Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Nick Sanders: Phantoms of Memory
Nick Sanders: Phantoms of Memory
ByThe idea of a solo record had been on Sanders' mind for a number of years, but the direction for the projectwriting classically-inspired compositions which speak to his early influences while toying with perception of the pastdidn't start to take shape until around 2019. Then, as the world stood still in 2020 (and beyond), he found the time to turn that concept into reality. Presenting nine short pieces which were composed in a state of seclusion, Sanders looks to another time while drawing those thoughts to the keys. "Stained Glass Memory" calls on fond thoughts of the church from childhood, creating an expansive and advanced hymn-like aura; "Wish for Rapture" comes in with concern and questioning, later alternating between starry-eyed sentiments and somewhat dour designs; "The Spinning Door" offers a near unceasing flow of energy, nodding to Philip Glass without aping his mannerisms; and "Simple Redux"the longest track on the album, at just over five minutesstrips away anything even remotely superfluous, prioritizing pensive purity in its unfolding.
"Dancing in an Empty Room," a waltz taking its main inspiration from Frédéric Chopin, adds modern touches to Romantic notions and sits at the very center of the program. Then Sanders offers a percussive pronouncement to introduce the largely eremetic "Typhon's Memory," lets fingers fly for the wild 43-second lifespan of "It's Just Anger," glides across the canvas on the Sergei Prokofiev-indebted "Waltz for Future Spectres" and plays things out with bucolic beauty on "Hallowed Grounds." Clear, concise and wisely concerned with an aspect of the past-future continuum that sidesteps the same old story in jazz, Phantoms of Memory leaves traces of its name in its wake.
Track Listing
Stained Glass Memory; Wish for Rapture; The Spinning Door; Simple Redux; Dancing in an Empty Room; Typhon's Memory; It's Just Anger; Waltz for Future Spectres; Hallowed Grounds.
Personnel
Nick Sanders
pianoAlbum information
Title: Phantoms of Memory | Year Released: 2021 | Record Label: Sunnyside Records
< Previous
Vince Guaraldi’s Classic Peanuts So...
Next >
I Put a Spell on You