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| © Derek Clark |
A live album recorded direct to 2-track at The
Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, 11 September 2025, Eternal
Light captures Smith and Simcock in concert at Scotland’s flagship jazz
venue. It features seven original compositions – two new works by Simcock, Weathered and Old Husbands’ Tale, alongside five of Smith’s recent compositions: Eternal Light, Land Between the Rivers, Body
or Soul, Harlequin, and El Niño.
The music highlights the deep rapport between two of Europe’s most distinctive voices in contemporary jazz, weaving lyrical interplay, improvisational risk, and a profound sense of storytelling.
Smith has enjoyed an international
career spanning collaborations with Gary Burton, Chick Corea, John Scofield,
and Arild Andersen. Simcock, one of the most versatile pianists of his
generation, has built an international reputation through collaborations with
Pat Metheny, Bill Bruford, and the Impossible Gentlemen. Their duo partnership
has been described as “a conversation that can go anywhere — from whisper to
roar, from abstraction to melody” and Eternal
Light reflects the pair’s commitment to risk-taking and reinvention,
presenting a body of work that is both grounded and exploratory.
“The duo is the most intimate and
exposed of formats,” says Smith. “There is nowhere to hide, although the solo
saxophone is even more transparent, but that is also where the beauty lies. The
saxophone and piano have such complementary voices. The piano offers harmony,
rhythm, and colour, while the saxophone can be a pure line, like a singer.”
Smith and Simcock met while
performing with different groups at festivals and it was Smith’s long-time duo
partner, the late Brian Kellock who suggested that Smith and Simcock would work
well together.
“It felt natural right from the
start,” says Smith. “It was as if we were already speaking the same musical
language. Over time, we discovered that we share a similar appetite for risk
and lyricism, and the duo developed organically. It has become one of the most
rewarding partnerships of my career.”
The album is being supported by concerts at Watermill Jazz in Dorking on Tuesday 14 October and the Concorde Club in Eastleigh, near Southampton, on Wednesday 15 October.
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