Having witnessed Jools Holland perform live with his big band in Cardiff back in 2015, I was really taken with how his energy and passion for music of all genres comes over to his audience.
Jools has the rare ability to project that same energy and passion into his recordings. His new album Piano is no exception, be it the tranquil atmosphere of Olivier Messiaen’s May, the brilliant reworking of B Bumble and The Stingers’ Bumble Boogie, or Holland’s written collaboration with Brian Eno, Last Date. There is much to encourage repeated listening and maybe a little air-piano playing if there is such a thing.