Search - Andy Sheppard :: Learning to Wave

Andy Sheppard at the top of his game!

Olukayode Balogun | Leeds, England | 05/08/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This 1998 CD marks a significant departure for tenor & soprano saxophonist Andy Sheppard. Up until this point, Sheppard's music had been largely keyboard driven and players like Dave Buxton and Steve Lodder had had a huge presence in his overall sound. His rhythm section had also been more prominent, with very heavy and very funky drum and bass lines.



But for this project, Sheppard learned to play the guitar and actually used his newly learned talent to develop the songs on "Learning To Wave". He didn't actually play the guitar on the album himself - he passed that duty to John Parricelli, a man with whom Sheppard would go on to have a very long lasting working partnership with - but it's immediately obvious that this is a guitar driven album. The sound of the guitar is very prominent and while the keys, drums and bass are all still there, they are drawn down to produce a much lighter, more acoustic and breezier sound. I feel it right from the first few seconds of the first track, "Natural Calling". I love it! Sheppard himself says on the CD inner-sleeve notes, that the guitar "has given me a new and fresh approach to composition."



Sheppard had also been in Africa just prior to the recording of this album and found everything about the continent understandably fascinating. Most of all though - and this is something many people say after visiting Africa - he was struck by the way in which "children would appear out of the bush, smile broadly and wave."



Both the waving children and his learning how to play the guitar are said to have inspired the title of this CD. The African trip is also referenced in two of the songs, "Peshwari" and "Bye Bye", which are both very 'world music'. I love these songs and with its easy gentle nature, incredible work by Sheppard and some exciting guitar and bass solos, (the latter by Chris Laurence), I love the entire album.



My absolute favourite song on here though, is "Just Below The Surface". I'm constantly putting it on repeat.



If someone asked me to recommend any Andy Sheppard CDs, my response would be very similar to the one I would give if anyone asked the same question about any of my other favourites, like Pat Metheny or John Scofield. I would simply say get everything they've done, including anything by anyone else that they may have appeared on.



But if I were forced to choose my absolute favourites, I would say in addition to this and his debut, (which I reviewed recently), get 1989's Introductions in the Dark, 1991's In Co-Motion, 1993's Rhythm Method, 1995's "Inclassificable" (with Nana Vasconcelos and Steve Lodder), 1996's Moving Image (with Steve Lodder), 2000's Dancing Man & Woman, 2001's Nocturnal Tourist and 2003's P.S. (with John Parricelli).



But you'd better hurry. This one's already premium priced.

"