STONEY LANE RECORDS 31st Jan 2025
This is a big sounding septet, arranged as big band. Not a set of improvisation, one of quality ensemble playing and interesting originals. David Ferris is a piano player and composer but the horns carry much of the riffs and propulsion. There are a couple of guest appearances from US guitarist Peter Bernstein, the first on the second track, ‘Grin’, which ticks along, grooving and flowing nicely with those horns doing the punctuation while Bernstein displays a Grant Green tone on his solo. Songs tend to groove and move like this, with the odd more thoughtful piece, like ‘Rising’.
It’s not all originals and Rogers and Hammerstein’s ‘If I Loved You’ is featured. The Carousel tune walks on bass legs with some playfully inventive trumpet soloing. Ferris says that in this piece he tries to reference the ‘unbelievably swinging ensemble writing of Duke Ellington’ and he succeeds.
The title track is a stand-out, opening on piano before a tuneful punch from the horns and skittering drums. The piano weaves around the punches and the sax solo later in the piece is melodic and creative. ‘Sticks and Stones’ has a strongly rising tune and the horn interplay is powerful, making the piece one of the highlights of the set. Peter Bernstein’s second visit is on ‘Waltz For JT’ though my ears are on the double bass workout and the piano driving the lovely tune forwards. JT is John Thomas, a musical hero for David, being a pianist Ferris looked up to while studying at the Birmingham Conservatoire.
Originally from Cornwall, David Ferris marvels at “how many stars you can see compared to the cities I have lived in latterly. The longer you look at them, the more you see, and in the same way this piece takes one idea and tries to look at it from as many angles as possible.” And so, as mentioned, not everything is driving or punching and ‘A Box Full Of Stars’ sees the horns in tentative mood with a measured pace as Ferris’ piano steadily picks out a melancholy path.
It’s a long and involving set with plenty of voices from the band allowed to shine over an hour-plus of music, particularly the talented and ideally-used horns. The piano is always there but the sound is generously shared with a warm sense of cooperative ensemble playing. Absolutely worth your time.