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Birchall & Woolhouse: The Scenery of Life Unfolding

By Dan McClenaghan
February 17, 2014
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Birchall & Woolhouse: The Scenery of Life Unfolding

Piano trio albums—piano, bass and drums—may be the more common means of artistic expression in jazz, but piano/bass duet sets come long fairly often, too. Bassist

Charlie Haden

bass, acoustic
1937 - 2014

" data-original-title="" title="">Charlie Haden is a master of the approach, proof of which can be found on his teamings with pianists

Keith Jarrett

piano
b.1945

" data-original-title="" title="">Keith Jarrett and

" data-original-title="" title="">Hank Jones on, respectively, Jasmine (ECM Records, 2011) and Come Sunday (EmArcy, 2012); and add to the list of superb pairing 2011's Insight (Pirouet Records, 2009), with pianist

Marc Copland

piano
b.1948

" data-original-title="" title="">Marc Copland and bassist

Gary Peacock

bass, acoustic
1935 - 2020

" data-original-title="" title="">Gary Peacock, a subtle, spacious, understated gem of the genre.

Now bassist

Shannon Birchall

" data-original-title="" title="">Shannon Birchall and pianist

Jeremy Woolhouse

piano
b.1977

" data-original-title="" title="">Jeremy Woolhouse, based in Australia, combine their talents on the inward-looking The Scenery of Life Unfolding, a follow-up to pianist Woodhouse's solo outing, Persistence of Dreaming (Self Produced, 2013).

Woolhouse, who composed all the music on The Scenery of Life Unfolding, creates tunes that are spacious, brooding, unpretentious in their delivery, and unfailingly lovely. His dialogues with Birchall have cinematic feeling—a laying out of life's passages that are meant to be savored and deeply considered. He is philosophic in his making of music. With his supple touch, classically-tinged harmonics, and his beautiful way with a melody, comparisons to

Bill Evans

piano
1929 - 1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Bill Evans wouldn't be out of line.

The music of here has a feeling a depth and erudition, infused with moments of folk song simplicity and child like wonder at the artists' immersion of in-the-moment experience of The Scenery of Life Unfolding.

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Track Listing

Echoes in Emptiness; Virtual Affection; Four Hours Out of Heathrow; Lost Friends; Darkening Shadows; Optimists' Folly; Bubbles Rising; Tears for the Summer; The Scenery of Life Unfolding; The Third Person.

Personnel

Jeremy Woolhouse

piano

Jeremy Woolhouse: piano; Shannon Brichall: bass.

Album information

Title: The Scenery of Life Unfolding | Year Released: 2014 | Record Label: Self Produced

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