Unwind’s Embers album a healing balm

Seldom has the name of a band or an album been more apt or the two names been more in accord with each other. Embers, after all, is the unwinding of fire, the quietude that follows the burning. Maybe there’s still the odd stray spark, but the rage has well and truly died down, leaving just a hint of what came before in its glow.

Unwind is an acoustic trio consisting of Norman Meehan (piano), Hayden Chisholm (alto saxophone) and Paul Dyne (bass). Embers is a 50-minute album; 12 pieces of modest length, none of which stays a moment longer than necessary. Unwind have been around for 10 years and this is their fifth album, recorded in the music room of classical pianist Emma Sayers, who kindly let Norman perform his compositions on her gorgeous 1920s Steinway piano.

Recorded with meticulous care by engineer/producer Thomas Voyce, his work brings out every nuance in this deeply contemplative music. The Rattle label blurb mentions Paul Bley as an inspiration for the trio and that jazz legend’s softness of tone and ability to carefully squeeze the gamut of emotion out of a note – or the space between – is well evident. The label guff also mentions Norman’s interest in church music and that, too, is evident; not in a God-bothering way but as a deep reverence, a certain solemnity.

Some might hear the influence of 1980s New Age music in a track like ‘Martina & The Lake’, but the connotations of that genre don’t seem so stifling in such a restless and troubled world. In fact, New Age has made a terrific comeback over the past few years as a new generation takes the music for what it is rather than a cynical move by tired hippies looking to pay their mortgages off. In any case, Embers is a world away from the Windham Hill label, and listening to its conflagration of jazz instrumentation and devotional, slightly hymn-like chords and melodies is a bit like getting a deep tissue massage with aromatherapy.

It helps that Meehan, Chisholm and Dyne know each other so well, because there’s  much in this delicately poised music that might not fit together properly without a high degree of symbiosis. Although Meehan’s compositions dictate the mood (with the exception of one brief piece by Chisholm) it’s the deliciously breathy tones of the alto sax that give the sound wings. Previous to this, I’m mostly familiar with his contributions to the music of German electronic sonic sorcerer Bernd Friedman, so it’s great to hear him in an entirely acoustic context. It’s impossible to unwind without breathing and every note he blows exemplifies this healing factor. Paul Dyne’s gently throbbing acoustic bass underpins the journey. (It should be noted that although he doesn’t appear here, drummer Julian Dyne is also a member of the group).

Deep, slow, spacious pontifications, Embers is defined as much by its pauses, and the space between the notes, as the notes themselves. It’s a masterclass in understatement, it’s mellow but never samey. While there’s the aforementioned ecclesiastical bent to some of the tunes, ‘Carla’ (presumably about the recently deceased Carla Bley?) is a sweet ballad, while ‘Good Friday’ has an almost smoochy feel, and ‘Coastal Chimes’ features a lonely-sounding sax and drone.

If you’ve had enough of watching democracy crumble before your eyes and need to take a breather from worrying about the state of the world, then you just might need to lie down in a bed of Embers.