It is quite a brave thing to put together an eleven-piece ensemble for your first solo outing, but composer and accordionist Kirsten Symczycz has surrounded herself with a group of fine and sympathetic players that do great justice to her seven long and winding instrumental tales.
With titles like “Memoir”, “Leaving” and “Broken Hill”, this is clearly a collection of personal journeys which, due to the lengthy nature of the songs, undertakes the sort of meandering realisations that we often have when musing over our lives. Having three saxophones, two trombones, trumpet and French horn as well as piano, guitar, bass and drums involved, the variety of sound is impressive. It is never overwhelming; they tell tales with the pleasure of a day well-spent amongst friends.
Although jazz is probably the jumping off point here, as evinced by the easy swing of opener “Jakos To Bedzie”, there is too much good humour and eagerness to explore to be pigeonholed. This is music that draws you in and makes you smile as if you had run into somebody you hadn’t seen for a while. There is no hectoring and the horns and reeds take it in turns, while the swish of percussion and the odd lazy drum solo keeps things rolling along.
The dreamy wordless voice of Sarah Ramsey adds a sort of structure to the lullaby-like “One For Jim”, while “Giant Black Butterflies” is a piano-led piece of melancholia that includes Matthew Barker‘s tuba and shares a kind of rustic solitude with Rachel’s. The rolling snare leads a quiet revolution towards the end, but I like that they don’t really want to end a song until plenty of textures have been added and tasted; while there is enough in the background to maintain the initial idea.The sense of fondness carries on into “Memoir” and that soporific sense of gentle conversations and reminiscences is carried by the delicate piano; while “Nothing Twice” finally finds Kirsten with her accordion to the forefront, swirling over a reflective circular piano motif and a sense of soul-searching as the instrument extends. The final piece, “Broken Hill”, has everyone involved and you can’t help thinking that this is the music of close companions and caring individuals.
You come away feeling improved with a pervasive sense of wellbeing which, considering how well-played and produced Somehow It Will Be is, must be the ultimate plaudit. A work of rare personality and grace.
-Mr Olivetti-
