The search for something elusive is the thread that binds Ribbons Vol.1 together, so it seems appropriate that this album was a long time coming to fruition. The recordings were made over four years at the Birmingham Conservatoire, where Sara Colman and Rebecca Nash are both visiting teachers.
Composer-pianist Rebecca and composer-vocalist Sara have worked together on projects for a decade. Their music is rooted in jazz and blues, with lyrics that are complex and very thoughtful. The main purpose of the searching mentioned above is a quest for beauty, and the unifying experience it can bring, in a fractured and divided World. I’m not sure that the search was satisfactorily concluded, but that is not really the point, and what matters is that it has resulted in an impressive album. Sara and Rebecca are both talented artists and, unsurprisingly since they were recording in a Conservatoire, they have assembled a fine team of supporting musicians.
The opening track, ‘Noble Heart’, begins with Rebecca’s piano gently playing a repeated riff that continues intermittently and with slight variations throughout the track. This is a laid-back melody on which Iain Bellamy performs a long tenor saxophone sequence that adds a slightly discordant, modern jazz vibe. By contrast, ‘Turning Over Stones’ has a busier feel, and the theme of searching and striving seems to have become more urgent and worrying. The lyrics caution, “Don’t go turning over stones, Don’t go looking for trouble,” before warning that something best left alone might turn up.
‘Ribbons Prologue’ is a short, instrumental piece. The gentle, slightly melancholy melody is nicely played by Rebecca on piano and Percy Pursglove on Flugelhorn. This is followed by ‘Ribbons’ which is not only the title track, but was also the starting point for the album, where the search for elusive beauty is powerfully evoked:
“Here I go again, in search of beauty illusive,
My spirit demands the impossible,
A mystery inside a secret,
Wrapped up in unquestionable meaning,
I’m on the hunt for Gold.”
This is a good track, with a slow and laconic melody, on which the flugelhorn is prominent again.
‘The Gardener’ follows and, this being a complex album, it’s not about growing plants. Gardening is used as a metaphor for a more general point; “Just as the gardener tends her rose,” love can be nurtured into producing roots and growing. This is an interesting tune with another complex tenor saxophone solo from Iain. ‘The Gardener Epilogue’ follows, a solo piano piece with a touch of the mysterious.
Smooth tenor saxophone playing by Trish Clowes opens ‘Little Light,’ a largely instrumental track with a short set of vocals. ‘Sophie’s Song’ has a blues feel and includes the only appearance of a guitar, played by Steve Banks. This is one of the liveliest tracks on the album, led by Rebecca’s impressive piano playing, and supported by some good drumming by Jonathan Silk.
The lyrics on ‘Sophie’s Song’ continue the main themes of the album, talking of the search for meaning, but I suppose you can have too much striving, and the mood is about to change. ‘Night Traveller’ is a warm and comforting song about restful sleep. A bass clarinet, played by Ruth Hammond adds a different dimension to the instrumentation. ‘Goodbye’ is as appropriate a title for a closing track as you are likely to find. It’s another impressive piano solo from Rebecca, calming and beautifully melodic.
Like all broad genres, folk has a wide spectrum, overlapping with other genres at the edges. Ribbons Vol. 1 is very much on the edge of the folk spectrum, and personally, I think it might appeal more to jazz fans. It’s a nice album though. Sara and Rebecca’s compositions are impressive, and the musicianship is of the high standard expected from the Birmingham Conservatoire. Sara’s vocals are expressive and soulful. You will have gathered that this is a serious album, with complex lyrics and deep subject matter but, with its smooth jazz vibes, I think it can work as chill out listen too.
Graham Brown
Artists’ website: https://www,saracolman.com
‘Turning Over Stones’ – official video:
We all give our spare time to run folking.com. Our aim has always been to keep folking a free service for our visitors, artists, PR agencies and tour promoters. If you wish help out and donate something (running costs currently funded by Paul Miles), please click the PayPal link below to send us a small one off payment or a monthly contribution.
Thanks for stopping by. Please help us continue and support us by tipping/donating to folking.com via
You must be logged in to post a comment.