Steven Nichols

“From Dust”

(Ubuntu Music UBU0159)

Steven Nichols – trumpet, flugelhorn, Charlie Rees – tenor saxophone, Reuben Goldmark – piano, John Jones – bass, Amund Kleppan – drums

Steven Nichols is a young trumpeter and composer who has studied at some of the UK’s most prestigious music education establishments, among them the Junior Royal Birmingham Conservatoire,  Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester and the Royal Academy of Music in London. His tutors and mentors have included trumpeters Percy Pursglove, Steve Fishwick, Mike Lovatt and Nick Smart, bassist Dave Holland, vocalist Norma Winstone, flautist Gareth Lockrane, pianist John Taylor and saxophonists Iain Dixon,  Mike Williams, Lluis Mather, Chris Potter, Will Vinson, Iain Ballamy, Stan Sulzmann and Evan Parker.

Released in June 2024 “From Dust” represents Nichols’ leadership debut and features four tunes written solely by the trumpeter, plus three more co-written with saxophonist Charlie Rees.

Nichols, Rees and pianist Reuben Goldmark first met in 2016 when all were studying at Chetham’s. They later moved to the Royal Academy where they met their other two bandmates.

Nichols’ music is informed by his Christian faith and the album title “From Dust” is sourced from a Biblical quote – more on that later.

In addition to leading his quintet Nichols is also part of the jazz and gospel ensemble Rev21, a London based collective that takes its name from Chapter 21 of the Book of Revelation. This group also includes vocalists Lois Brown and Sam Wakeford,, trombonist Max McLeish,  pianist Josh Stidwell, guitarist Matt Nunn, bassist Isaac Merchant and drummer Dan Watt. All of the band members compose and arrange for the group and it is Nichols’ hope that he will also be able to record with this ensemble.

Nichols’ album liner notes for “From Dust” offer insights into the individual compositions. The programme begins with “When All Is Said And ‘Dunn’”, Nichols’ dedication to his late grandfather, Ray Dunn, who passed away in October 2020. Initially the mood is reflective, with Nichols featuring on what sounds like flugel. The music builds slowly and organically with folk like melodies contrasting with darker jazz harmonies, gaining momentum via subtly probing solos from Nichols and from Rees on tenor sax. Goldmark is a distinctive voice on the piano and proves himself to be an imaginative accompanist and an even more inventive soloist. The piece concludes with a ruminative passage of unaccompanied piano as Goldmark gives vicarious expression to Nichols’ sadness at the passing of his beloved grandfather.

Many of these tunes have a personal resonance for Nichols. “Treyarnon”, a joint composition by Nichols and Rees, is named for an idyllic bay in Cornwall that the young Nichols visited frequently on family holidays. His weaving, folk inspired melodies were subsequently augmented by Rees’ harmonic and structural contributions. The piece begins with a delightful dialogue between Goldmark on piano and Jones at the bass.  Kleppan, the Norwegian born drummer, adds delicate brushwork before Rees and Nichols combine in melodic fashion before diverting to deliver probing individual solos, the saxophonist going first. At first Nichols is accompanied only by Jones, with drums and piano subsequently added as the solo becomes more expansive. The horns then dovetail once more before the piece resolves itself with a return to the introductory piano and bass exchanges.

The oldest tune on the album is the trumpeter’s “Nichols Blues”, which its composer describes as a genuine blues, “but with 13 bars!”. This is a lively, upbeat offering, that perhaps reflects Nichols’ love for the music of the late, great Clifford Brown. It’s a fast moving piece that allows Nichols to demonstrate his ‘chops’ as he trades solos with Goldmark at the piano and Rees on tenor sax, the performance paced by Jones’ rapid bass walk and culminating in a series of energetic exchanges between Kleppan and the two horns.

The title of “From Dust” is sourced from Psalm 113: 7 “He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap”. The music begins with an extended unaccompanied bass introduction from the consistently impressive Jones. He is joined by the excellent Goldmark, and then by Kleppan on brushed drums. The eventual arrival of flugel and tenor sees Nichols and Rees working in tandem and also delivering brief but fluent individual statements. There’s a suitably hymn like quality about the music as a whole.

“Every Cloud” is a joint composition by Nichols and Rees written during their time as students at the Royal Academy. It’s a piece that demonstrates the close musical bond between the co-composers as trumpet and sax intertwine warmly. The piece is also a vehicle for Goldmark, himself a prolific writer and twice the recipient of the John Dankworth Prize for Composition. Goldmark takes the first solo, followed by Nichols with a fluent individual statement. As the music continues to gather momentum Goldmark remains prominent in the arrangement and drummer Kleppan also features strongly.

Nichols has said that he enjoys an element of chaos and humour in his music. We have already glimpsed these qualities but perhaps they are both best embodied by Nichols’ composition “Green Juice”. His album notes relate the story behind the title;
“The title is related to a conversation I overheard on a bus between two older ladies. They were discussing the secret to maintaining their husbands’ health in old age, concluding that “green juice” was the solution. It has also been said that Kenny Wheeler was fed green juice in his old age by his wife Doreen (whether he liked it or not!)”.
Introduced by Kleppan at the drums this is the most rumbustious piece on the album, combining fast moving bebop inspired melodies with free jazz squalls as trumpet and tenor exchange phrases in garrulous fashion,  backed by a busy rhythm section, with Kleppan dropping percussive ‘bombs’ into the mix. Goldmark steps out of the shadows with a feverishly inventive solo before the brawling horns gain the ascendancy once more.

The album concludes with the Nichols / Rees composition “Nebula”, a piece influenced in turn by the Ralph Towner composition “Celeste” and particularly John Taylor and Norma Winstone’s version of it.
“Nebula” commences with unaccompanied trumpet, the sound treated with echo or reverb. Eventually Nichols is joined by Goldmark at the piano, and then by double bass and brushed drums. Rees’s tenor then takes up the melody on this most lyrical of pieces, gently expounding on it during the course of a fluent and intelligent solo. Goldmark then takes over at the piano, his playing both lyrical and exploratory. Nichols and Rees then return to restate the theme on one of the album’s loveliest pieces.

“From Dust” represents an assured debut from Nichols, who impresses as both a player and a writer. He is a fluent soloist on trumpet and flugel and an intelligent composer whose multi-faceted pieces incorporate a variety of jazz styles, often during the course of a single tune. His compositions are often highly personal and embrace strong narrative arcs allied to stylistic and dynamic contrasts.

Although still young the Nichols quintet have been working together for a number of years and have established an impressive rapport, with each member impressing both individually and collectively. One gets the impression that there is much more good music to come from them.

In addition to the leader I’m particularly impressed with Goldmark’s contribution. He is an intelligent and imaginative pianist who has already developed his own style and whose playing makes the listener sit up and take notice. He lead his own trio, which features bassist John Jones and sometimes includes the acclaimed drummer James Maddren. Apparently he is also a prolific composer and I’d like to hear him leading his own projects.

But in the meantime the triumph is Nichols’ with this assured and intelligent debut.

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