Christoph Stiefel - Big Ship [CD]

Acclaimed Swiss pianist and composer Christoph Stiefel will release his second UK album 'Big Ship' on Basho records on 24 February 2014. This follows the acclaimed Live! album from 2012. Big Ship is an assured and multi-faceted studio set that will further broaden Stiefel's audience, whilst listeners familiar with his explorations of the medieval compositional technique of Isorhythms may find themselves surprised. The track titles give an immediate clue that there has been a change of approach for this recording. Whereas Live! contained a series of numbered Isorhythm compositions, the term is nowhere to be found here. Isorhythmic features and techniques are still present in a number of the tunes , for example on Angel Falls, The Dance, Big Ship and Solar Glider, but they are no longer necessarily the foundation of the compositions. Attitudes is the exception - an isorhythmic composition to add to Stiefel's ever-growing numbered collection. This time, without the need for a recurring ostinato, Stiefel has allowed more space and freedom for the exploration of melody, harmony and interesting movement within the music. The depth and variety of material on Big Ship is striking. Thalatta and Attitudes have an urgency and joyfulness that hints at South African jazz, whilst New May is an affecting, strongly melodic ballad. Pyramid starts smoothly but maintains a restless driving rhythm, played very much "in the pocket". Stiefel often displays a striking lightness of touch that demonstrates he is an extremely strong and versatile musician. Much of this music has been written around this particular group of players, a new incarnation of the Inner Language trio that first toured to promote the live album. Bassist Arne Huber is particularly strong in calmer, more reflective contexts, whilst drummer Kevin Chesham (heard previously on two tracks on the Live! album) is agile and versatile, as interested in textures as in rhythmic trickery and interaction. The title Big Ship serves as a metaphor for the changes in the group – it has steered a different course as the personnel has changed, but it remains the same vessel. Stiefel suggests that the group has made a turn towards jazz and away from pure Isorhythmic concepts. This is a trio with real authority and knowledge of the jazz tradition, using this knowledge and their technical ability to craft something fresh, meaningful and contemporary – a personal vision of what jazz can be today.