Andy Sheppard - Movements in Colour ****

These seven tracks take their cue from a number of paintings and artists that Sheppard admires and have that same lightness and airiness that the saxophonist brings to much of his work. Do the artists checked here – Matisse, Miró and Gauguin – perhaps touch more deeply on Sheppard’s sense of his own creativity? I suspect so. All three were after all outside any formal school – Fauvism in Matisse’s case was at best a loose grouping of painters. At the same time, they share a profound and uplifting grasp of the power of colour and that is certainly a word I would have to use in respect of Sheppard’s music. Here it shows in the way these five musicians combine to kaleidoscopic effect that matters most rather than their solo contributions. The impression throughout is of serving the music.  At times, they hint at something darker. The closing track, ‘International Blue’, and the opener, ‘La Tristesse Du Roi’, play with other emotions but in the main this is warm, upbeat, yet reflective music beautifully played and recorded. My only reservation is that it’s too short. Still better to leave us wanting more.

Duncan Heining