Short Stories
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley September 9, 2024
Artist – Ambient Solstice and friends.
Distributor: Bandcamp
Released: May 2024
Running Time: 51mins 7secs
Website: https://ambientesol.bandcamp.com/album/short-stories
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Ambient Solstice aka NoizeFiller or to his friends JJ Rey is a man who believes his music is God given, delivered to him in divine style, with flair and panache, that sees old traditional Jazz styles combined with modern recording wizardry, to deliver a style which even in today’s world of experimental music, must be considered and I have borrowed the word, as it fits, serendipitous.
Over the beautiful eleven songs, Jazz and New Age greats such as Michael Manring, Jeff Oster, Dave Luxton, Billy Denk, Sean O’Bryan Smith, Jim Kimo West, Gerald Albright, Carl Rydlund, John Gregorius, Jeff Franzel, Joe Cook, Tommy Ogle, Edward Frietag and Vail Johnson make magic happen.
Kicking off this album is In the Key of Rain featuring Jeff Oster on soulful, haunting trumpet with elegant piano and melting synth from Bully Denk, making this the perfect piece to commence a musical voyage of pure enjoyment.
Moving over several genres in mood, as the music travels through time, space and barriers the lovely Weightless moves into an electronic vibration which is strong, demanding to be observed.
Track seven Sunday Afternoon is a charming sidestep featuring Sean O’Bryan Smith on base, backed with an ambient soundscape adding an electronic quality to the catchy, upbeat song reminiscence to music of the early 1940’s.
Starlite is an absolutely outstanding piece in a body of work which is all outstanding, as it returns to the more traditional 1920’s style of Jazz; clean, clear, cool and sensual.
Nightfall gently allows the rich and entertaining music to come to a gentle close with a pure electronic vibration, returning one to the everyday world after having revelled in a world of captivating, Jazz Fusion which is a long overdue, immensely refreshing, addition to the “New Age’ genre of music.
Short Stories can definitely be considered in a category of its own: new age Jazz Fusion or unique ‘experimental ambient’. Really it does not matter in the least.
Close the door, pull the cork from a good bottle of wine, dim the lights, snuggle into a soft, comfortable chair, turn off your phone and indulge in every single, carefully crafted note of Short Stories.