Having won critical acclaim earlier this year for his quartet album Wooltown Reflections - “Like opening a box of jewels”, said Jazz Views - Yorkshire-based bassist, composer and bandleader Ben Crosland has a new album, featuring a quintet this time, slated for August release.
North York Skies celebrates the beauty, history and folklore of one of Britain’s most treasured landscapes. It’s both a vivid musical journey and a heartfelt tribute to a landscape that has become central to Crosland’s life.
“I make no apology for saying that the music on this album is, in reality, a love letter to the North York Moors”, says Crosland. “The twelve compositions are inspired by the beauty and majesty of the Moors and the surrounding countryside, the legends and characters that abound there, and some personal connections with this lovely area.”
The title track, North York Skies, captures the breathtaking scale of the Moors, while Howardian Undulation reflects the dramatic rises and falls of the road through the Howardian Hills towards Castle Howard.
Other pieces draw inspiration from the North York Moors Railway, the historic RAF Fylingdales early warning station, and the rich tapestry of local folklore, including stories surrounding the standing stones of Lilla Howe and Ain Howe and the legendary Fat Betty cross.
The album also pays tribute to the region’s musical heritage with The Blakey Lion, inspired by the pioneering jazz-rock trio Back Door, whose remarkable journey began at the Lion Inn on Blakey Ridge before leading to international acclaim. Roy Woodcock
North York Skies is released on Ben’s own Jazz Cat Records label on August 7.
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