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Fini Bearman: Last Night of the World

By Neil Duggan
May 4, 2025
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As professor of Jazz Voice and Songwriting at London's Guildhall School,

Fini Bearman

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Fini Bearman naturally incorporates songwriting exercises into her teaching. Over time, some of the songs born from these sessions evolved into fully realised pieces, several of which now appear on her fifth album, Last Night of The World.

Bearman brings an impressive jazz pedigree to the project. A celebrated singer, composer, and instrumentalist, she has earned nominations for London Jazz Singer of the Year from the Global Music Foundation, as well as a Deutsche Jazz Preis for Vocal Album of the Year. With this latest release, she steps beyond her jazz roots, embracing a broader singer-songwriter approach. While the intricate harmonies and rhythmic sophistication of jazz remain, they are now woven together with strong elements of pop and folk, allowing her lyrics to take centre stage.

She is supported by a core trio of pianist

Tom Cawley

piano
b.1975

" data-original-title="" title="">Tom Cawley, bassist

Robin Mullarkey

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Robin Mullarkey and drummer

James Maddren

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">James Maddren, along with several guest musicians, all combining to form a formidable musical ensemble. The songs are all tightly arranged but still leave some space for improvisation, with Bearman describing the album as her "very best work to date."

Opening with the urgent groove of "Rise Up," Bearman offers the first of her many unpredictable lyrical and musical turns with tenor saxophonist

George Crowley

saxophone, tenor

" data-original-title="" title="">George Crowley bursting in with a driving solo. The slower tempo of the title track provides a contrast; Bearman's warm voice is multi-tracked, ably supported by Cawley's piano with Mullarkey moving to acoustic guitar.

Coupled with her swirling vocals, the memorable melody and achingly sad lyrics of "Plz Call" is a standout, enhanced by violin, cello and

Al Cherry

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Al Cherry's acoustic guitar. Another highlight, "Stay Away from Me," has bright folk/pop guitar rhythms brilliantly contrasting against the dark nature of the lyrics. "The Only One" is another exercise in beautifully forged songwriting.

London's geographic influence surfaces in various tracks. "OKR" features multi-tracked vocals complemented by

Gareth Lockrane

flute

" data-original-title="" title="">Gareth Lockrane's exceptional flute work, while "Violent Universe" soars with

Matt Calvert

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Matt Calvert's electric guitar solo; both compositions are firmly rooted in London locations. The strong sense of place continues in "WWEMA?" as it builds from an intimate a cappella vocal to a climax highlighted by

Gwilym Simcock

piano
b.1981

" data-original-title="" title="">Gwilym Simcock's piano. Elsewhere, "Mud" has vocals that echo a strong

Joni Mitchell

vocals
b.1943

" data-original-title="" title="">Joni Mitchell influence.

The production is slick, occasionally veering towards the overly glossy, perhaps as a result of being recorded at multiple locations, but this is a minor quibble when the quality on offer here is so high. These distinctly individual songs showcase a range of emotions. Unafraid to show vulnerability through her lyrics, Bearman brings you into her orbit with her elegantly constructed songs. She tells stories, nestling a variety of styles and approaches within interesting harmonic structures in this accomplished collection of songs.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Rise Up; Last Night of the World; Stay Away From Me; Plz Call; OKR; WWEMA?; Violent Universe; Mud; The Only One; Forgiveness.

Personnel

Fini Bearman

vocals

Tom Cawley

piano

Matt Calvert

guitar

Al Cherry

guitar

Robin Mullarkey

bass

James Maddren

drums

Alice Zawadzki

vocals

Zosia Jagodzinska

cello

George Crowley

saxophone, tenor

Gareth Lockrane

flute

Gwilym Simcock

piano

Additional Instrumentation

Fini Bearman: tenor guitar (1,8); Tom Cawley: piano, synths (1-10); Matt Calvert: electric guitar (1,3,7,8,9); Al Cherry: acoustic guitar (3,4); Robin Mullarkey: electric bass (1, 3-10), acoustic guitar (2); James Maddren: drums, percussion (1-10); Alice Zawadzki: violin (4,6,); Zosia Jagodzinska: cello (4,6,); George Crowley: tenor saxophone (1); Gareth Lockrane: alto flute (5); Gwilym Simcock: piano (6).

Album information

Title: Last Night of the World | Year Released: 2025 | Record Label: Self Produced

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