Press

John Fordham, The Guardian, February 2012

Frank Harrison is saxophonist Gilad Atzmon's regular pianist, so UK audiences often hear him skilfully navigating middle-eastern, north African and southern European folk music. But he's currently touring this elegant, straightahead jazz with the subtle, Barcelona-based Irish drummer Stephen Keogh and the agile former Monty Alexander bassist Davide Petrocca. With its softly swinging grooves under songs by Gershwin or Jobim, plenty of bass solos and a predominantly throttled-back feel, this sounds pretty familiar – but Harrison's delicate touch and thoughtful narrative-building lift it above the crowd. The opening Autumn Leaves prevaricates at first, teasingly hinting at harmonies that eventually coalesce into the classic theme. Then it becomes a piano improvisation, full of sly timing, feints and weaves. Jobim's Dindi develops over Keogh's bustling snare-drum pattern and a single repeating bass note. How Long Has This Been Going On? is a patient ballad exposition that intensifies melodically without losing the mood. You and the Night and the Music appears out of hesitant doodlings, preoccupied brushwork and faintly agitated, morse-code stutters. It's a set of classy variations on a jazz method that goes back decades.

D. Oscar Groomes, O's Place Jazz Magazine, February 2012

We listened to this at least four times before we picked up the pen. That is a sure sign of a winner! Pianist Frank Harrison leads a trio with Davide Petrocca on bass and drummer Stephen Keogh. They make even overworked standards like "Autumn Leaves" sound good with fresh arrangements. Harrison includes three originals dispersed among three standards and classics making Sideways a worthy addition to any collection. ****

Kenny Matheison, The Scotsman, January 2012

Pianist Frank Harrison is probably best know as a member of saxophonist Gilad Atzmon’s groups, but his debut CD in 2006 served notice that he is a considerable talent in his own right. This new release confirms that impression in some style. Harrison alternates fresh and compelling readings of standards (Autumn Leaves, Jobim’s Dindi, How Long Has This Been Going On and You and The Night and The Music) with three of his own compositions and one traditional tune, The Riddle Song. It adds up to a varied and absorbing programme of music that draws on the traditional piano trio virtues of melodic imagination, harmonic ingenuity and highly attentive interplay. The pianist’s lucid and inventive developments of the material are matched by the contributions of his collaborators, bassist Davide Petrocca (replacing Aidan O’Donnell from the earlier trio) and drummer Stephen Keogh. ****

Peter Bacon, thejazzbreakfast.com, January 2012

Harrison is most often heard playing in Gilad Atzmon’s Orient House Ensemble, but here the English, Berklee-trained pianist is leading his own trio with two players very active on the Continent, bassist Davide Petrocca and drummer Stephen Keogh.

They alternate standards – Autumn Leaves, Dindi, How Long Has This Been Going On, You And The Night And The Music – with Harrison originals – One, Flowing At Rest, Song For Roo.

The playing is straight-ahead in the best sense – it eschews the fancy and the gimmicky for a marvellously direct and personal interpretation of the classic jazz piano style. Each instrument takes its traditional role, with bass and drums in support for much of the time, though there are some gorgeous bass solos and Keogh can stir up a real contrasting accent on the beat to drive the music in a fresh way.

Listen to bass and drums in Jobim’s Dindi, for example, for a prime lesson in how to drive a tune. Interestingly they give this classic Brazilian classic a far less languid pace than the usual jazz samba, with Keogh really building the snare decorations beautifully behind Harrison’s solo, and his traded solo loses none of the energy, gracefully pulling back into the head.

And what of Harrison himself? He is remarkably clear both in his melody statements and in his improvisations – he will follow and develop a pattern for ages, stretching, pulling, linking it over chorus after chorus, and knows at just what point he has exhausted it and it’s time to go on to something else. He also has a lovely touch. It sounds like he adds the very occasional nuance with electric keyboard or xylophone. (Or maybe that is his availability to adapt his touch?).

Listen to how he plays the head of How Long… - so true to the tune, yet bringing a freshness to it with just the occasional subtly revoiced chord or decoration.

His compositions are similarly direct, their clarity of melody line and harmonic structure making them sound simpler than they probably are.

That’s the abiding thought one is left with at the end of this disc – that there is absolutely no nonsense here, no self-indulgence, no foolery or false fanciness. It’s fine playing, and finely captured in a warm, spacious recording.

The closer is a delightful solo interpretation of that traditional riddle song that goes: ” I gave my love a cherry…”

What a fine way to start my listening year!

Chris Parker, LondonJazz, January 2012

Pianist Frank Harrison is probably most often heard in Gilad Atzmon's Orient House Ensemble, in which he plays both acoustic and electric instruments, but leading his own trio (as documented by Basho on the impressive 2006 album, First Light) he plays only the former, alongside bassist Davide Petrocca – who has replaced Aidan O'Donnell from First Light – and drummer Stephen Keogh.

It's worth stressing at the outset that this is very much a trio outing, Harrison's mellifluous, lyrical playing (tellingly leavened by vigorous, occasionally even tumultuous power where appropriate) interacting impeccably with the sonorous, full-toned Petrocca and the dexterous Keogh (the latter's contribution to a band perfectly summed up by US saxophonist Charles McPherson: 'He's not just a time keeper, but is a rhythmic co-creator as well').

This said, however, it is Harrison, at once lucid and elegant, but with an ability to imbue everything he plays with affecting tension, frequently released in sparkling, intense runs, who sets the tone of both the standards ('Autumn Leaves', 'How Long Has This Been Going On', 'You and the Night and the Music') and originals (not to mention an intriguing closer, the traditional 'Riddle Song') on this absorbing and musicianly album, the music from which can be heard on a UK trio tour, to take place in February 2012.

Ian Mann, thejazzmann.com, January 2012

One of the first album reviews I ever wrote was of pianist Frank Harrison’s excellent trio recording “First Light” released on Basho Records way back in 2006. The follow up has been a long time coming, mainly due to Harrison’s commitments with the phenomenally hard working Gilad Atzmon but it has been well worth the wait.

“Sideways”, released on what I assume to be Harrison’s own Linus imprint, exhibits many of the same virtues as its predecessor in a mix of memorable and melodic original tunes and artful deconstructions of a handful of jazz standards. The interplay between Harrison on piano, Irish born drummer Stephen Keogh (who also appeared on “First Light”) and new bassist Davide Petrocca is consistently excellent and the whole album exudes intelligence and good taste.

Listeners who only know of Harrison through his work with Israeli saxophonist Gilad Atzmon may be surprised to hear just how good an acoustic pianist he is, readily able to combine a classical lightness of touch with a thorough understanding of the jazz tradition. Although I’ve mainly seen him with Atzmon I’ve also witnessed Harrison performing with Italian saxophonist Tommaso Starace and Irish guitarist Louis Stewart, his work with the latter featuring his most straight ahead playing to date. Having enjoyed both his trio recordings I’m now looking forward to seeing Harrison, Keogh and Petrocca on their forthcoming UK tour (dates listed below).

In the meantime there’s always this album to enjoy with Harrison and his colleagues commencing with “Autumn Leaves”, one of the most familiar jazz standards of them all. It’s to the trio’s credit that they find something fresh to say about this old chestnut with Harrison’s sparkling piano lines shadowed by Keogh’s colourful, neatly energetic drumming and with Petrocca initially filling an anchoring role. Petrocca then comes into his own with a fluid and imaginative bass solo before Harrison really stretches the boundaries of the tune in conjunction with Keogh as the piece draws to a close. I mentioned in my review of “First Light” that Harrison’s playing of standards is “like a more restrained Brad Mehldau” and that’s something that I feel still applies. Harrison uses less notes than Mehldau but he’s a highly lyrical and melodic player and makes every one count.  

Harrison’s own composition “One” has the kind of melody that sounds timeless and this provides the inspiration for another superb Petrocca solo, the bassist more than adequately filling the shoes of the Scot Aidan O’Donnell who is now living and playing in New York.. Harrison himself plays sparingly and Keogh’s drumming is immaculate as always, subtly colouring the music with sticks, brushes and well chosen accents.

Antonio Carlos Jobim’s bossa nova “Dindi” is played at a slightly faster tempo than is usual with the quiet bustle of Keogh’s drums driving the song forward. Harrison’s solo has a probing, almost feverish quality and there’s another example of Petrocca’s remarkable dexterity before Keogh and Harrison trade ideas in exemplary fashion in a series of captivating drum/piano breaks.

A second Harrison original, “Flowing At Rest” has an ECM style sense of space and beauty with Keogh’s exquisite drum and cymbal work complementing Harrison’s supremely lyrical piano superbly. Keogh’s work throughout the album invites comparisons with the playing of such drum colourists as Jon Christensen and the late Paul Motian.

George Gershwin’s much performed standard “How Long Has This been going On” is given the lyrical and spacious Harrison treatment with sumptuous, flowing, languid piano from the leader and delicate brush work from Keogh underscored by the purr of Petrocca’s bass. It’s a masterclass in good taste and quiet restraint.

The theme to Harrison’s final original, “Song For Roo”, almost sounds as if it could be a jazz standard. The interplay between the three instruments in an intense passage mid tune is engrossing with Keogh’s drums sometimes taking over the lead. Harrison then resumes control for a more lyrical restatement of the theme.

Arthur Schwarz’s “You And The Night Of The Music”, a tune often played at a headlong tempo, is initially given a radical, slowed down treatment with the quiet but intense interplay between the instruments now the focus. The theme appears here and there as a snippet of melody that provides the jumping off point for the trio’s improvisations. Harrison’s subsequent solo speeds things up and there are also features for bass and drums. One can imagine that live versions of this piece will be substantially different each evening.

Following the complexities of the Schwarz piece the album ends on a note of unadorned simplicity and beauty with Harrison’s solo piano performance of the folk melody of “The Riddle Song” aka “I gave My Love A Cherry” which later mutated into “The Twelfth Of Never”. It’s a lovely way to finish an often beautiful album - even it does stir memories of the sickly saccharine 70’s version of “Twelfth Of Never” by Donny Osmond.

“Sideways” has been a long time coming but has been well worth the wait. It’s an intelligent, musicianly album with some first rate original tunes and some ingenious interpretations of standards. Recorded in Berlin and London by engineers Rainer Robben and Andrew Tulloch the sound is again immaculate and the playing likewise. Bass player Davide Petrocca, an Italian living in Germany represents an exciting new discovery and is a major factor in the album’s success. Although little known to UK audiences he has accrued a considerable reputation in Europe where he has toured with guitarist Martin Taylor, pianist Monty Alexander and many others. 

****

Brian Soundy, UKJazzRadio, December 2011

Pianist Frank Harrison's name has been associated with many great names in the jazz world, and his intelligent, spacious and intensive style has always contributed and added to all the projects Frank has been involved in such as Gilad Atzmon's Orient House Ensemble in which Frank was a founder member in 2000.

Franks latest CD is Sideways, to be released in January 2012 released on Linus Records is superb...

Track one is Joseph Kosma's standard Autumn Leaves arranged by, or as Frank says, just happened during the recording, is a master piece. This improvised arrangement has all of Franks Hallmarks which has made him the exciting musician he is...The intense melodic form is something to celebrate. The Piano Trio is sometimes it's own worse enemy easily sliding into the conformity trap... Not the Frank Harrison Trio. Davide Petrocca on Bass offers some truly brilliant solutions to encourage the improvisation as does Stephen Keogh on drums drifting in and out of the melody.

How many different ways has Autumn Leaves been arranged and played, more to the point how many different ways have I played that tune.. but this is something quite special.. the only other arrangement that comes near Frank's is the vocal arrangement for Rachelle Ferrell.

Track 2 is a Frank Harrison Composition 'One'.  A peaceful playground of chords, harmony and melody supported again by the bass of Davide Petrocca and Drums of Stephen Keogh. Although this is, as I said, a peaceful piece I still feel Franks intensity augmented by the space he allows... A very unobtrusive bass solo slides into the composition around half way, adds to the overall effect and just as unobtrusively slides away again. A beautiful composition.

Track 3 is Dindi, witten by the primary force behind the creation of the Bossa Nova,  Antonio Carlos-Jobim. Like Autumn Leaves a composition played by many jazz artists, and again Frank makes it his own. As in Autumn Leaves, this track finalised itself in the studio with Frank, Davide and Stephen meandering through the melody.

The bass and drums begin by setting the tempo and rhythm building anticipation of what's to come. The gradual build is almost nervy, one knows something is about the happen but what! I really like Franks arrangements, everything seems to happen organically. Soon we are full into the number with Franks usual intensity without any abruptness or loss of flow. Davide Petrocca's bass reaches a new high in this number with, again, an unobtrusive yet forceful bass solo.. Stephen Keogh's intense playing reaches a high before pulling back into the number working in total unison with the bass.

Track 4 another Frank Harrison composition is 'Flowing at Rest'. The title sums up how I feel about this CD, Its full of power, intensity but without knowingly distracting from the atmosphere created. Bass and drums working so close it's a dream for any musician... Davide Petrocca excels again with some brilliant bass work with Stephen Keogh's, tender in parts, sympathetic playing a perfect mix.

Track 5 Gershwin's How Long Has This Been Going on written in 1928 given the Frank Harrison treatment and very nice too. Skilful piano by Frank Harrison keeping an almost traditional feel but introducing surprises to let us know he is still there. A masterful track.

Track 6 Song For Roo a Frank Harrison composition launches almost directly into the main theme setting a platform for more to come.. Anticipation and atmosphere masterly created by all the musicians in this number. Slight changes in tempo and rhythm keeps the listener involved and waiting for an outcome, should there be one. It's the organic flow which is the outcome leaving the listener in a state of 'Flow at Rest'.

Track 7 The Arthur Schwartz standard You And The Night And The Music is for me the highlight of the CD. Not sure if this was arranged (think so) or another improvisation. Which ever it is, it's exhilarating, intense ( as is all Franks Work on this CD) and compulsive listening. Snippets of the melody appear for a few seconds then they are skilfully blended back into the main theme. It simultaneously kept me on my toes and relaxed by brain allowing to me to take in the nuances offered by the trio

Track 8 The Riddle Song (I Give My Love An Apple) is a very peaceful ending to this brilliant CD....

Frank Harrison's CD 'Sideways' summed up in a nutshell is the title of track 4 'Flow at Rest'.  One would think that with so many ingredients going into the making of this CD it would be incomplete but no, it is exactly the opposite. Full of Franks history, skills and intelligence it's one of the most rounded and complete collections of work I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. I'm not usually stuck for words but my summing up of this superb and excellent CD is that it 'Flows at Rest'!

John Fordham, Jazz UK, June 2006

New acoustic-piano trios aren’t exactly rarities these days, but this debut for Gilad Atzmon’s regular pianist Frank Harrison - though it has some links to the open-ended approach of Brad Mehldau - certainly justifies lengthening the list. Harrison’s group features bassist Aidan O'Donnell and drummer Stephen Keogh, two restrained and sensitive experts who burnish Harrison’s reflective music at every turn. There are three standards and five originals, and a meditative visit to the ‘Spartacus’ theme is a delectable dialogue between Harrison and the sonorous O'Donnell. The ballad ‘Jinni’ has a slowly-surging Bill Evans feel, but the music is mostly thoughtful, apart from a headlong, and very inventive, account of ‘What Is This Thing Called Love?’.

Steve Baxter, Jazzviews.com, June 2006

Some time ago (obviously), Ronnie Scott apparently described Frank Harrison as "one of the most talented young musicians I have heard". Although (equally obviously), any praise from me doesn't carry quite the same weight, I've been a fan of Frank's playing for several years, ever since I first saw him with Gilad Atzmon's Orient House Ensemble. He's a key member of that band, and it's in that context that I've nearly always seen and heard him. Whether he's clowning around with Gilad, tentatively searching for just the right delicate chords to accompany a solo, or hammering the piano's innards to produce ominous sounds of impending war, what's most impressive is his concentration and above all his melodic and rhythmic invention. I have to admit that I don't always know what he's doing, but it always seems to make sense after the event. Now here he is with his own very classy trio and debut album, and it's a pleasure to be able to say nice things about it.

It's one of those albums that makes you sit up from the very first sequence of notes, in this case a low, ascending three notes ending in a chord that immediately establishes a mood of quiet melancholy for You Can't Go Home Again, and indeed for most of the album. Of the various aspects of Frank's piano style, the one most on show here is his more meditative side. What Is This Thing Called Love? begins in similar fashion, but soon develops a momentum as the bass and drums settle in, a subtly propulsive swing. This, plus the sure melodic sense and thoughtful chord placing, inevitably recalls (who else?) Bill Evans. But then, towards the end of the track, the more rhapsodic flights began to remind me of another, perhaps equally obvious, heavyweight comparison: this level of unforced virtuosity from all three and the almost playful approach surely sounds rather like Keith Jarrett's standards trio.

After the opening pair of standards, we get a sequence of Harrison originals, starting with Afternoon in Tronso. It's more abstract and whimsical in structure and mood, again recalling Jarrett, as does the following the title track, backed by free-form bass and drums. Jinni, in contrast, sounds like a ready-made instant standard.

Next up are two more non-originals. The ubiquitous Nature Boy is done solo and slow, with subtly chosen chords and harmonies (Evans again), while a more idiosyncratic choice is the Love theme from Spartacus, delivered with a beautiful simplicity. The album closes with two more Harrison originals that continue the contemplative mood. In fact, my only slight criticism would be that maybe there could have been a couple of more up-tempo tunes mixed in there somewhere. On the other hand, maybe that would have broken the spell. As it stands, this album is perfect for creating and sustaining a gently melancholic, but still somehow rather uplifting, atmosphere. Whenever that's the kind of mood you're in (or want to be in), this is the one to put on.

John Fordham, The Guardian, May 2006

Harrison is most familiar as Gilad Atzmon's pianist, and the 2006 Atzmon group's diversion toward keyboard electronics might suggest a hint of that on Harrison's personal debut. But this is an acoustic-trio set in Brad Mehldau territory, and the scalding pace and motivic zigzagging of What Is This Thing Called Love? is a reminder both of how much spark remains in this familiar jazz-ensemble format, and how many good examples of it there are in the UK.

Harrison is accompanied by the bassist they call Scotland's Dave Holland - Aidan O'Donnell - and by that sensitive small-group drummer Stephen Keogh. The pianist's quiet, rippling originals take five tracks; there are three standards, and a brooding account of the Spartacus theme with O'Donnell in conversational support. Harrison's swaying ballad Jinni is the most openly songlike of his own pieces (Bill Evans-like in its accelerating development), but - as with Mehldau - the most elliptical, preoccupied overtures develop unexpected fireworks.

Kenny Mathieson, Jazzwise, May 2006

Reading the press quotes that arrived with this disc made Frank Harrison sound like a cross between cited Art Tatum and a heavy metal guitarist ("cranium-shattering levels of intensity"). Whatever he was doing on those nights, the music on this impressive debut album reveals a very different picture of a player that we are likely to hear a lot more of in time to come.

His lucid, intelligent, spacious and beautifully controlled explorations are backed up by sensitive support from his fine Scottish-Irish rhythm section. Harrison's own compositions lead towards an evocative expressionism, as in 'Afternoon in Tromso', the haunting 'First Light', and 'Falling'. There are two more of his own pieces, 'Jinni' and 'Maria's Planet Song', alongside fresh and thoughtful interpretations of Cole Porter's 'What Is This Thing Called Love', Eden Ahbez's 'Nature Boy', performed as a solo piece that drifts nicely into 'Love Theme From Spartacus', and the less familiar opening track, Don Sebesky's delicate 'You Can't Go Home Again'.

Ian Mann, 24dash.com, April 2006

Oxford based pianist Frank Harrison (born 1978) is best known for his work with the fiery and charismatic Israeli saxophonist Gilad Atzmon. In effect he has been Atzmon's musical "right hand man" for the last five years and has appeared on four of his albums.

However on this, his first album as leader Harrison reveals the more reflective side of his musical personality.

He is joined by the young Scottish bassist Aidan O'Donnell who is fast earning a big reputation for himself after working with fellow Scots saxophonist Tommy Smith and trumpeter Colin Steele. O'Donnell has also worked with Alan Skidmore (saxophone) and with visiting American saxophonist David Binney among others.

Completing an all Celtic rhythm section is Irish drummer Stephen Keogh who has been on the scene a while longer and who has played with a wide variety of artists including such legendary figures as Johnny Griffin and Lee Konitz. He can be a very powerful drummer in the appropriate context but his playing here is full of musicality and restraint.

The band is very much in the ethos of the modern piano trio with each of the players having an equal input into the group sound. There is great interaction between the players. You can almost hear the musicians thinking.

The material consists of five Harrison originals and four standards. Everything is played at medium or ballad tempo. Harrison deconstructs Cole Porter's "What Is This Thing Called Love" in the manner of a more restrained Brad Mehldau. "Nature Boy" is treated as a short and tender solo piano interlude.

On the original material there is something of the feel of an ECM session in the style of say, Bobo Stenson. Tracks such as "Afternoon In Tromso" and the title track "First Light" are very much in this vein as is the album's opener Don Sebesky's "You Can't Go Home Again". This impression is formed partly because the album is immaculately recorded.

Credit should be given to Stefano Amerio who engineered the session in Udine, Italy where the music was recorded and to Andrew Tulloch who mixed and mastered the album in London. The album was produced by Harrison and Keogh and there is a spacious quality to the production, which seems to make every note hang in the air in a manner reminiscent of Manfred Eicher's work with ECM.

Harrison is superb throughout the recording. His playing is always delicate but is also exploratory and probing. He plays sparingly, is never hurried and makes effective use of the spaces between the notes. O'Donnell supports him brilliantly. He is rock solid as an accompanist and dextrous and fluent in his solos. Keogh's drumming is apposite throughout. He is the epitome of good taste and reveals a whole new side to his playing.

This is an excellent debut from Harrison and as critics have pointed out an incredibly mature statement from such a young musician. The album compares well with John Taylor's immaculate "Angel Of The Presence" album which was released earlier this year. To be bracketed with the masterful Taylor is praise indeed and in Frank Harrison it would seem that the future of British jazz piano playing is in good hands.

Peter Bevan, Northern Echo, April 2006

Pianist Frank Harrison will be familiar from Gilad Atzmon's groups but this debut album presents him in a new light. He's accompanied by bass player Aidan O'Donnell and drummer Stephen Keogh but it's Harrison who stands out on a session which is as delicate and expressive as anything else I've heard, helped by a crystal clear recording. It's simply beautiful.

Paul Medley, Oxford Times, March 2006

Oxford-born jazz pianist Frank Harrison made his mark with Gilad Atzmon's Orient House Ensemble, which won the prestigious BBC Jazz Award in 2003. First Light (Basho Records, SRCD 15-2) is his first album with his own trio, yet it has the feeling of a second or third. So often a jazz player's first recording will come across as a technical tour de force as if more fame comes from more notes played at greater speed. Harrison, with remarkable maturity, has skipped this phase and made an album that reveals the depth of his musicianship without forcing it on the listener.

In fact, rather the opposite. This album makes one think of Eric Satie playing jazz. It is full of space verging on silence, sudden unexpected harmonies and a feel of wide open space into which notes and phrases have been inserted with perfect accuracy. In the second track, Cole Porter's What Is This Thing Called Love, Harrison gives us the tune by building from fragments that appear through a mesh to stately chords and embellishments, so that the well-known phrases appear and fade and appear again. Then, with the least fuss, the rhythm section of Aidan O'Donnell (bass) and Stephen Keogh (drums) has picked up the beat and Harrison is away with wonderful flowing phrases. The title track, First Light, by Harrison, brings back the resonance with Satie as he plays extended phrases with the slightest of backing from bass and drums that is elegant to the point of quiescence yet builds to a climax where he attacks the strings of the piano directly to further the mood of the ethereal. There are no fast, driving tracks here, but plenty of playing where Harrison and the trio show how effortlessly they can move from slow ballad to upbeat swing. O'Donnell and Keogh work admirably with Harrison's sparseness and he in turn gives them space to embellish the rhythm.

This is a subtle, enigmatic album that demonstrates to what extent Frank Harrison has lived up to the expectations of his teachers in Oxford, not so many years ago, as a truly gifted musician.

Chris Parker, vortexjazz, March 2006

Given the atmospheric Graham Murrell light-study photographs adorning its sleeve, and the understated delicacy of its music, First Light might almost be mistaken for an ECM release; the five Harrison compositions, too, gently insistent, utilising the slowest of tempos to produce gracefully haunting piano-trio music, may remind some listeners of Paul Motian's rubato pieces for that label. This said, however, the album is clearly a highly personal project, its non-original material (Don Sebesky's luxuriously stately 'You Can't Go Home Again', Cole Porter's perennially intriguing standard 'What is This Thing Called Love', Alex North's tender 'Love Theme from Spartacus' and Eden Ahbez's 'Nature Boy', performed solo) intelligently selected to showcase not only Harrison's luminous yet muscular approach, but also the interactive spontaneity of a surefooted rhythm section: bassist Aidan O'Donnell and drummer Stephen Keogh. Poise, elegance and dynamic control are the trio's watchwords, but there is power in evidence as well, Keogh's drumming in particular crackling with tastefully suppressed energy; overall, though, this is very much Harrison's album, pleasingly homogeneous in mood and approach, and demonstrating just why he is regarded as a rising star in the jazz world.

Alan Joyce, Nottingham Evening Post, February 2006

On past visits, pianist Frank Harrison could usually be found in the ranks of Gilad Atzmon's Orient House Ensemble, but here he was with his own trio, accompanied by bassist Aidan O'Donnell and drummer Stephen Keogh.

Their delicate approach was apparent from the start; they excelled in fragile, tender ballads, mostly originals with the occasional standard. Harrison's style highlighted his melodic perceptiveness which was not only intense but distinctly personal and rested confidently on a remarkable technique. Sometimes he would be more adventerous, as on evergreens Taking A Chance On Love and How Deep Is The Ocean; the faster tempos suited his unhurried, precise improvisations. Aidan O'Donnell seized attention by his vital role in the improvised group textures and his impressive solo work. He too displayed exquisite sensibility and remarkable technique.

Skilled percussionist Keogh followed it all with shimmering top cymbals, chattering snare and whispering brushes and seized on the up-tempo standards to provide a prodigious swing.