| Romaria | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by the Andy Sheppard Quartet | ||||
| Released | February 16, 2018 | |||
| Recorded | April 2017 | |||
| Studio | Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI Lugano, Switzerland | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 48:05 | |||
| Label | ECM ECM 2577 | |||
| Producer | Manfred Eicher | |||
| Andy Sheppard chronology | ||||
| ||||
Romaria is an album by the Andy Sheppard Quartet recorded in Switzerland in April 2017 and released on ECM February the following year. The quartet features rhythm section Eivind Aarset, Michel Benita and Sebastian Rochford. [1]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| All About Jazz |  [3] |
| Blurt | [4] |
| Tom Hull | B+ (  ) [5] |
| PopMatters | 5/10 [6] |
| The Times | [7] |
All About Jazz 's reviewer Geno Thackara said, "Where so much music treats silence as an exception, Andy Sheppard's recordings find it serving more as the rule. He's never been one for weaving flashy speed runs or feeling pressure to fill space. Even when his sax lines speed up from time to time through Romaria, they serve the mood with tasteful restraint, smoothly evoking the soothing coolness of its cover ... This quartet's easy chemistry creates a pretty soundscape both inviting and intriguing, and Romaria never loses the airy feel of a cozy reverie even at its busiest." [3]
The AllMusic review by Thom Jurek notes "Sheppard's gift of restraint allows for bountiful interaction and irresistible musicality on Romaria, making it an essential addition to his catalogue and a fine extension of Surrounded by the Sea." [2]
In JazzTimes , Mac Randall wrote "Sheppard likes to keep his volume at medium-low. But although he maintains a thoroughly English reserve, there’s plenty under the surface: romance, dry wit, tenderness and, above all, a questing spirit. He’s found some wonderful colleagues to help him with his search." [8]
All compositions by Andy Sheppard, except as noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "And a Day..." | 8:06 | |
| 2. | "Thirteen" | 4:48 | |
| 3. | "Romaria" | Renato Teixeira | 5:11 |
| 4. | "Pop" | 4:21 | |
| 5. | "They Came from the North" | 5:56 | |
| 6. | "With Every Flower That Falls" | 5:54 | |
| 7. | "All Becomes Again" | 7:07 | |
| 8. | "Forever..." | 6:42 |
Sebastian Rochford is a British drummer and composer. He has recorded and released music as leader of the British band Polar Bear, as Kutcha Butcha and as part of numerous collaborations.
Andy Sheppard is a British jazz saxophonist and composer. He has been awarded several prizes at the British Jazz Awards, and has worked with some notable figures in contemporary jazz, including Gil Evans, Carla Bley, George Russell and Steve Swallow. In 2019 he was presented the degree of Doctor of Music honoris causa by the University of Bristol.
Eivind Aarset is a Norwegian guitarist who has worked with Ray Charles, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ute Lemper, Ketil Bjørnstad, Andy Sheppard, Mike Mainieri, Arild Andersen, Abraham Laboriel, Dhafer Youssef, Django Bates, and Nils Petter Molvaer. Aarset is married to Norwegian singer Anne-Marie Giørtz.
Michel Benita is a double bass player, prominent in jazz music since the 1980s. Benita moved to Paris in the early 1980s, performing extensively in local jazz clubs and concert venues alongside visiting players, expatriates, and local musicians. In 1986 he was invited to join the inaugural line-up of the Orchestre National de Jazz, under the direction of François Jeanneau. During his career Benita has worked with Aldo Romano, Marc Ducret, Horace Parlan, Martial Solal, Lee Konitz, Andy Sheppard, Dino Saluzzi, Dewey Redman, Erik Truffaz and Archie Shepp, among many others. He formed the ELB trio in 1999 with Vietnamese guitar player Nguyên Lê and American drummer Peter Erskine.
Canto is an album by jazz saxophonist Charles Lloyd, recorded in December 1996 and released on ECM the following year. The quartet features rhythm section Bobo Stenson, Anders Jormin and Billy Hart.
Looking for America is an album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley recorded in 2002 and released on the Watt/ECM label in 2003.
The Lost Chords is a live album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley with Andy Sheppard, Steve Swallow, and Billy Drummond recorded in Europe in 2003 and released on the Watt/ECM label in 2004.
Appearing Nightly is a live album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley, recorded in Paris in 2006 and released on the Watt/ECM label in 2008. Bley's compositions and arrangements incorporate many references to big bands and jazz standards from the swing era. The album contains two compositions commissioned by the Jazz Orchestra of Sardinia, and a suite inspired by nightclubs and big bands of the 1950s commissioned for the Monterey Jazz Festival.
The Lost Chords find Paolo Fresu is an album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley with Andy Sheppard, Steve Swallow, and Billy Drummond and Paolo Fresu recorded in Europe in 2007 and released on the Watt/ECM label.
Movements in Colour is an album by British jazz saxophonist and composer Andy Sheppard recorded in February 2008 and released on ECM the following year.
Food is an experimental jazz band initiated by British woodwind multi-instrumentalist Iain Ballamy and Norwegian percussionist Thomas Strønen after a coincidental meeting first in Trondheim, Norway and later in Molde in 1997. They played two gigs at Moldejazz 1998, which were recorded live to two-track, and became their first album Food (2000).
Light Extracts is an album by Norwegian guitarist Eivind Aarset's Électronique Noire.
Dream Logic is an album by Norwegian guitarist Eivind Aarset.
Trios is an album by American composer and pianist Carla Bley with saxophonist Andy Sheppard and bass guitarist Steve Swallow, recorded in April 2013 and released on ECM later that year. This was the first occasion on which these longtime collaborators had worked as a trio since 1994's Songs with Legs.
La notte is a live album by Norwegian pianist Ketil Bjørnstad recorded at the Molde International Jazz Festival in Norway on July 21, 2010 and released on ECM in April 2013.
Atmosphères is a double album by jazz pianist Tigran Hamasyan recorded over three days in May 2014 and released on ECM in September 2016. The quartet features trumpeter Arve Henriksen, guitarist Eivind Aarset and producer Jan Bang.
The Dreamer Is the Dream is a studio album by American jazz saxophonist Chris Potter recorded in June 2016 and released on ECM April the following year—his third release for the label. The quartet features rhythm section David Virelles, Joe Martin and Marcus Gilmore.
Trio Libero is an album by British saxophonist and composer Andy Sheppard recorded in Switzerland in July 2011 and released on ECM in January the following year.
Surrounded by Sea is an album by British saxophonist and composer Andy Sheppard recorded in Switzerland in 2014 and released on the ECM label the following year.
Liberation Time is a studio album by British jazz guitarist John McLaughlin. The album was recorded in various locations and released on 16 July 2021 via Abstract Logix. The album's personnel includes members of McLaughlin’s current ensemble named 4th Dimension: Gary Husband on drums and piano, Etienne Mbappé on bass, Ranjit Barot on drums and Konokol vocals—in addition to invited musicians.
