Kevin Lawlor

“The Island”

(Self Released)

Kevin Lawlor – drums, Joseph Leighton – guitar, Dave Jones – piano, Florian Kockott – double bass

“The Island” is the fifth album from the Irish drummer, composer, bandleader and educator Kevin Lawlor.

It follows “Exodus” (2013), “Eight” (2015), “Last Days of Summer” (2019) and “Stramash”(2020), all of which have been reviewed elsewhere on The Jazzmann.

Lawlor studied jazz in Dublin, Salzburg and New York before returning home to take up the post of Director of Jazz at County Wexford School of Music where he is also the resident drum tutor. He also helps to curate the jazz programme at Wexford Arts Centre.

In addition to his role as an educator Lawlor is also a busy performer who leads his own groups as well as collaborating with visiting international jazz musicians. One of his most fruitful alliances has been with the Welsh pianist and composer Dave Jones and it was Lawlor’s appearance on Jones’ excellent 2012 album “Resonance” that first brought his playing to my attention. Jones subsequently returned the compliment by guesting on both   “Exodus” and “Eight”. The pair continue to perform together and Lawlor’s drumming can also be heard on Jones’ quartet recording “Live At AMG”, released in 2014.

In February 2020 Lawlor visited the UK to lead a short tour of Wales in the company of Jones and bassist Ashley John Long. I was fortunate enough to catch this trio’s performance at Brecon Jazz Club where they played a selection of jazz and bebop standards, mainly written by famous jazz pianists, plus a couple of Lawlor originals. My account of that event can be read here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/kevin-lawlor-trio-brecon-jazz-club-the-muse-arts-centre-brecon-11-02-2020

Prior to this I had enjoyed seeing Lawlor perform with Dave Jones’ quartet at shows At Dempsey’s in Cardiff in 2014 (the launch of “Live at AMG”) and at Swansea Jazz Festival in 2015.

Lawlor has played with many of Ireland’s leading jazz performers as well as musicians from Canada and Finland. He has also worked with other musicians from the UK and in February 2019 undertook a short tour of Ireland as part of a trio led by British guitarist Chris Montague.

Lawlor’s previous albums, notably “Stramash” and “Last Days of Summer” have featured the playing of young up and coming Irish jazz musicians and  it’s tempting to view him as kind of ‘Irish Art Blakey’. Lawlor himself names Max Roach, Brian Blade and Jim Black as key influences, all of them highly accomplished drummers, composers and bandleaders.

The cast that Lawlor has assembled for “The Island” is a truly international one with Irishman Lawlor and Welshman Jones joined by the German bassist Florian Kockott. The line up is completed by guitarist Joseph Leighton, a young musician from Derry, Northern Ireland, who is fast becoming one of the leading figures on the Irish jazz scene. He spent some time living and working in London before returning to his homeland where he now leads his own trio and also plays in a duo with the acclaimed drummer, composer bandleader and record label owner David Lyttle. Leighton also teaches at the annual Sligo International Jazz Summer School.

The music that comprises “The Island” was premiered at the Jazz at Johnstown Festival in County Wexford in June 2024. The programme features five new compositions from Lawlor, whose album notes offer brief snippets of information as to the sources of inspiration behind each individual piece.

Lawlor dedicates album opener “No Socks” to “all the sockless millennial musicians”, make of that what you will. It’s a rousing opener that commences with a series of lively bebop style exchanges between guitar and drums, followed by a short theme statement prior to a dazzling piano solo from Jones that serves as a reminder of the Welshman’s love for the playing of McCoy Tyner. Jones’ bravura solo is fuelled by Kockott’s propulsive bass lines and Lawlor’s crisp, sharply detailed drumming. Rising star Leighton takes the next solo, impressing with his bop inspired fluency, allied to a rock inspired edge. The piece also features a whip smart drum solo from the leader, which demonstrates his authority behind the kit. The piece then resolves itself with a gentler reiteration of the main melodic theme.

“This Too Shall Pass” is dedicated to Lawlor’s young son, who was born in 2020 around the start of the pandemic. This paean to fatherhood demonstrates a gentler side of Lawlor’s playing and writing and at ten minutes in duration it’s an episodic piece that passes through several distinct phases. The main theme is melodic and highly lyrical and inspires a delightfully melodic double bass solo from Kockott. Jones’ piano solo exhibits similarly lyrical qualities while Leighton impresses with the maturity of his playing here, helping to bring a wistful quality to the music.

“Little Ones” was played at Lawlor’s 2020 Brecon show and at that time was dedicated to Lawlor’s first born son, with number two then on the way. However he now states that the piece was “written watching dropped sheet music blow around a car park”. Are you confused yet? Musically it’s an intriguing piece with a relaxed but swinging groove that inspires bebop influenced solos from Leighton and Jones, with the leader steering things from the kit throughout, culminating in an engaging drum feature towards the close.

The title track was inspired by “two days spent working on the Great Saltee Island off the coast of Wexford”. Kockott switches to electric bass and combines with Lawlor to create a propulsive, shuffling groove that underpins the exuberant soloing of Jones and Leighton, the young guitarist again demonstrating an impressive maturity as he develops his solo. There is also another engaging drum feature from the consistently excellent Lawlor.

The closing “Juggler’s Despair” takes its title from a Homer Simpson quote but Lawlor states that “the music is loosely based on classical ideas”. Initially it’s a gentle and lyrical piece that features the warm, woody tone of Kockott’s double bass during the opening solo. Jones follows at the piano, soloing more effusively as the music gathers momentum and gradually begins to take on more of an anthemic quality. Leighton delivers another well constructed solo, injecting a real sense of urgency and combining well with the leader’s increasingly animated drumming. The music resolves itself with a return to the arresting and memorable main melodic theme.

Once again Lawlor impresses with the quality of both his playing and writing. There are some strong melodic themes and all are well served by the members of an exceptional quartet. Lawlor leads with authority and assurance from the kit, his playing providing the necessary rhythmic impetus while exhibiting a keen eye for detail. Together with the impressive and flexible Kockott he helps to provide the rhythmic platform for exceptional solos from both Jones and Leighton. The bass and drum team also make the most of their own soloing opportunities.

Jones has appeared many times on the Jazzmann web pages and is an excellent piano soloist in addition to being a fine composer. I may be readily familiar with Jones’ work but guitarist Leighton represents an exciting new discovery and looks to be a musician with an exciting future ahead of him. Kockott also represents a new name to keep an eye on.

Ultimately the triumph is Lawlor’s, for bringing this high quality international quartet together and for giving them an exceptional set of compositions to work with. At around forty minutes running time “The Island” is comparatively short by modern CD standards, but Lawlor and the quartet ensure that not a moment is wasted.

“The Island” is available via http://www.kevinlawlor.com

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