Six years have elapsed since Iron Into Wind saw the light of day.
But cast your mind back even further as a precursor in the same idiom of solo piano recording to the Babel release Song Singular from more than a decade ago. Trace the vein.
The new work has 13 short, original, pieces recorded, mixed and mastered in Italy by the Houdini of Udine Stefano Amerio. Sonics are inescapably impeccable. Stylistically Hawkins’ approach was set long ago not that he is in the business of repeating himself.
Beyond sheer instrumentalism the mastering on this new album brings out the weight. Because the sonic imprint has a lot more impact and the playing projects a sense of even greater gravity than exerted on the Babel release which up to this new release was the solo recording of Hawkins’ that we most preferred. OK the piano on that 2012 recording was more imperfect but crucially it sounded more characterful. And yet that album wasn’t all Hawkins compositions and not such a complete personal statement – Billy Strayhorn’s ‘Take the A Train’ was pleasurably snuck in.
Iron had better sound and some winning variations on a Sun Ra piece called ‘Fate in a Pleasant Mood’. These become the beautifully serene ‘Pleasant Constellation.’
This is an even more personal album than either of the albums mentioned.
Hawkins, 44, initially pursued classical music and the pipe organ and was educated at the 19th century public school Radley College and later Cambridge.
Hawkins’ groups include the Alexander Hawkins Ensemble, the Convergence Quartet and Decoy, a Hammond organ grounded trio also featuring free improv luminaries John Edwards and Steve Noble.
The English jazzer’s solo piano albums are only a small part of a large-ish discography under his own name. His best showing is ensemble work Step Wide, Step Deep whose collaborators included the bassist Neil Charles and the ex Empirical don’s one-time Zed-U bandmate Shabaka Hutchings.
Hawkins’ work with Stephen ‘Dakiz’ Davis and Django Bates’ extraordinary violin-playing brother Dylan on Being Human plus Charles, Hawkins and Davis’ gargantuan live peregrinations around Europe with Anthony Braxton also appeal lots.
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