Music

Dominic's liner notes

Among the many melodies we hear in a lifetime, there are a special few that stay with us always and never lose their charm. Nursery rhymes have provided generations of children with their first experience of music and continue to enjoy the same popularity today.

As a jazz pianist, arranger and composer, I am always looking for melodic material with which to inspire new creative projects. Some years ago it occurred to me that nursery rhymes provide the perfect canvas for improvisation and reinvention. The melodies are simple, open to infinite variation and immediately recognizable to a wide audience. Of course, I am not the first to take inspiration from these evocative themes. In 1781, Mozart composed his famous set of piano variations on the theme Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman, more commonly known as Twinkle,Twinkle, Little Star!

In 2009, I released Songs We Heard (CANZ CD6), a collection of piano trio improvisations on nursery rhyme themes. A Childhood Suite reworks fourteen of these arrangements, with the introduction of a string orchestra to expand the harmonic richness of the project. The Suite includes Rock-a-bye Baby, Three Blind Mice and Frère Jacques, as well as Little Swallow from China, and one original, Awakening.

Is there a musical tradition as timeless or as universal as the singing of nursery rhymes and lullabies to children? These songs have provided many generations with their first experience of music and continue to enjoy the same popularity today.

When considering new repertoire for my jazz piano trio, it occurred to me that such well-known themes could also provide a rich source of musical inspiration; their melodic simplicity and harmonic clarity make them an ideal material for improvisation. And so the idea for ‘Songs We Heard’ was born.

The album features many nursery rhymes well-loved in the English-speaking world, including favourites such as ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’ and ‘Three Blind Mice’, as well as the French songs ‘Alouette’ and ‘Frère Jacques’. Often these melodies are also known across other cultures but set to different words. My research into international songs for children also led me to uncover several unfamiliar musical gems: ‘Cradle Song’ from Sweden, ‘Little Swallow’ from China, ‘Edo Lullaby’ from Japan and ‘Wakyumwa Katambanga’ from Kenya. Three original themes inspired by reminiscences of my own childhood complete the set.

With this album, Dominic plays tribute to some of his favourite singer-pianists, including all-time-greats such as Shirley Horn, Blossom Dearie, Dave Frishberg and Michel Legrand. The group takes the format of the longstanding Shirley Horn trio, with Dominic singing at the piano, accompanied by electric bass (Madeleine Alldis) and drums (Martin France). Stellar jazz soloists Iain Ballamy (saxes) and Gerard Presencer (trumpet/flugelhorn) feature on several of the tracks.

An exciting collaboration between four jazz soloists and a string quartet, this album combines the refinement of classical chamber music with the creative freedom of jazz. The themes are all chosen from classic French films released between 1930 and 1968. Dominic's innovative and jazz-influenced arrangements evoke the charm of the original themes, while also providing the soloists with a springboard for improvisation.

While living in France for five years, Dominic became immersed in the French chanson tradition as well as the music of the film composer Michel Legrand. This is a celebration of Legrand's music and here he brings a distinctive feel to Legrand's most famous songs, singing the swing tracks in English and the ballads in French.

Noel Coward's songs provide the basis for this stunning album that embraces the charm of the original themes while introducing a jazz and contemporary flavour. The album features a stellar rhythm section and two internationally-renowned soloists; Tim Garland (saxophone) and Adam Glasser (harmonica).

Dominic's first vocal-jazz album, released in 1996, features the songs of jazz pianist, Bill Evans. Evans' songs are best known as instrumentals, but many of them have fine lyrics supplied by Gene Lees, ("My Bells", "Turn Out The Stars" and "Waltz for Debby"), Jim Hall ("The Two Lonely People") and Carol Hall ("Very Early").                          

Dominic’s debut album for Lumina Music is a collection of original compositions performed on the Yamaha Midi Grand Piano, an instrument which allows the pianist to play piano and synthesized sounds simultaneously. The central theme is the multiple images evoked by the night; accordingly, the music varies from tranquil nocturnes to dazzling impressionistic pieces.