The intriguing and prolific jazz pianist Greg Foat is releasing a new album, called Symphonie Pacifique, on Strut.
Recorded in London, Edinburgh and Gothenburg the LP features a band including Phil Achille on bass, Eric Young on congas and Moses Boyd on drums.
Symphonie Pacifique blends soul-jazz workouts, library music, cinematic, haunting compositions and pastoral acid folk.
Speaking about the new record, Foat explains: “My last albums were very much characterized by choir voices and tubular bells. “This time I also used a pedal steel guitar”. This combination can be heard on the atmospheric “After The Storm”. “We improvised the piece on the last day of our studio sessions. The assistant sound engineer had programmed an arpeggio as a metronome on the synthesizer, the harp and guitar played an ostinato, and then we played our solos over it. Choir and strings were added later. In the end we took out the arpeggio so that the music sounds calmer and more relaxed ”.
The upcoming record follows the release of Foat and Linkwood’s eponymous collaborative album, via Athens Of The North earlier this year.
Stream the Groove Merchant-channelling lead cut ‘Nikinakinu’ above and check out the artwork and tracklisting below.
Tracklisting:
Side A
1. Prelude
2. Symphonie Pacifique
3. Undulation
4. Anticipation
5. Mu
6. Yonaguni
Side B
1. Island Life
2. Nikinakinu
3. Man Vs. Machine
Side C
1. Before The Storm
2. After The Storm
3. Meditation On A Pedal Steel
4. Lament For Lamont
Side D
1. Pointe-vénus
2. Mother’s Love
3. Epilogue: Three Tenors
