BY SAMUEL COTTELL
‘Colossus’ CD release
By Damien Kingston (guitar), Matt Boden (piano), Nick Haywood (bass), Alf Jackson (drums)
The first thing that strikes me about ‘Colossus’ is the artwork by Struan Teague. It perfectly encapsulates a certain aesthetic and sets up what you think you might be about to listening to. There is line, geometry, symmetry, a blend of colours, and an interesting combination of shapes.
The album opens with Damien Kingston on guitar before the drums and bass then enter, adding layers to the core melodic and harmonic idea. This layering is something that permeates the entire album and the result is a cohesive network of shared musical ideas, all overlapping and intersecting.
All of the compositions on this release are by Kingston and they range from tenderly introspective to upbeat groove-centred tracks such as ‘Bloom’. Kingston remains at the forefront of the ensemble for the entire recording, but never dominates over the other players. The great thing about this album is the way in which musical ideas emerge, overlap and develop texturally amongst the ensemble. Minimal musical ideas turn into larger ideas and then revert back to minimal, giving a strong sense of structure to each track and to the overall album.
The title track ‘Colossus’ features an extended bass exploration by Nick Haywood and there is some crafty conversation between Haywood and Kingston on this track. Alf Jackson’s drumming is tasteful and his sense of time and feel are the perfect combination with this ensemble.
‘Marionette’ features a lyrical and introspective piano solo from Matt Boden over the determined pulse of the bass and brush on the snare drum. Again, this track utilises repeated musical figures and space between musical ideas to outline textural features which in turn enhance the aural landscape created.
The mixing by Don Bate is simply superb. The wash of the hi-hat mixed with the bottom notes of the bass provide an interesting wall of colour and sound in which the piano and guitar are centred. This makes for interesting listening that would please the most connoisseur audiophile. This CD of rising Tasmanian jazz musicians is simply sensational and one of the best Australian small jazz ensemble releases of the past few years.
