CD: Bill Wells – Lemondale

Scotland’s Bill Wells is hard to pin down. Although ostensibly a jazz pianist, boundaries don’t concern him. He’s played with Aidan Moffat and Isobel Campbell. In 2009 he made the GOK album with Japan’s Tori Kudo (who records as Maher Shalal Hash Baz). Lemondale was made in Japan with a raft of collaborators that include Jim O’Rourke, Kudo and members of Tenniscoats.

It’s a lovely album. Coherent, too. Especially considering that it was recorded in one day. Overall, Lemondale is filmic, edging towards Michel Legrand’s jazzier moments and even Francis Lai soundtracks. Equally, it’d be at home on a shelf, side by side with the Impulse and Skye catalogues, palling up with Gary McFarland (despite the lack of vibes). The sweet, breathy vocals from Kazumi Nikaido and Tenniscoats’s Saya (in Japanese) have the languidness of Astrid Gilberto. Robert Wyatt creeps in, too.

The sax-led instrumental “Invade the Pitch" is a rainy-day reflection. “Hack” begins with a flute/sax counterpoint that echoes Stravinsky's Soldier's Tale and then opens out into a percussive, piano-driven workout that’s as kinetic as it is moody. Drifting to its close with the title track, Lemondale takes a left turn into “Whiter Shade of Pale” territory with similar assurance. Terrific album. Unreservedly recommended.