‘Beautiful sounds, definitely a band to watch’ Fiona Talkington on BBC Radio 3, Late Junction
‘Such a rich live feel’ Gideon Coe on BBC Radio 6
‘nothing short of captivating’ The Wholenote
Inkling
“Compelling” Listed in Top 10 contemporary albums of 2021 – The Guardian
“Simply excellent” Chilly Gonzales
“Sumptuous, broad ranging and beautiful.”Joyzine
“If you love to be delighted by fluid and sparkling musical arrangements and instrumentation you will greatly enjoy this record.” Nick Luscombe
“The quartet mixes post-classical and minimalism, with brief stylistic dalliances; Okemah Sundown hints at folksy Americana,while Waves has a neo-romantic vibe…” Big Issue
“Effervescent music-making” “rich and evocative” BBC Music Magazine
“Superbly composed and adroitly performed.” Louder Than War
“Pushing at neo-classical boundaries with sparkling aplomb” Electronic Sound
“Once concerts resume, Spindle Ensemble should be top of the must-see list.” A Closer Listen
“A constant flow of beautifully and moody fluctuated imaginative musicality; fit for stage, cinema screens and beyond.” Monolith Cocktail
“The music has a kind of freedom and lightness in the way that it steps outside of the formal confines of genre, but there is an underlying mathematical precision, a satisfying internal logic and discipline, that sits happily alongside it’s expressive qualities” Good On Paper
“The ways in which moods lift and fall is breath-taking” Magazine Sixty
“Utterly stunning musical craft” Higher Plain Music
“a captivating listen that welcomely reminds of contemporary classical’s breadth” Loud and Quiet
“Inkling, is a thing of grace & beauty, elegance and erudition, melancholy and euphoria.” Narcissistic Max
BEA
Songlines magazine review by Tom Newell ★ ★ ★ ★
BEA is one of those rare studio albums that makes the listener feel as if they’re actually present at a concert, watching musicians who are truly absorbed in live performance. This is, in part, due to the way the album has been recorded: as a set of live ensemble performances that were captured in a converted chapel as an intimate yet expressive acoustic quality. The other reason why the presence of the performers can be felt so acutely is the composer’s narrative scene-setting, which engages the listener and gently draws them along on a shared journey.
This is cinematic music of a high calibre, executed with eloquent musicianship. Daniel Inzani on piano is the creative spark behind Spindle Ensemble, and is joined by Jo Silverston on cello, Caelia Lunniss on violin and Harriet Riley on marimba/vibraphone. Pensive, and at times melancholy, the style is evocative of such diverse composers such as Eric Satie, Arvo Pärt or Thomas Newman. Elements of classical composition, jazz harmony and folk sensibilities combine with worldly influences from Ethiopia and the Far East, and a couple of tracks feature Inzani on Celtic harp and accordion, imbuing the sound with yet more colour. This is captivating music.
Line of best fit magazine review by Aaron Powell
The Bristolian collective’s compositions are a rich mix of jazz, folk and classical music with cinematic overtones.
Taking inspiration from great modern composers like Steve Reich and Philip Glass alongside post-romantics Satie and Debussy, Spindle Ensemble is a group rooted in spontaneity and improvisation. The collective is comprised of pianist and bandleader Daniel Inzani, violinist Caelia Lunniss, tuned percussionist Harriet Riley and cellist Jo Silverston; all accomplished and classically trained musicians of the highest calibre.
Their new album Bea (named after Silverston’s newly born daughter) was recorded in Grand Chapel Studios, a converted village chapel in the heart of Bedfordshire with engineer Michael Pearce.
Bea is a masterful piece of work filled with musical innovation and pastoral aspiration performed by musicians at the top of their game. All in all a perfect demonstration of exciting and modern classical music.
A Closer Listen review by Richard Allen
Once in a while, a band appears fully formed, as if they had grown to adulthood in the womb. This is the case with Bristol’s Spindle Ensemble, which is part of the larger Bloom Collective. The ensemble has indeed spun straw into gold, as seen in the gorgeous artwork of Anna Higgie.
Cello, violin, accordian/piano and vibraphone/marimba is a slightly unusual setup, but Spindle Ensemble is a slightly unusual quartet. These recordings are vibrant, but they also have an edge, which is what made BEA our pick of the season in last month’s Winter Music Preview. It’s incredibly difficult to capture both ends of the spectrum in a single recording, but Spindle Ensemble manages the feat. The fact that this music was recorded in a converted chapel adds a layer of holiness to the proceedings, landing squarely on the right side of religion: the side of candles and creativity, storytelling and sanctuary.
The Arts Desk review by Thomas H Green
Spindle Ensemble Bea (Adderwell Music): represent the best of the latest swathe of modern classical to hit theartsdesk on Vinyl.
Bristolian outfit Spindle Ensemble are led by composer Daniel Inzani and lean more towards a jazz sensibility, very subtly tinted with global music styles. Opening track “Moonbow” is representative, with its jazz piano meeting Middle Eastern-sounding strings head-to-head, a Gamelan rhythm playing unobtrusively at the back and another motif occasionally rearing up that sounds almost like an old Roy Rogers cowboy ballad.