Partly a recollection of fondly recalled childhood moments sitting on a boat listening to softly tolling church bells and conjuring melodies in his head, and partly a solo exploration of considerable scope and compositional texture, John Surman’s latest album is a very personal statement. In its intimacy and evocative feel it says so much about the uniqueness of Surman as a consummate performer and composer. Interview: Duncan Heining.

With his new CD Saltash Bells, saxophonist John Surman returns to the solo format he pioneered 40 years ago with Westering Home. A series of five albums on ECM followed that first foray, beginning in 1979 with Upon Reflection and continuing until 1994 with A Biography Of The Rev. Absalom Dawe.

Saltash Bells marks a very welcome return to that distinctive approach. It is simply a gorgeous record – subtle, warm and filled with something that reaches beyond its 10 tunes to something both personal and more widely shared. It resonates with a sensibility that is fundamentally ethical in kind and hints, perhaps, at other ways of being.

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