David Haney's Birth of a City is very much a concept album. Haney, himself an accomplished pianist who also studied composition, scored the pieces for strings (violin - viola - cello - double bass), interspersed by varying quantities of brass instruments and percussion.

While the 13 tracks (52 min, 05 sec) were composed by Haney, he graciously grants the performers a great amount of improvisatory freedom. This is thanks in the main to his own background in jazz, the genre which takes centre stage in all his compositions.

This brave trust in the performers pays off well, as the end result feels organic, spontaneous and certainly fresh. From a technical point of view I enjoyed the shifting, changing moods and alleyways the performers took us down.

It won't be to everyone's tastes, but if you're a lover of jazz, then you'll appreciate what Haney manages to nurture here.

7

Darren Rea