Near And Now

Many albums are written at home and then recorded out 'on the road', but I decided to do it the other way round. I've spent a lot of time these past few years touring around the world, and in the last six months or so, whilst away from home, I spent my spare time writing new music for a second solo album. I actually wrote much more, but quite a few of the pieces expanded (I'm always a fan of longer form compositions), so I ended up choosing five to form this record.

It has always been an ambition of mine to be able to record at home, and my wife and I recently took the decision to invest in buying a beautiful piano for our place in Berlin, so that this dream could become reality. The music was composed specifically for this setting, and the intimate sound of this album is very much deliberate (and I have to say that Keith Jarrett's great home-recorded album "The Melody At Night, With You", with its honest and personal sound, was a big influence in that respect - even if the energy of the music is sometimes different).

Having produced of some of my own albums before, I decided it was a good time to expand into taking ownership of the recording process too. As with many musical undertakings, this new journey is a work in progress, but I'm proud to have created this record myself, and look forward to learning and growing my expertise in this area in the future.

Musically, I'm always very aware of how the music I love filters through into my own playing and writing. I've mentioned many times before the musical debt I owe to Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea and John Taylor as pianist heroes of mine, but of course we all have so many musical influences - a myriad of flavours that go into our own musical 'stews'. I decided to shape these pieces with a view to dedicating them to five pianists who have also had - and continue to have - a huge impact on my musical life.

If you enjoy my music and this album even a tiny bit as much as I've enjoyed their music over the years, then I'll be happy!