“A rare gift,” is how the Daily Telegraph describes the artistry that Gwilym Simcock brings to playing solo piano. “I have always enjoyed the challenge to make sure that a piece of music has a nice arc to it,” says Simcock. “It should take you on a journey whether it is composed or improvised.” The outstanding individuality of his playing is what led to him to become a member of the great Pat Metheny’s quartet and to tour extensively with it. It is no coincidence that "Near and Now" seems so close up and personal: “Many albums are written at home and then recorded out ‘on the road’, but I decided to do it the other way round,” explains Simcock. And so he creates music that is current, fresh, and brings a sense of real intimacy.
“Near and Now” is Gwilym Simcock's second full album for solo piano. The first, the highly successful “Good Days at Schloss Elmau” from 2011, was his ACT debut. That early album was nominated for the Mercury Prize and was an important step in establishing the Welsh-born pianist's reputation internationally. It has also stood the test of time, a fact which is at least in part due to the strong architectural sense that Simcock always brings to his work as both composer and improviser. As he says: “I have always enjoyed the challenge to make sure that a piece of music has a satisfying arc to it – it should take you on a journey whether it is composed or improvised.” As the Daily Telegraph’s Ivan Hewett’s wrote of “Elmau” at the time: “Simcock has a feeling for the way harmony can create architecture as well as momentary colours – a...
line upGwilym Simcock / piano
Recorded at home in Berlin, November 2018
Recording Engineer: Gwilym Simcock
Studio Engineer: Florian Pfeifle
Mixed and Mastered by Florian Pfeifle, Nils Nöhden & Gwilym Simcock
Piano tuned by Teresa Hauptmann
Cover art by Mimmo Paladino, by kind permission of the artist
