Dave Holland / Norma Winstone / London Vocal Project directed by Pete Churchill: Vital Spark

Dave Holland, Norma Winstone and the London Vocal Project, directed by Pete Churchill, combine to present Vital Spark, an album featuring a collection of Kenny Wheeler compositions for choir and jazz ensemble, written in the last period of his life.

Seven of the nine pieces on the album were mailed to Churchill over the course of a few years. He managed to resolve and arrange these part-formed fragments. Winstone added her lyrics, alongside Wheeler's settings of poems by Stevie Smith, Lewis Carroll, Langston Hughes and William Blake, to set the scene for an initial play-through in 2018. The pandemic then intervened to delay the project.

In retrospect, the delay may have proven beneficial, giving the pieces a longer gestation period, which is reflected in the unforced pace and spacious arrangements. There is also a personal aspect to this project, reflecting the decades of friendship and collaboration that the musicians spent with Wheeler.

Wheeler's exploration of choral textures began with 2013's Mirrors (Edition Records) reviewed here, where he blended his signature lyrical style with the London Vocal Project. Vital Spark reunites much of that excellent album's core ensemble—Wheeler's Azimuth band mate Norma Winstone, pianist Nikki Iles, drummer James Maddren and saxophonist Mark Lockheart—while the palette is further expanded through the addition of Holland and guitarist John Parricelli, who appears on five tracks.

Album opener "Inner Traces" sets the scene with Iles' gentle piano leading into Winstone's vocals, which are echoed by the choir. Holland and Lockheart revel in the space afforded by the arrangement, excelling in combination with piano and choir to create layers of atmosphere.

Listeners who may doubt that jazz bands and choirs work well together could be persuaded by "Not Waving But Drowning." Arranged around the poem by British poet Stevie Smith, the track is one highlight amongst many on the album. In a career spanning many decades, Winstone shows why she was awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) for services to music, delivering a stellar vocal performance as she weaves the words through the choir's swirling textures. Lockheart's superb soprano sax lines give way to an equally impressive Parricelli solo as the track gradually builds to a close.

Two other Smith poems feature: "Heavenly City," which sees more fine work from Parricelli, and "Fuite D'Enfance," which gives freedom for solos from sax, guitar and piano as Holland and Maddren provide the rhythmic drive that percolates through the track. The choir's vocal surges give a brilliant backdrop for Winstone's narrative.

The title track features a tune that Wheeler had written for the London Vocal Project. Winstone added lyrics and Churchill the arrangement, producing a brightly paced piece that features terrific solos from Holland and Iles alongside rich, interwoven layers of sound and harmony from the choir.

Time and relationships have shaped this music, which brings together jazz, poetry and voices in an outstanding celebration of Wheeler's spirit. It has been a deeply personal project for many of those involved and a highly successful one that interprets and integrates Wheeler's lyrical and melodic style with the vitality of a large vocal ensemble.