Dave Milligan Trio - Shops

JAZZ

Hard on the heels of the recent release of Aidan O’Rourke’s An Tobar on Navigator Records comes another excellent project instigated by the go-ahead Tobermory art centre An Tobar, this time on their own label. It is a welcome addition to pianist Dave Milligan’s all too sparse discography under his own leadership, and an enjoyably quirky creation that reflects its specific context while remaining musically satisfying.

The An Tobar commission allowed the trio – Milligan, bassist Tom Lyne and drummer Tom Bancroft – to spend a week exploring Tobermory’s shops and composing music in response to their findings. The seven compositions are augmented by Bancroft’s ‘soundscapes’, containing looped and processed snippets of interviews with various shop owners. The music has already proved within their live shows that it stands up well for audiences beyond its specific origin, and reflects the invention, positive energy and genuine group feel of this empathic trio.