Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Chris Platt: Sky Glow

4

Chris Platt: Sky Glow

Chris Platt: Sky Glow
Toronto-based guitarist Chris Platt's debut outing stands out among releases by his contemporaries because, among other things, of its creation of singular nuances within the structural and sonic conventions of a classical jazz trio—rather than following the prevailing modern atmospheric-approach, which seems to be dominated by sound in place of composition. With the support of fellow Toronto-based Phill Albert on bass and drummer Robin Claxton, Platt displays adventurously fluid lines played over original, thought-provoking compositions of a rather melancholic flavor.

The room in which these explorations unfold is kept small and intimate. Each instrument's sound is defined by a striking clarity in texture and a profundity of color and breadth. Platt's archtop is the leading character, spreading unique warmth by organically mixing electric efficiency in attack with an earthy-woody release. Slower paced compositions, such as the eponymous "Sky Glow," emphasize these sonic aspects by giving the musicians space and time to juggle with and pass on ideas and motifs without ever sounding overloaded. Pratt's phrasing remains subtle yet distinctive throughout the pleasantly tempered set of tunes and he chooses wonderful moments to hang back and let Phill Albert essay a few decisive yet elegant lines as well.

The short and speedy "Platter" is the rocker of the record and finds the trio alternating with different rhythms and constantly changing pace in order to rile things up before Platt closes the record solo, on a more somber progression of slowly stroked chord changes. This wood is definitely alive—you can hear it breathe.

Track Listing

I Like The Sad Ones; Plenty; No More; Sky Glow; January; Platter; When You're Not Here.

Personnel

Chris Platt
guitar

Chris Platt: guitar; Phill Albert: bass; Robin Claxton: drums.

Album information

Title: Sky Glow | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: Self Produced

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.