Eddie Severn: Moments in Time

‘The music on this cd represents a mixture of standards and original material with a diverse cross section of style and instrumentation.’ But Eddie caters for the most part to a smoother blend of jazz without a Latin-style race in the bunch. Easy going. Paced, sensitive. 8 minutes of ‘The Lost World’ is as tropical as the release gets, with Severn on his flugelhorn composition: a genuine soft-ice pleasure that’s one of the best of the 11 tracks here.

Bill Evans’ ‘Very Early’ is just that, a lite instrumental for waking lovers after a good night. Harrison’s never-intrusive piano sets the style back to Mancini’s 60s when lite banter and sexy shoulders were the mood of the moment. Turn up the volume for Caribe’s bass solo and enjoy another long 8-minute groove of anti-tension pills.

It’s not smooth jazz in the ordinary sense though, so don’t go in thinking it’s all sax and pianos. Those are the least of it. To call it minimalist contemporary is a lying cop out. But like a 70-something minute menu, all elements are chosen with care so as to aid pleasant digestive tracks among the players.

It’s a disc that is not brilliantly original, but it is a very fine definition of pop jazz that was performed to please and to set window shades at the correct light. Any other reason is just heady intellectualism, that has no place in a good kiss.

Some of the meatier tracks are good to look out for. The 12 minute ‘Dolphin Dance,’ but even the brief 37 second opening ‘Just a Moment’ has a surprisingly bright, yet finished, effect upon your introduction to Severn’s arena.

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