(Contemporary Jazz, Cool, Improvisation, Piano, ACT Music) Gwilym Simcock - Good Days at Schloss Elmau - 2011, WEB, FLAC (tracks), lossless

The BBC were very impressed by pianist Gwilym Simcock from early on in his career. In 2005,when Simcock was just 24 years old, he won the "Rising Star" Award at the BBC Jazz Awards. A year later he became the first “BBC Radio 3 New Generation Jazz Artist”; a position he held for two years. By 2007 he was awarded the title “Jazz Musician of the Year“ at the British Parliamentary Jazz Awards. His 2008 debut album “Perception” was widely acclaimed in the international press. But it is the praise of his colleagues that is really telling. Chick Corea calls him “an original, a creative genius” whilst fellow Brit Jamie Cullum, the undisputed star of British jazz, said: “He is our best young pianist.”
The young Welshman is clearly on a par with new stars such as Vijay Iyer, Yaron Herman and Michael Wollny. He joins them in a series of impressive piano solo albums on ACT. “Good Days at Schloss Elmau” features eight pieces, all his own compositions, inspired by the unique “cultural hideaway” in the Bavarian Alps. As one might expect from a pianist so closely associated with classical music, the spirit of this special place is reflected throughout this recording.
Gwilym did, after all, start out as a classical pianist. At the age of just three his mother and father (a church organist) recognised their son’s talent and very much encouraged it. By the age of seven Simcock started lessons at London’s renowned Trinity College of Music and then went on to Chetham’s School in Manchester. The effects of this early education can still be heard in Simcock’s music today – with his technique and ability to interpret, he could easily have become a successful classical pianist. But at the age of 15 he was given a cassette of jazz music by his improvisation teacher Steve Berry. This included tracks by Keith Jarrett and Pat Metheny that were to change his musical direction and inspire him to study jazz at the Royal Academy of Music where he graduated with distinction and won the coveted Principal's prize.
Simcock’s prodigious talent soon became well known in jazz circles and he played with greats such as Dave Holland, Lee Konitz and Bob Mintzer and was also a regular member of Bill Bruford’s “Earthworks” even before recording his first CD. The wide-reaching appeal of his work to his musical colleagues and his fans is apparent on “Good Days at Schloss Elmau” after only a few bars. Simcock has devoured his way through the seas of musical history like a shark. Those who listen closely will detect sounds reminiscent of Mozart, Bach, Chopin, Ravel, Gershwin or Ligeti, as well as George Shearing, Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, and Keith Jarrett, one of the artists who triggered Simcock’s passion for jazz in the first place and to whom he pays brilliant hommage on “Northern Smiles“ (a play on Jarrett’s “Southern Smiles“). Simcock is an eclectic pianist, a true craftsman, capable of creating a huge range of textures and sonorities with his instrument. He is one of the few brilliant players who has succeeded in finding his own style. “When you are young, you think the most important thing is to achieve technical control of your instrument. You later realise that this only works if you find the right approach and drive your music with inspiration and energy.”
His rhythmic feel is very strong (which becomes clear right from the beginning with the intense syncopation of the rousing opening track “These Are The Good Days”), his harmony is extravagant (as can be heard in the chromatic runs of “Gripper”), but the most distinctive thing about his music is its special sound. “I want to hear the piano sing. I have to hear melodies in my head when I improvise,” he says.

The world of jazz is currently enjoying a surfeit of great piano players, and the ACT label is home to some of the most innovative: musicians such as Michael Wollny of [em], Yaron Herman and Danilo Rea. Gwilym Simcock is the latest addition to the ACT roster with his solo Good Days At Schloss Elmau, a beautifully creative collection of original compositions that further establishes the Welshman as one of the most inventive pianists in jazz.
Simcock trained as a classical pianist, turning to jazz at 15. He is still just 29 years old, but is already a major force on the British scene with awards such as the 2007 Parliamentary Jazz Award for Jazz Musician of the Year. His extensive discography includes two previous albums as leader—Perception (Basho Records, 2007) and Blues Vignette (Basho Records, 2009). An intelligent and thoughtful player, he is already being cited as an influence and mentor by younger musicians such as saxophonist and composer Trish Clowes.
Simcock is not only a talented player, he is also a consistently imaginative composer. His playing and his writing encompass a wide range of styles and approaches: he creates some superbly rhythmic pieces and some beautifully ethereal sounds. The meandering, dreamlike and cinematic "Can We Still Be Friends?" is, perhaps, the epitomé of this latter aspect of Simcock's style. "Plain Song" is delicately sparse, as its title suggests, but Simcock adds lovely cascades of lightly sparkling notes. These cascades reappear on "Elmau Tage," which closes the album; a peaceful and reflective piece which appears to signal the end of the day.
Elsewhere, it's Simcock's command of rhythm that springs forth. "These are the Good Days" shows this side of Simcock's approach right from the start, an immediately accessible tune built around powerfully funky bass riffs. On "Northern Smiles" the rhythm becomes jagged and edgy: Simcock's playing is more percussive and at times extremely hard-hitting. "Wake Up Call" also has an edginess to its rhythm, but Simcock is a little more playful, the complex flurries of notes suggesting that the call is more urgent than the usual morning alarm.
Good Days At Schloss Elmau was recorded, like Rea's A Tribute To Fabrizio De André (ACT, 2010), at the "cultural hideaway" of Schloss Elmau, in the Bavarian Alps. The sound quality is exceptional, registering every nuance of Simcock's playing. In keeping with ACT's fine tradition, the album boasts a strikingly effective cover image—although the '50s Matinee Idol photo of Simcock on the inside is oddly anachronistic. But minor quibbles about one photograph don't detract from a simple fact: Good Days At Schloss Elmau is a lovely recording, with many moments of dazzling beauty. ~ Bruce Lindsay