- Music
- Albums
- Sky Glow
Sky Glow
The album Sky Glow is a culmination of the various artistic influences that drive Chris to make new and creative music. Though Chris shares an interest in many musical genres, the elements most present that the listener may notice are: the somber complexities of Brazilian music with a foundation of the Jazz language, adhered by the Blues tradition, weaved throughout the music. The album shares elements that aim to engage listeners with fluent melodies, understated rhythms, and a harmonic complexity paying homage to composers Billy Strayhorn and Guinga, among many others.
Sky Glow is also a continuation of the long standing guitar trio tradition. A major influence on Chris’ playing comes from groups that put the guitar at the forefront, where the responsibility of both the melodies and harmonies land on the guitarist to creatively navigate. Echoes of trios led by Ed Bickert, Lenny Breau, and Stevie Ray Vaughan can be heard here, with all three instruments collaborating to create more than the sum of its parts. With these sounds, Sky Glow brings a new feel to a genre steeped in tradition.
Sky Glow aims for a universality of genre; a blurring of the lines that brings a kind of music that is as easy to enjoy passively, as it is to listen to carefully.
Sky Glow is available on iTunes, Apple Music, Bandcamp, and Spotify.
Reviews
Sky Glow has firm roots in the guitar trio tradition. The album is anchored by Platt’s ligneous archtop tone, and for good reason: his sound is warm and expressive, and synthesizes some of the most pleasant qualities of electric and acoustic guitar playing. The guitar is strongly present in both channels, and is generally foregrounded, allowing the finer details of articulation to be heard throughout the album. While this might become overwhelming with a different player, Platt is sensitive enough that the choice works well.
Reflective and at times intensively introspective the seven track album is a showcase for his compositional skills as much as his technical facility... Platt plays with an understanding of dynamics that belies his years. No more is this evident than on the lyrical ‘Sky Glow’ where his elegant restraint, use of space, splashes of colour and interplay with bass and drums are at the forefront. ★ ★ ★
Superbly played guitar-led jazz from Chris up Toronto way... in fact, I’ll go as far as to say that this is THE best jazz guitar work I’ve heard (yet) in 2018... There’s one word that describes their playing – “perfection”... pure jazz with no pretentiousness.
Chris Platt takes the jazz guitar back to its natural form, with exquisite, flowing lines and a subtlety in his playing that is almost sublime. Combine this with the added bonus of his equally talented accompaniment of Phill Albert on bass and Robin Claxton on drums and you have an album that is pure, natural and even "organic" in its production with a nod to the traditional style of the jazz trio.
Toronto-based guitarist Chris Platt's debut outing stands out among releases by his contemporaries because, among other things, of its creation of singular nuances within the structural and sonic conventions of a classical jazz trio—rather than following the prevailing modern atmospheric-approach, which seems to be dominated by sound in place of composition... The room in which these explorations unfold is kept small and intimate. Each instrument's sound is defined by a striking clarity in texture and a profundity of color and breadth. Platt's archtop is the leading character, spreading unique warmth by organically mixing electric efficiency in attack with an earthy-woody release. ★ ★ ★ 1/2
Credits
Chris Platt: Guitar Phill Albert: Bass Robin Claxton: Drums
Recorded at Union Sound Company, Toronto, Canada on May 10, 2017. Engineered & Mixed by Nathan Carter Moore at NCM Sound. Mastered by Reuben Ghose at Mojito Mastering. Artwork & Layout by Kalya Ramu.
© all rights reserved