David Preston - Purple / Black Vol.1

2023

ABOUT THE ALBUM When David Preston started composing for the project that became his first solo LP, he opened up some fascinating new perspectives. In contrast to his acclaimed work with high-octane fusioneers Preston/Glasgow/Lowe he found himself drawn to simple forms, textures and moods - ‘not going full tilt all the time’. To realise his vision, he assembled a cast of extraordinary musical explorers. Building on his relationship with six-string bassist Kevin Glasgow as a foundation, he chose multi-genre drummer Seb Rochford, equally at home playing with the avante-jazz of Polar Bear as he is with pop sensation Adele, and rounded the team off with front-rank composer, arranger, pianist and organist Kit Downes - all players whose approach could simultaneously encompass both simplicity and deep complexity, and match the freedom to improvise with a respect for the concision and directness of the song. David took them into the studio and the band instantly gelled, diving into a mammoth session that yielded enough material for two full albums. Volume 1 - Purple / Black is the first offering - a coherent suite of song-form tunes whose direct, uncluttered melodicism conceals hidden depths that reveal themselves anew at each listen.