Bill Laurance – Lumen (ACT, 2025)
In April 2025, pianist and composer Bill Laurance spent several days recording alone inside St. Faith’s Church in Dulwich, South London. The setting offered both isolation and inspiration, allowing him to explore music without outside distractions. “I’m not very religious,” Laurance shared, “but playing there while life paused felt special. It gave me the freedom to let the music take the lead.”
Known for mixing acoustic and electric elements, Laurance focused solely on the elegant acoustic concert grand piano for Lumen. Some pieces are beatific structured compositions; others lean heavily on dazzling, mesmerizing improvisation. His aim was not resolution but contrast, balancing form with spontaneity. He cites guitarist Isaiah Sharkey’s advice, let the music dictate the performance, as a guiding principle.
Although Laurance is active in collaborative projects with Michael League, Snarky Puppy, and orchestral ensembles, Lumen is a deeply personal solo effort. He recorded three hours of material, later refining it into ten tracks. The process, he says, was like “a solo pilgrimage” and “a leap into the unknown.”
The recording alternates between two instruments: a traditional grand piano and a felted piano, whose muted attack creates a softer, more intimate tone. In “Mantra,” a restrained felted introduction gradually builds into the grand piano’s full sound. The title track carries an impressionistic quality, while “Dove” recalls stride piano infused with blues elements.
Cover artwork: “Butterfly Wings” by Michael Kidner.
Buy Lumen.