charlie stacey: the light beyond time
Francisco Espregueira
The Light Beyond Time is the highly awaited debut solo record from jazz-piano virtuoso Charlie Stacey. Known for his work with Yussef Dayes and fellow Tomorrow Warriors alumni such as Moses Boyd and The Ezra Collective, Stacey’s improv skills come alive in a direct-to-disc, one take recording for Night Dreamer Records. Alongside his regular band of Oscar Ogden (drums), Tom Driessler (bass) and Jay Phelps (trumpet), Stacey was joined in the studio for the first time by vocalist Vula Malinga - who has performed with Basement Jaxx and Incognito - and Holland-based Senegalese percussionist Mamour Seck. Together, the group forged four sprawling jams from the white heat of the direct-to-disc recording process.
Stacey leads this talented ensemble, allowing them to shape the sound in unexpected ways . From old school jazz scat to more modern takes to the genre, The Light Beyon Time feels magnanimous and touching. From the soulful acid jazz sound that Malinga brings to opening track “Music is Healing”, to the Afro-Cuban twist on Stacey’s signature “Charlie’s Tune”, there is a spontaneity to these tracks. Drawing on the sounds of classic jazz-funk keyboard players like Chick Corea and George Duke, “Rivers of Gondor” pays tribute to what Stacey calls “the imaginative world of JRR Tolkien”, with all its dark and wistful folk-inspired turns. A staple of Stacey’s live sets, it is joined on the B-Side by “Mamour’s Tune”, which was written and recorded on the day and foregrounds the astonishing rhythmic and melodic character of Marmour Seck’s playing.
Following Emma-Jean Thackray, Sarathy Korwar or Maisha, Stacey is another young UK jazz musician to take on the direct-to-disc recording process at Night Dreamer. He is the main man in this riot of collaborative improvisation and acrobatic syncopation, capturing a singular coming together of musicians from across the jazz world, performing at the peak of their creative powers. Available on vinyl.
“I also liked the idea of non-judgement that leaving stuff intact lends itself to. Whatever we played on the day is what we ended up using and therefore is neither right nor wrong, it just is.”