The latest offering from progressive jazz composer Dave Mohan comes in the form of a soaring space trip of a composition that boasts rock tight grooves, sizzling horns, and a dazzling piano performance.
The cinematic and grand ‘Lightning on Galatea’ is the latest release from London-based jazz composer Dave Mohan, a baroque harpsichord scholar whose compositional tendencies fuse the classical and the modern with seldom-seen eloquence. With a fine ensemble on the different instruments, and with Simon Gibson of Abbey Road Studios on the mastering desk duty, there is no surprise that the final result is a particularly shiny one. From the absolutely solid drumming that starts the song, accompanied by a groovy piano line saturated with syncopation, keeping things nice and dynamic throughout the piece, the piece soon introduces its shining jewel, a trailblazing horn ensemble that totally elevated the mix from average space age jazz to intergalactic goodness.
Noteworthy also are the frequent rhythmic breaks and fluent saxophone solo sections, all delivered with near utmost perfection. The latter third of the composition sees the pace gradually decreasing until the sublime and dreamy coda kicks in. A breezy section of soft and cinematic jazz that would work exceptionally well backing the voice and guitar soloing of George Benson. A beautifully orchestrated affair that travels gracefully of high-octane prog, to experimental jazz, to jazz pop without as much as a hitch to the general flow of this elegant piece.
A prolific jazz composer and arranger like Dave Mohan is no stranger to releasing stunningly calculated pieces of music, and ‘Lighting on Galatea’ is by no means an exception to this trend of his.