Sketches by David Ferris

Innovative pianist and composer David Ferris is to release his first major record with Birmingham’s Stoney Lane Records – a compelling new recording of adventurous original writing for his 7-piece band, featuring a special guest appearance from acclaimed US guitarist Peter Bernstein.

“Pianist and organist David Ferris presents his dynamic septet and beguiling original writing with his new release, Sketches, with the eminent New York- based guitarist Peter Bernstein.” - Jazzwise

Originally due to be recorded in early 2020 before plans were abruptly halted by the onset of the pandemic, Ferris’ determination persevered, with Sketches finally captured in the studio three years later with Bernstein in London. Two new and beautiful solo piano reflections on the precarious and unsettled COVID times resulted, set alongside the joyous movement and layers Ferris’ writing creates for his septet, and pertinent nods to heroes John Taylor and Keith Jarrett.

Ferris, hailing from Cornwall, spent a decade in Birmingham where he studied at the city’s Conservatoire, before making the move to London to establish himself as a much-admired writer, pianist and organist, performing with contemporaries Simon Spillett, Gareth Lockrane, Julian Siegel and Osian Roberts, and his funk organ trio, Three Step Manoeuvre.

Opening the album with the enticing 27 Blues, Ferris explains its somewhat cryptic title. “It’s actually a very hidden reference to Beethoven’s Op 27 No 2 - ie the Moonlight Sonata (the famous one that everybody knows!) ... I had a student who was learning it, and whilst waiting for them to turn up one day, some noodling around with the famous opening chords rather unexpectedly turned into this slightly twisted blues!”

Celebrated guitarist Bernstein, noted by Downbeat Magazine as being ‘so good he often sounds like two guitarists in a duet’, guests with the septet on two tracks. The first, Grin, was a labour of love for Ferris. “For about three years all I had of this tune was the basic piano riff. Very gradually bits and pieces of melody were written (then often taken away again), the order of different sections was constantly fiddled with, some big anthemic key changes were added, and eventually the full tune took shape. Once I had written most of it I started thinking about guitar and specifically Peter Bernstein, and there couldn’t have been anyone better to carry the solo on this!”

Bernstein’s second appearance on the recording is on the Ferris-penned Waltz for JT. “JT is John Taylor, in my opinion the most eloquent and brilliant pianist Britain has produced. I was lucky to get to know him whilst I was studying at Birmingham Conservatoire and he was such an inspiring presence for me. When he sadly passed away I was inspired to write something in his memory, and had an idea of writing a waltz for him in the way that Bill Evans did (Waltz for Debby, For Elaine.) Having a similarly eloquent inspiration such as Peter playing this feels amazing.”

If I Loved You is the only track not written by Ferris on the album. “I love old standards! This is a Rodgers and Hammerstein gem from Carousel that hasn’t been much played by jazz musicians, but is as strong a melody as they ever wrote. The first section is an extended take on the verse from the stage show, and the middle section is my tribute to the unbelievably swinging ensemble writing of Duke Ellington.

Sketches captures a number of both poignant and significant moments in time for Ferris, testament to the depth and authenticity of the emotional landscapes he can traverse. The closing 18th March 2020 was the first piece of music he wrote after lockdown was declared. “I don’t know how conscious it was at the time, but listening back to it now it seems to reflect quite a lot of the mixture of uncertainty and quiet hope we were all feeling. It felt like a fitting way to close an album that was forged across that strange time.” A Box Full Of Stars, meanwhile, is inspired by the magical Cornish night sky. “‘Caddy got the box and set it on the floor and opened it. It was full of stars. When I was still, they were still. When I moved, they glinted and sparkled. I hushed.’ This is from William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury, and captures the feeling of this piece. Whenever I visit my parents’ house in rural Cornwall, I always marvel at how many stars you can see compared to the cities I have lived in latterly. The longer you look at them, the more you see, and in the same way this piece takes one idea and tries to look at it from as many angles as possible.”

Sketches is released on 31st January 2025 on CD and all digital platforms with Stoney Lane Records.

“Pianist and organist David Ferris presents his dynamic septet and beguiling original writing with his new release, Sketches, with the eminent New York-based guitarist Peter Bernstein.” - Jazzwise

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