. “Some songs (like Finding Our Feet) came with piano parts that I wrote in full. Otherwise, it was a question of myself, James MacMillan (who is a very accomplished and versatile musician), Claire Martin and the players all making suggestions and trying things out. Nikki Iles on piano and accordion was particularly helpful in that regard, and I am a huge admirer of her arranging skills. She has recently recorded some superb big band arrangements of her own compositions with the NDR big band (Face To Face).”
With a team like this, More From the Heart was always destined to be something special. The first cut on the album, Down on My Knees is a bold, silken opening statement, sung by Joanna Eden with hip nimble electric guitar by Mike Walker. Scissor Papers Stone showcases wonderful use of cello by Joe Giddey and seductive singsong piano from Nikki Iles. It conjures an enchanting, haunted sense of nostalgia, with vocals by Noemi Nuti. Iain Mackenzie sings the swift, rhythmic, What You Got a sardonic little gem which is reminiscent of Dave Frishberg or Blossom Dearie in their prime. More ironic wit is plentifully in evidence on Downtime, sung by Charlie Wood, the loping grooviness of the song underlined by a tasty, sinuous trumpet solo courtesy of James McMillan. Sleep My Darling is a work of heartrending loveliness which stirs the hairs on the nape of the neck — the mark of true art. It features delicately beautiful piano by Nikki Iles and subtle, beautiful cello playing from Joe Giddey, the melancholy contours of which really make this song. “I wrote the cello lines on the album that Joe plays so beautifully,” says Ross.
Kudos to them both.
More From the Heart is released on Ross Lorraine Records in association with ECN Music today, 2 August 2024.
The album launch concert will be at Piano Smithfield in London on Wednesday 18 September 2024
