I first heard Joe Steels at the Hexham Jazz weekend live, back in 2023, playing the band’s excellent Borealis album. I was so impressed by what I heard that I identified them as the standout act of the event. I was, therefore, delighted when Joe got in touch and asked if I would consider reviewing the latest album release Blue Patch (available through Bandcamp).
The album opens with Round The Block introduced by Jim Steels guitar but what is most noticeable is how well guitar and trumpet blend as the track opens out. This is a good example of contemporary jazz, particularly when Ferg Kilsby stretches out on trumpet, with excellent piano backing from Ben Lawrence and nicely tempered support from bassist Paul Susans and drummer John Hirst respectably.
A Blue Patch references the parting of the clouds, allowing us to be immersed in the sun and the tempo and feel of the tune captures this idea very well. Paul Susans’ bass line, for me, expressed the warmth one feels when basking in open sunlight. This number followed on nicely from the album opener but sits in contrast to Between The Stars that follows. There is a noticeable shift in tone and mood in this third track set up by the spatial quality of Jim Steels guitar. However, it is the trumpet playing of Ferg Kilsby that gives this piece a darker sound – there is an eeriness to the sound that unsettles the listener and reminds us that no matter how many stars there are in the nightsky, they all shine in a darkness our eyes cannot penetrate. I would suggest that Between The Stars is freer in style than in that which precedes it and in that which follows it: I like how this manages to break up the album without jarring with the the tunes around it.
Lady Day is a beautiful sounding ballad of finesse and nuance. The blend of guitar and Rhodes is delightful, as is the understated drumming from John Hirst. However, this is the calm before the mood shifts again, the tempo ups and stand-out track… well, stands-out. Witching Hour is grounded throughout by the excellent bass playing of Paul Susans. Guitar, trumpet and Rhodes all play their part in this terrific number, but it is without doubt that this tune belongs to the bass and drums who are given room to spin out their sound and take that chance head on.
If you listen to tracks five and six in gap-less playback they segue so smoothly from one to the other yet each has its own distinct style. Borestone opens focusing on the contemporary jazz sound of trumpeter Ferg Kilsby before Jim Steels takes over and stamps his quality all over this number. The piano break that leads us back to the head works very well in bringing the tune full circle. Bassist Paul Susans takes us in to the album’s final track, These Are The Days. I like the central theme to this piece and the way that the musicians play around it without deviating too far from the core of this entertaining mid-tempo number.
Here in the UK, we are blessed with a number of very good, and well regarded, jazz guitarists from the elder statesmen such as Jim Mullen and Nigel Price to the relatively up-and-coming Tom Ollendorff and Rob Luft. I would suggest that Joe Steels sits comfortably among their number as his playing on this fine album demonstrates. It may be Jim Steels name at the forefront but this is, undoubtedly, a band’s album and that band is a quality group of musicians who each contribute their own sound to A Blue Patch.
Tracklist: 01 – Round The Block; 02 – Blue Patch; 03 – Between The Stars; 04 – Lady Day; 05 – Witching Hour; 06 – Borestone; 07 – These Are The Days
Musicians: Joe Steels (guitar), Ferg Kilsby (trumpet), Ben Lawrence (piano/rhodes), Paul Susans (double bass), John Hirst (drums).
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