UK: Liam Noble-The Long Game (Edition Records 2019)

LIAM NOBLE piano
TOM HERBERT bass
SEB ROCHFORD drums

For more than two decades Liam Noble has been a key figure on the vibrant British Jazz scene, both as a sideman and leader. But The Long Game finds him in exciting new territory, with a new band and new label. The Long Game is the album Liam’s fans have been waiting for, an album that draws out the concept of waiting, not rushing the process but waiting for the right moment to come along. With this new album, that moment has arrived. Liam is playing the long game, but his patience has paid off in bucket loads.


1 Rain On My Birthday 6.49
2 Between You And Me 5.04
3 Unmemoried Man 5.48
4 Head Of Marketing 5.27
5 Head First 4.53
6 Head Over Heels 5.42
7 Pink Mice 6.05
8 Flesh And Blood 6.52
9 Matcha Mind 7.28



ABOUT

The Long Game sees Liam Noble exploring new territories in his own unique musical world. Working with long term collaborators Tom Herbert and Seb Rochford Liam has created music that’s a marriage of opposites. Its groove is funky yet abstract, its improvisations move from tranquil to violent and its dense in texture but with a wonderful translucency. Most of all this is music of patience and space, perfectly reflecting the beauty that is waiting for the right thing to come along. This isn’t music for the modern-day hustle and bustle of the daily commute or for the digitally impatient world we live in. It is music to be savoured and absorbed slowly. This album is all about ‘The Long Game’.

As Liam explains: “I made a deal with myself when I was around 16, that I would try not to tell people I was good, but wait for people to come to me. The Long Game is a reference to that arrangement, but also to the idea of waiting. Wait for ideas, wait to play, wait for something to happen before jumping in. Listen”.

The trio sound completely distinctive, but at the same time practice the art of waiting, letting the music speak for itself. They’re all listening to the long through line. There’s a purpose to every note played and it’s totally immersive and engaging. Listen to the opening Rain On My Birthday, a tune that’s about dealing with not always getting what you want (a theme that’s reflected in the strange electronic sounds that appeared as the group recorded, and were re-purposed in the finished song). The opening groove is infectious and funky yet there’s a strong sense they’re in no rush to reveal what the message is about.

In complete contrast, the slowness and intimacy of Between You And Me develops over time. Structured without a typical melody, bass and drums are able to swirl slowly around the chords in an absorbing and poetic way.

The Long Game is indeed the album Liam’s fans have long been waiting for. An album that allows his extraordinary talent to shine in such a way that we are compelled to admit - the boy has talent! This is music to savour and to return to again and again. Listening, too, is a long game when the music is as profound and engrossing as this.