London jazz. Two words I see paired together that let me know I’m in for a treat. The relationship between music, time, and place is a powerful one, and while results may vary significantly between acts as far as style or genre are concerned, the mark of a place on the spirit of sound is undeniable.
Earlier this year, pianist Maria Chiara Argirò and guitarist Jamie Leeming – both active in the London jazz scene – came together to give us the album Flow via Cavalo Records: a work of art unafraid of stepping back from familiar jazz conventions and sounds one associates with London jazz to tap into more stripped-down and primal soundscapes seeped in a distinctly European melancholy. Today, it’s our pleasure to premiere a special live rendition of their single “Fables” – hosted by Daylight Music and performed at the Union Chapel in London – in a performance that leverages that special relationship between sound and place to open the track up with a whole new set of dimensions. You can stream their gorgeous performance below:
There’s something about European churches that captures the essence of a bygone era. Their architectural styles distill moments in history into single spaces; the art adorning their exteriors and interiors immortalizing the continent’s ancient intertwinement. While not all churches are the same, nor emblematic of the same moments in time, they exist together today in space and time as a single heritage. Similarly, “Fables” brings together an intertwinement of styles and instrumentation. It’s just Argirò and her piano, and Leeming and his guitar, dancing around each other under the archways of the chapel; watched by fans of music, and stained glass images.
Although there is a minimalistic quality to the performance, the cavernous belly of the chapel raises Argirò and Leeming, magnifying the power of their performance and its mixture of folk-derived reflectiveness and bluesy noodling until it fills the entire space – reminding you of a place you never visited, yet that’s familiar all the same.
Maria Chiara Argirò can be found online at her website, Facebook, and Instagram. You can check out more of Jamie Leeming over at his website, Facebook, and Instagram. For those of you who haven’t heard it yet, I highly recommend their album Flow. Finally, If you enjoyed this special live performance, be sure to also check out Daylight Music over at their website, Facebook, and various social media platforms so as not to miss out on future live performances.
