Jazz In The Round: David Preston 'Purple / Black' | Mejedi Owusu + more TBA

David Preston 'Purple / Black' feat. Seb Rochford and Kit Downes -
@david___preston @kitdownesmusic @sebrochford

When David Preston started composing for the project that became his first solo LP, he opened up some fascinating new perspectives. In contrast to his acclaimed work with high-octane fusioneers Preston/Glasgow/Lowe he found himself drawn to simple forms, textures and moods - ‘not going full tilt all the time’. To realise his vision, he assembled a cast of extraordinary musical explorers. Building on his relationship with six-string bassist Kevin Glasgow as a foundation, he chose multi-genre drummer Seb Rochford, equally at home playing with the avante-jazz of Polar Bear as he is with pop sensation Adele, and rounded the team off with front-rank composer, arranger, pianist and organist Kit Downes - all players whose approach could simultaneously encompass both simplicity and deep complexity, and match the freedom to improvise with a respect for the concision and directness of the song. David took them into the studio and the band instantly gelled, diving into a mammoth session that yielded enough material for two full albums. Volume 1 - Purple / Black is the first offering - a coherent suite of song-form tunes whose direct, uncluttered melodicism conceals hidden depths that reveal themselves anew at each listen.


Mejedi Owusu @mejediowusu [EMERGENCE]

Young London trumpeter, Mejedi Owusu.