Acoustic jazz trio Yetii’s first studio album doesn’t disappoint, delivering uniformly excellent compositions and performances.
AN OUTSTANDING ACOUSTIC JAZZ TRIO
Yetii are an outstanding acoustic jazz trio, who have been developing, through a long-standing monthly residency at The Greenbank in Bristol, a musical approach that emphasises a deep exploration of melody, harmony, and rhythmic flow. This creative exploration has now found expression in the trio’s first studio album, Inner Worlds, recorded at the Cardiff University Concert Hall.
Their debut 2022 release, Live at The Greenbank, At the Barrier reviewed very positively, and Inner Worlds features studio versions of three of the tracks from that record, alongside new original compositions, and a cover of Abdullah Ibrahim’s Chisa. The trio comprises three consummate musicians, Alex Veitch (piano and compositions), Ashley John Long (double bass) and Alex Goodyear (drums).
The reputation of the trio continues to grow, and last year they played their concert hall debut at St. Georges in Bristol, to a sold-out audience of 400. The concert was recorded and filmed, and a follow up live release may arrive around late 2026/early 2027.
A CAPTIVATING LIGHTNESS OF TOUCH
So, turning to the album itself. May The Wind, the longest track on the album at nearly seven minutes, starts off proceedings. It is a slow burn build, where variations around the main melodic theme are explored with a captivating lightness of touch by Alex Veitch’s piano. At the halfway mark, the tempo is pushed a bit more vigorously but not in an overstated way, a mark of the rhythmic range and subtlety inherent in Ashley John Long’s double bass work and Alex Goodyear’s drumming. The piano work at this point exerts a more emotional timbre with the chords reverberating out of the mix, offering an intriguing hint of the clearly wonderful acoustics of the Cardiff University Concert Hall, where the record was recorded.
Lost And Found, is where the trio really let go and fly. A series of compelling melodic runs midway into the piece, on the double bass, are the launch signal, as the trio burst through on overdrive. The melodies dart and fly and the cymbals crash and resonate like an intense rainstorm. It is a magnificently exciting moment where I couldn’t help but push the volume up.
The third track in, Enough, has a quirky and fun musical motif. First appearing on the Live at The Greenbank set, the piano counterpoints sparkle, and the double bass really swings, pleasingly reminding this listener of the greatly missed Danny Thompson. The brushwork on the drums is nuanced, while also adding in a considerable wash of propulsion. If you thought brushes were just for quieter percussive passages, this will make you think again.
THE CENTRAL OPUS WITHIN THE WORK
Jumping forward to Afar, we are engaged by a lilting ballad, that is quite simply gorgeous. As it picks up pace, the listener is placed into a European film noir context. The coda to the track features a dialogue between the bowed double bass and piano that is achingly romantic. A brilliantly evocative piece of music making.
Summer Pt.1 and Pt. II form perhaps the central opus within the work. Originally to be found in its live guise on the Live at The Greenbank set, it is an ambitious composition that showcases some beautifully paced and expressive playing. Summer Pt. I features Ashley John Long’s double bass to splendid effect. Long deeply reverberating notes and fast runs are interspersed with delicate emerging melodic phrases. There is a real physical sense of the instrument in what you hear, speaking to the quality of the studio recording. Part II has an ethereal tonality where jazz and ambient influences combine, and spaces in the soundscape are bravely left. The drums and double bass provide an accenting of the piano, rather than strictly holding the rhythm. Alex Goodyear’s cymbal work is particularly effective in conveying a sense of airiness and flow.
It is a magnificent piece of work, that repeated listens will reveal even more of the stunning detail at play here. Listening on headphones is highly recommended for getting closer to all the nuances.
INTRICATE HARMONIES AND A JOYOUS FUSION OF RHYTHMS
Hymn is very much an ensemble work, which has a stately ascending pace, creating a mood that is both tender and spiritual. The version of Abdullah Ibrahim’s Chisa flows quite naturally on from this and fittingly closes out the album. The intricate harmonies and joyous fusion of rhythms of this wonderful composition are given a celebratory expression by the trio. You are recommended to seek out the original on Abdullah Ibrahim’s African River album.
Yetii’s first studio album doesn’t disappoint and completely fulfils the promise shown on Live at The Greenbank. The compositions and performances are uniformly excellent and completely fulfil the potential of a great studio setting. Easily one of this reviewer’s albums of the year so far, and I can’t wait to see what they do next.
You can view here a live version of Afar, recorded at Cardiff University Concert Hall. The video is by Fred Iles, and was filmed just before the recording sessions for the album:
Yetii: Website