Sometimes you may find music that is influenced by Nordic jazz – and to be more accurate, the ECM school of Nordic jazz – faraway from Scandinavia. Down under, in Sydney, Australia, where young Australian trumpeter Eamon Dilworth comes from.
Dilworth’s fifth album, «Viata» – life in Romanian, is his most personal project so far, «capturing the mood to life experiences». «Viata»’s concept stemmed from Dilworth’s trip to Romania where he encountered a new city with a different way of life, morales and stories. «The trip opened me up to consider who I am, where I come from & how I deal with experiences and challenges. My musical output changed from this day to seek a deeper connection through my music and performance leading me to attempt to create soundtracks for my challenges in coming into adulthood».
Dilworth’s quintet featured pianist Alister Spence, known from his ongoing collaborations with Japanese pianist Satoko Fujii and Scottish reeds player Raymond MacDonald, guitarist Carl Morgan, double bass player Jonathan Zwartz and drummer Paul Derricott, the only musician who has played in Dilworth’s previous projects.
Dilworth’s original compositions radiate a deep lyrical vein, often even a melancholic and dark one, and together with the contemplative-reflective tone of «Viata» and Dilworth’s strong melodic lines, emphasize the association with the ECM school of Nordic jazz. The gentle, ethereal «Eick», that sounds as homage to Norwegian trumpeter Mathias Eick, solidifies that association. The beautiful, reserved themes of «The Hiding», the spiritual «Hey Ma Durga» and the dreamy-atmospheric «The Lady» stress even further this Nordic connection. These loose compositions leave enough room for individual interpretations of Dilworth’s ideas and moods. His interplay with Spence is immediate, almost telepathic. Both sound as abstracting and extending each other’s ideas in the most natural manner possible.
Eyal Hareuveni
Eamon Dilworth (tp); Alister Spence (p), Jonathan Zwartz (b), Carl Morgan (g), Paul Derricott (dr)
