Gwilym Simcock: Good Days at Schloss Elmau
…aka “the jazz one”. It starts at a cracking pace with some lovely rhythmic and free (tonally) piano work. It’s another mood-evoking album which moves from joyous celebrations to thoughtful ramblings to wistful, erm, whistlings. I’ve no idea, really.
It’s a nice set - all beautifully played on solo piano (including interacting with the case and strings directly). The cool-jazz-ish sound owes something to Vince Guaraldi’s style (think Charlie Brown, and you’re in the right area), but has enough contemporary twists to stop it being mere pastiche. I find this kind of thing really good “concentration music”, and as such, it’s a bit difficult to pick a stand out track, although the album’s opener These Are The Good Days is as good as any, and I like the incessant motion of Wake Up Call.