The newest release on Ubuntu Records is a truly stunning offering from London-based kiwi pianist and composer John-Paul Muir. Beautifully honest, ‘Home Now’ unfolds gently with a vulnerability that lets the light in.
The opening number, ‘Sunlight’ begins with a solo piano introduction that glistens with clarity and sensitivity. In time, Muir is joined by the instantly recognisable voice of Brigitte Beraha, singing lyrics both intimate and nostalgic by poet and neuroscientist, Anjali Bhat:
“I opened my eyes
and was most surprised
to find the sky outside was grey
For where you had taken me
Where I had been swept away
Was full of sunlight
Sunlight in a kiss”
George Crowley emerges on bass clarinet and the interplay between him and Beraha is pure delight – the trio captures a contemporary chamber ensemble vibe, joyously reminiscent of Azimuth.
‘Home Now’ is ten-minute exploration of sonder and the beautiful agony of belonging to two places at once. Bhat’s lyrics are a gift, capturing a gentle melancholy and the indefinable nature of home – particularly poignant for an antipodean living in London. In this piece, we are introduced to Jakub Cywiński on double bass, who’s playing sings with a melodic lyricism akin to Palle Danielsson, and Eric Ford on drums, refreshingly understated, dancing lightly with brushes. Muir lets his fingers fly in a solo that captures the depth and length of home stretching half way around the globe, and Beraha takes the breaks off, vocalising in free-flowing interplay with Crowley’s bass clarinet.
It’s worth mentioning that the band did not play all together until the recording itself at School Farm Studios in Essex. Muir rehearsed the rhythm section and frontline separately by design, as he wanted to” capture their encounter with the music in a very honest way.”
One of the most stunning qualities of the album is how loudly the musicians listen to each other. Master engineer Stefano Civetta managed to capture not only the instruments themselves with crystalline clarity, but also the intimacy of five top improvising musicians listening at full capacity.
‘Silent Acknowledgement’ opens with a piano introduction that was recorded in just one take. Muir commented on the “beautiful lengths of sound” from the Steinway model D at School Farm Studios and he certainly makes the most of the “intimacy of the sound” in this piece. Beraha’s vocals are particularly hypnotic, bringing to life Bhat’s subtle lyrics, set to a melody that has distant echoes of Bill Evan’s ‘The Peacocks.’ This is another trio moment for Muir, Beraha and Crowley and a masterclass in space. The song ends without warning, Bhat’s lyrics ringing in the silence:
“A silent acknowledgment
Passes between us
Soft, unseen
Just a breath
Jointly in an instance
We agree
We bury
And it’s left unspoken”
‘Balm’ is a quartet number featuring Crowley on tenor saxophone. His phrasing in this piece is particular joyful. The composition is subtle, but not shy. Infact, everything about this record is quietly assured and understated. Cywiński finds space to breathe fragments of melodies between the tenor line, surfacing for a moment before descending once more, and Ford plays mallets with great warmth and tenderness. Muir emerges with a piano solo that seems to ripple away as gently as it began. Muir was clear about “the conception of the whole being the most important thing.”
“Because the songs matter so much to me, it’s not about me shredding over them at all, it’s about telling the story.” This dedication to expressing the heart of the compositions is shared by all five musicians. Solos bubble up out of the ensemble and simmer back down in an organic way; the lines of form and structure gently blurred.
The final composition of the album is ‘Overjoyed’ – a gospel influenced waltz for quartet, once again featuring Crowley on tenor saxophone. The quartet play like someone left the back gate wide open: blue skies, fresh air and freedom. It is a beautiful high note on which to close the album.
‘Home Now’ has so much to say, but subtly, gently. Whether floating on the surface or plumbing the depths of layers of meaning, this listener is coaxed into a world of nuance and beauty. ‘Home Now’ is available to buy and stream on all platforms. Auckland audiences can catch Muir live with a local band in December and UK audiences will have the opportunity to attend the live launch with original line-up at The Vortex in March 2025.
