London-based pianist Greg Foat has dived into a wide range of sounds over the last few years on some incredible releases for both Jazzman and Athens of The North, experimenting with soul-jazz, cinematic library music, techno, pastoral acid folk, and ambient electronic tones. For his debut release on Strut Records, titled Symphonie Pacifique, Foat brilliantly brings together all of these different elements to produce his most musically expansive and forward-thinking album to date.

This 16-track recording touches all the bases, from jazz-funk tracks like “Yonaguni” and “Nikinakinu”, to spiritual meditative melodies on “After The Storm” and “Mother’s Love”. Foat even bring in some spacey cosmic vibes on “Man vs Machine” and the more atmospheric “Anticipation”. The album also features a number of interesting interludes that really allow the record to flow nicely from one sonic journey to the next. From cinematic tones and lush soundscapes to groove-driven jazz, this record truly captures Foat’s wide musical palette all in a single album.

Recorded analogue and produced by Greg Foat at London’s Fish Factory studios with strings recorded in Edinburgh and choir in Gothenburg, the pianist is backed by a great cast of musicians on this session, including bassist Phil Achille, percussionist Eric Young and Moses Boyd on drums, as well as special guest saxophonist Art Themen.

Overall, this is truly a remarkable and expansive recording, continuing to confirm the fact that Greg Foat is one of the most adventurous and forward-thinking artists today in jazz.

Greg Foat — ‘Symphonie Pacifique’
(Strut)

1. Prelude
2. Symphonie Pacifique
3. Undulation
4. Anticipation
5. Mu
6. Yonaguni
7. Island Life
8. Nikinakinu
9. Man vs Machine
10. Before the Storm
11. After the Storm
12. Meditation on a Pedal Steel
13. Lament for Lamont
14. Pointe Vénus
15. Mother’s Love
16. Epilogue – Three Tenors

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