Spindle Ensemble Press
INKLING ALBUM
“Compelling” “Intriguing” Listed in Top 10 contemporary albums of 2021 – The Guardian
“Simply excellent” Chilly Gonzales
“Beautiful sounds, definitely a band to watch…” Fiona Talkington, BBC Radio 3 Late Junction
“Such a rich live feel” Gideon Coe, BBC Radio 6 Music
“If you love to be delighted by fluid and sparkling musical arrangements and instrumentation you will greatly enjoy this record.” Nick Luscombe
“The quartet mixes post-classical and minimalism, with brief stylistic dalliances; Okemah Sundown hints at folksy Americana,while Waves has a neo-romantic vibe…” Big Issue
“Effervescent music-making” BBC Music Magazine
“Superbly composed and adroitly performed.” Louder Than War
“Sumptuous, broad ranging and beautiful.”Joyzine
“Once concerts resume, Spindle Ensemble should be top of the must-see list.” A Closer Listen
“A constant flow of beautifully and moody fluctuated imaginative musicality; fit for stage, cinema screens and beyond.” Monolith Cocktail
“The ways in which moods lift and fall is breath-taking” Magazine Sixty
“Utterly stunning musical craft” Higher Plain Music
BEA ALBUM
‘Beautiful sounds, definitely a band to watch’ Fiona Talkington on BBC Radio 3, Late Junction
‘These guys are seriously talented’ Nick Luscombe on BBC Radio 3, Late Junction
‘Such a rich live feel’ Gideon Coe on BBC Radio 6
Songlines Magazine review of ‘BEA’ by Tom Newell ????
BEA is one of those rare studio albums that makes the listener feel as if they’re actually present at a concert, watching musicians who are truly absorbed in live performance. This is, in part, due to the way the album has been recorded: as a set of live ensemble performances that were captured in a converted chapel as an intimate yet expressive acoustic quality. The other reason why the presence of the performers can be felt so acutely is the composer’s narrative scene-setting, which engages the listener and gently draws them along on a shared journey.
This is cinematic music of a high calibre, executed with eloquent musicianship. Daniel Inzani on piano is the creative spark behind Spindle Ensemble, and is joined by Jo Silverston on cello, Caelia Lunniss on violin and Harriet Riley on marimba/vibraphone. Pensive, and at times melancholy, the style is evocative of such diverse composers such as Eric Satie, Arvo Pärt or Thomas Newman. Elements of classical composition, jazz harmony and folk sensibilities combine with worldly influences from Ethiopia and the Far East, and a couple of tracks feature Inzani on Celtic harp and accordion, imbuing the sound with yet more colour. This is captivating music.
Line of best fit magazine review of ‘BEA’, by Aaron Powell
The Bristolian collective’s compositions are a rich mix of jazz, folk and classical music with cinematic overtones.
Taking inspiration from great modern composers like Steve Reich and Philip Glass alongside post-romantics Satie and Debussy, Spindle Ensemble is a group rooted in spontaneity and improvisation. The collective is comprised of pianist and bandleader Daniel Inzani, violinist Caelia Lunniss, tuned percussionist Harriet Riley and cellist Jo Silverston; all accomplished and classically trained musicians of the highest calibre.
Their new album Bea (named after Silverston’s newly born daughter) was recorded in Grand Chapel Studios, a converted village chapel in the heart of Bedfordshire with engineer Michael Pearce.
Bea is a masterful piece of work filled with musical innovation and pastoral aspiration performed by musicians at the top of their game. All in all a perfect demonstration of exciting and modern classical music.
A Closer Listen review of ‘BEA’, by Richard Allen
Once in a while, a band appears fully formed, as if they had grown to adulthood in the womb. This is the case with Bristol’s Spindle Ensemble, which is part of the larger Bloom Collective. The ensemble has indeed spun straw into gold, as seen in the gorgeous artwork of Anna Higgie.
Cello, violin, accordian/piano and vibraphone/marimba is a slightly unusual setup, but Spindle Ensemble is a slightly unusual quartet. These recordings are vibrant, but they also have an edge, which is what made BEA our pick of the season in last month’s Winter Music Preview. It’s incredibly difficult to capture both ends of the spectrum in a single recording, but Spindle Ensemble manages the feat. The fact that this music was recorded in a converted chapel adds a layer of holiness to the proceedings, landing squarely on the right side of religion: the side of candles and creativity, storytelling and sanctuary.
The Arts Desk review of ‘BEA’, by Thomas H Green
Spindle Ensemble Bea (Adderwell Music): represent the best of the latest swathe of modern classical to hit theartsdesk on Vinyl.
Bristolian outfit Spindle Ensemble are led by composer Daniel Inzani and lean more towards a jazz sensibility, very subtly tinted with global music styles. Opening track “Moonbow” is representative, with its jazz piano meeting Middle Eastern-sounding strings head-to-head, a Gamelan rhythm playing unobtrusively at the back and another motif occasionally rearing up that sounds almost like an old Roy Rogers cowboy ballad.
Bristol 247 Review of performance at Kelston Barn
‘It’s hard to think of a comparable project, certainly around this area, that can present as a classical quartet while using that language in its own terms. Their more established pieces like Osier and That Way I Don’t See had a Palm Court feel, albeit with post-modern cheekiness underneath, while newer tunes incorporated improvised parts for cello and vibraphone and even hinted at the wonky Ethiopique harmonies of Tezeta, another Bloom project involving Dan and Harriet. All of the music had a careful precision and its beautifully thought-out textures resonated perfectly in the Old Barn’s timeless space.’
Tezeta Press
Bristol 247 live review by Tony Benjamin
‘This is an intelligent band bringing the musicians’ variety of backgrounds to play within the clear sense of what Tezeta is supposed to sound like. The result is a beguiling lounge jazz that encourages swaying rather than moshing and always rewards the listener.’
‘Having taken the wonky funk of Ethiopian bandleader Mulatu Astatke for their starting point the 8-strong Tezeta now have a full set of original instrumental compositions which, while still having strong echoes of that music, increasingly have become a sound of their own.’