Yesterday Passing
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley June 14, 2018
Artist – Jim Ottaway
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http://jimottaway.com/
Award winning musician Jim Ottaway released his latest album Yesterday Passing in May to great acclaim. This work presents a more relaxed and gentle aspect of electronic music ranging across the e-music spectrum featuring a little chill, some orchestral compositions, one in particular Distant Friends which introduces the album. Tucked away are a variety of refreshing sounds and mixes, sombre, reflective, joyful and celebratory.
Created between the years of 2004 and 2018 the music spans a lifetime of memories, experiences and family gatherings: happy times and the sad, joyful occasions and the challenging, all of which when looking back comes to the mind as times less complex, more relaxed, almost simplistic, far more structured and enjoyable.
Each of the tracks on the 14 track album, with Another Christmas Eve being the bonus track to complete the 14 pieces, showcases a very different aspect of Ottaway’s talent, as well as the ability of electronic music to present a wide range of not just ambient and relaxing music, but music that has a far wider appeal.
A Moment in Time (Song for Joseph) is reflective of fond memories as it has a delicate beat, a dainty rhythm and could be considered as filled with happiness and sunshine. A contemporary piece is New Suns Are Rising which comes in with a spacy, measured rhythm that is catchy, intriguing and definitely different.
A captivating little song is What Darkness Hides; it teases the ear, almost bouncing along to its own rhythm, with shades and shapes hidden within the depths, just as the many shades of the night are there to be discovered, unfolded and accepted.
The final track, Fun Times is a catchy little number reminiscent of the disco beat with a rather intriguing vibe as once again, it appears to have been created of its own violation and is out to do its very own ‘thing’; something very easily able to be related too as one looks back in reflection.
Rounding out a very perceptive album is the final, final track Another Christmas Eve, which once again is an enchanting piece with a fine thread of tantalising ‘Christmas’ familiarity woven throughout.
Ottaway considers with this album that he is ‘out of his comfort zone’ but whatever has created the drive to give birth to this more reflective style, the change is as delightful as it is refreshing. Yesterday Passing is an album which each time it is enjoyed a fresh aspect of this intriguing style becomes apparent, creating another layer to the music which keeps it endlessly enjoyable.
At the recently held 14th annual Zone Music Reporter Awards in New Orleans, Ottaway was awarded “Best Ambient Album of 2017” for Deep Space Blue (which was also nominated for “2017 Album of the Year”) and “Best Electronic Album of 2017” for Timeless e-Motion by ZMR; Deep Space Blue also received the silver medal in the Ambient category from Global Music Awards.