Saturday, September 3, 2011

CD Review: Dominic J. Marshall Trio The Oneness


Dominic J. Marshall TrioThe Oneness
(CD Review by Chris Parker)


Dominic J. Marshall, while studying at Leeds College of Music, was the pianist in a trio named Tryatarantis, whose music so impressed fellow pianist John Law that he was moved to remark that they played 'so easily you lose sight of the technical accomplishments of all the band members and just dig the feel … they communicate great joy. I think no one's told them yet that life's supposed to be difficult.'

Having left Leeds and relocated to Amsterdam, Marshall now plays (and has recorded this album) with bassist Walter Stinson and drummer Ruben Steijn, but his music retains its freshness, vitality and power.

Six of the album's nine tracks are by Marshall himself, and they range unaffectedly between slow-burning, luminous ballads and brisker, occasionally tumultuous, flat-out pieces that showcase a considerable pianistic talent.

George Shearing ('Conception'), Nick Drake ('Parasite') and Thelonious Monk ('Pannonica') supply the three non-originals, but it is arguably the extended, carefully built self-penned pieces (epitomised by the album's opener, 'Jintonic') featuring lengthy, pleasingly self-absorbed but consistently communicative and inventive piano solos that really impress in a striking debut album featuring an intense, fiercely interactive trio.

Album avaiable from www.dominicjmarshall.com

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