A Novice Jazz Review: Martin Wind’s Stars Finds Peace in Quiet Intimacy
Composer and bassist Martin Wind’s new album Stars is both vast and familiar — a constellation of classics re-imagined with confident sophistication and warm original melodies. Stars kicks off Newvelle Records’ Ten Collection, a milestone five-album series celebrating the company’s tenth anniversary. With its expressive yet understated sound, the album doesn’t make any overt declarations, rather it masterfully reiterates how quiet intimacy can be more evocative than maximal arrangements.
The quartet Wind assembles shares an easy, unforced chemistry. Anat Cohen’s clarinet is the heart of Stars, moving between low, moody themes and quick bursts of dancing melody, while pianist Kenny Barron defines its soul. Barron brings a cool authority to the album, meeting Cohen with thoughtful, supportive responses and revealing his harmonic depth during solos. Wind and drummer Matt Wilson, who are longtime collaborators, shape each song’s swing with a rapport that feels deeply ingrained.
Stars opens with “Passing Thoughts” and “Life,” both original compositions that start with low-register, reflective melodies, unfolding into a brighter, more open sound. Cohen leads the charge with expressive phrases with some gentle support from Barron. Wilson’s cymbals sparkle and brush in the background, breathing life into the rhythm as Wind’s pushes the songs forward a deep, resonant pulse.
Stars also takes a stab at jazz classics like Bud Powell’s bebop standard, “Wail.” The original composition is frantic and disembodied, certainly living up to its given title, but Wind creates space between the notes in this more light-hearted, cheery rendition. Wind also revisits Duke Ellington’s “The Feeling of Jazz,” beginning with some old-school Bluesy finger-picking, which can also be heard on “Standing at the Window Waving Goodbye.” The production captures every methodical groan of the strings before the shuffle of Wilson’s cymbals kick in. Cohen and Barron are a bit more laid-back in this one, playing fluidly and without urgency.
The final track, “Stars fell from Alabama” begins with an unexpectedly bright and whimsical melody by Barron, soon joined by the easy-going timbre of Cohen’s clarinet. With Wilson’s quiet feathering coloring the back-line and Wind’s short bursts of earthy thudding adding a hint of dissonance, both musicians create an outline for the conversing melody and harmony. In the end, Cohen carries the calmingly bright Stars to a finish with the resounding quiver of her vibrato.
