first... listen by Murray Grant

 

first...  listen

By

Murray Grant

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

Murray Grant was a new artist to me, but one that by the end of the project I was glad to have engaged with, as I would thoroughly enjoy the tonal selections contained within his album entitled first...  listen, a curious title maybe, but one packed with colours, textures and delightful contemporary instrumental vibrations.

The opening foray called temple started with an electronic intent, but soon morphed into something much more; a light percussive beat would soon take us by the hand into a veritable wonderland of instrumental magic, with the highlight the flute of Dave Weiss as the narrator of the composition.

Murray Grant is a sublime drummer and keyboardist, and has graced the world of contemporary instrumental music with many a fine creations, here on this brand new album he draws with him a team of artists whom will go on to manifest something uniquely brilliant in the album first...  listen, with pieces like the lush vibrancy of water and stone, a track that so reminds me of an old friends work in Al Conti, perhaps from his Blue Rose album.

Time certainly does fly, especially the older you get! Here on tempus fugit, we have that very essence weaved within the textured pathways of the song, this fast paced reverie has a soundtrack element built into its tone and timbre, with a Jethro Tull like flute, powerful percussion from Grant that literally drives one on, and a constant keyboard adding an extra layer into the offering.

I feel that at this juncture it is quite correct to introduce you to the team that joins Grant on this quest of instrumental perfection. We start with Amanda Toh on erhu, the smooth skill sets of Bart Dietvorst on guitars, Dave Olson on bass, and the exceptional Dave Weiss on flutes, with Elena Stern at the cello, Maria Grigoryeva on both violin and viola, and the ever so rhythmic Max Serpentini on djembe, darabuka, and shakers, you have a stunning dream team of artistes joining composer and instrumentalist Murray Grant on this voyage of musical exploration, as west meets east, of which are exemplified on tracks like in that moment, a beautifully layered arrangement indeed.

As we edge inexorably towards the middle section of the album we come across my personal favourite track entitled darkness, note the light rock ethic on guitar, the moody backdrop of sound utilising the keyboards to their very best, kudos to Grant there, this whole piece reminded me of a globally fused slice of prog rock, and I absolutely loved every second of it.

There is always hidden on every album a little gem that you are just glad that you came across and will never forget, awakening was that piece for me, the crisp keyboards, the fluent flute, and that charming plunging bass of Dave Olson created for me a charming musical narrative that I would want to go back to time and time again.

echoes used the bass at its premium, almost as a lead instrument, then utilising a keyboard narrative so very rhythmic and enticing, with an added percussive beat that was simply undeniable and breathtakingly sublime, the east meets west global fusion here was some of the best I have heard for ages, and reminded me in part of the work of fellow instrumentalist Arun Shenoy, in a blissful seven minutes plus of a piece you never wanted to end.

dania gave us a moment to chill too, its gentle and calming refrains allowed us room to stretch out and enjoy the evening sun, whilst listening to a sumptuous multi-instrumental ballad, and then we we’re back on the trail again with the interestingly named shades of grey.  The mixture of keyboards guitar chords and flute here manifested a vista of a track that was both smooth in its production, but also explorative in its overall nature.

The penultimate offering is entitled hellos and goodbyes, there is a drifting cadence here that peaks the interest, the flute and keyboards seem to slowly dance in a symbiotic partnership on this beautiful composition, one that leads us gently into the arms of the concluding musical narrative.

an ending (is not the end), apart from being a clever title is a crafted way with which to conclude a project, it’s a perfectly balanced composition, one that builds, progresses, and offers up some delicate tones, then pulls the listener into a final foray of a globally infused offering.

first...  listen by Murray Grant maybe an album that got complicated by the global pandemic, but the final result was well worth the wait; this is one of the most prime examples of exemplary contemporary instrumental work that I have had the pleasure to listen to in years, and as such, I see no reason why first...  listen by Murray Grant shouldn’t charge up the charts at the very least and maybe even more could be on the horizon for this superb album.