A new release by Polish pianist Leszek Możdżer weaves Chopin and folk themes together in beguiling ways. Here’s the brief Africa, written by bassist Lars Danielsson, a lyrical mixture of sweet and ever-so-slightly-bitter which resonates for my tastes with Peter Erskine’s mid nineties trio version of the Vince Mendoza composition Esperança, featuring John Taylor on piano and another Danielsson, Palle, on bass.
The 'Spill 
Gorgeous! That could have been the soundtrack to my early morning tea in Place St Sulpice today. Wonderfully buoyant autumn sunshine with a fresh, cool, breeze blowing through it and the dying golden leaves in the small square beside. Thanks!
That sounds very nice indeed.. meanwhile for me it was soundtracking a damp, foggy, fairly mucky trip through the forest with the dog, trudging through mushy leaf litter and the remnants of the wine harvest from the adjacent vineyard slopes.
Nice pair! I found the first one very pretty, which is a word that should mean more than it does, I think. It’s been overused to inanity, but I think it has more depth, and it’s the word I thought of as I listened.
I liked the second even better, I think. Also pretty, and I like the thoughtful melancholy of it, and the way it seems to go round and round trying to pick itself up.
Pretty is appropriate, it also has something slightly brittle about it which fits. I like the way they both drift in and out of harmonic ambiguity, and the circular movement you mention adds focus. Taylor is considered something of a link between Bill Evans and modern pianists playing this kind of impressionistic, pretty music- a lot of European players in particular consider him a big influence.
One of the prettiest pieces I’ve heard in a while. Thanks for sharing!
You’re very welcome, thanks for listening and commenting!