Bill Laurance & The Untold Orchestra – Bloom (ACT Music, 2024)
Bloom is the ACT Music solo debut of Grammy-winning British pianist and composer Bill Laurance, a founding member of Snarky Puppy. Here, he collaborates with Manchester’s 18-piece string ensemble, The Untold Orchestra. Essentially, Laurance elegantly mixes jazz, classical, and pop influences into a cohesive and compelling work. This album highlights his progression from intimate musical exchanges to grand, lush, magnetic, orchestral compositions.
Following his previous release, Where You Wish You Were, a duo project with Michael League, Laurance broadens his artistic scope with Bloom. The album features magnificently articulated piano mastery with rich textures, dynamic rhythms, and a triumphal fusion of western classical music combined with contemporary elements. Laurance himself describes Bloom as his most classically influenced work, rooted in his foundational piano education.
The album opens with deep, resonant string chords that build into a light, tightly synchronized rhythm. A delicate piano melody leads to imaginative and captivating improvisation. Notably, Laurance sought to create music with strong rhythmic intensity without using drums or percussion, relying instead on the string section to drive the pulse. The compositions were crafted in his London studio.
The Untold Orchestra, founded in 2019, complements Laurance’s vision by combining classical precision with modern pop and rock energy. Under the arrangements of Joshua Poole, the music evokes influences ranging from Italian Baroque to Shostakovich and Philip Glass.
Conceptually, Bloom draws inspiration from Laurance’s observations of his child’s imaginative world. He aims to transport listeners to new territories, deeply influenced by the natural world.
Throughout the album, Laurance’s admirable improvisational skills are on full display, balancing technical expertise with accessibility. His playing is integrated into the full orchestration, ensuring each musician’s contribution is clearly heard and valued.
Musicians:
Bill Laurance on piano, Fender Rhodes Mk8, Osmose Expressive, Prophet 6.
Orchestra:
- Conductor: Rory Storm
- Violin 1: Simmy Singh, Katie Foster, Cleo Annandale, Mateus Dandalo
- Violin 2: Didier Osindero, Helena Logah, Eleanor Shute, Chloe Hayward
- Viola: Rosamund Hawkins, Sophia Dignam, Nadia Eskandari, Emily Davies
- Cello: Polly Virr, Awen Blandford, Reyan Murtadha, Lucy McLuckie
- Double Bass: Marcus Vinicius, Alice Phelps
Buy Bloom.