"Belvedere" is Beady Belle’s fourth album, leading the group into a smoother, more soulful and at times offers an almost "Nashville"-flavored textural landscape, firmly establishing the band as one of the warmest jazz ensembles to come from the icy Nordic nu-jazz scene. Led by singer/songwriter Beate S. Lech and bassist/songwriter Marius Reksjø, they were joined in 2007 by drummer Erik Holm. "Belvedere" is their fourth album release and shows the band opening their musical vision to include other guest artists. Beate is joined on a duet for the song "Intermission Music", by UK jazz-pop performer Jamie Cullum. Cullum has often referred to Beady Belle as being one of his favorite jazz groups, and even asked them to be his supporting act for his Catching Tales tour.
The soulful, almost funky sound of the "Belvedere" is also enhanced by the skillful playing of Dobro and acoustic guitars by Anders Engen, as well as the lap steel guitar, banjo, mandolin and marxophone finesse by Geir Sundstøl. Additionally, harmonica was added by Arne Rasmussen on "Self-Fulfilling", as well as Beate also being joined on vocals for that song by noted American R&B/Soul singer India Arie. All of these elements combine to give "Belvedere" a more down-to-earth sounding album, produced by the band as well as by Anders Engen.
Beady Belle started initially as a result of the collaboration between of Beate S. Lech (vocals and samplers) and Marius Reksjø (bass), while both were studying at the University of Oslo. Performing in such bands as Insertcoin and Folk & Røvere, Beate was the latter band’s lead vocalist up until their third album, departing in 1999. She also was vocalist for the band Metropolitan (Sony), as well as had performed with many other artists such as Bugge Wesseltoft, The Brazz Brothers and Jon Eberson. Marius was the former bassist with the band Insertcoin, and has performed with Eivind Aarseth, Bugge Wesseltoft, Jan Eggum and Bobby Hughes Experience, among others.
In 1999, Beate was asked by Bugge Wesseltoft to record for his label, Jazzland. Given complete artistic freedom, Beate could compose, arrange, write lyrics, program, record and produce entirely in her own artistic control. Marius also contributed by focusing on the groove elements, while Beate took the reins of the melodic elements, harmonies and the lyrics, and each had the freedom to contribute to each other’s area of focus. Recorded primarily at home, "Home" became the first Beady Belle release.
"Ghosts", the first single from the album, began to receive national airplay, and the band garnered critical praise as well. The album was released internationally in 2001, and became a designated "European Priority" by Universal Music. They also began to tour internationally with increasing demand for their sound. Capital Live wrote: "’Home’ benefits from some of the best standards of production that nu-jazz has to offer." Certainly, Beady Belle’s vision of nuances within jazz was appealing not only to their increasing audiences, but to the critics as well.
By 2002, Beady Belle was ready to begin work on their second CD, recorded this time in the studio, and titled the mysteriously sounding "CEWBEAGAPPIC". The title is a self-coined word (CE stands for Complex + Easy, WB stands for White + Black , EA stands for Electronic + Acoustic , GA stands for Groovy + Ambient, PP stands for Played + Programmed, IC stands for Improvised + Composed). In other words, an album full of contrasts. Blues and Soul Magazine wrote in their review: "…breathtakingly beautiful…Lech's fluid, expressive voice and intelligent, almost poetic lyrics are superbly complemented by Reksjø's adroit and imaginative arrangements. "Cewbeagappic" is a real gem and represents a quantum leap forward for Beady belle." This album was also released internationally.
2005’s "Closer" was Beady Belle’s third album for Jazzland, created with the intention of fine-tuning their creative output. Beate said about that recording, "We’ve tried to make an album that’s closer to the listener, for the most part taking away embellishments and emphasizing the essence of the music. The strings don’t have the purpose of being lushly arranged harmonies, but serve to bring the musical theme into the foreground. Even the sound of the strings are sharper, clearer. We’ve tried to arrange the strings in the way they would in the orient – it really brings a more characteristic atmosphere to the music."
In the three year’s since their last album release, the members of the band have gone through a number of changes, perhaps the most personal of being Beate becoming a mother, which has influenced the direction of the new album. The album’s basic tracks were recorded in Denmark, with the instruments recorded in one room at the same time. It perhaps provides the setting for the album’s more direct flavor, its natural ambience and welcoming tone. This becomes evident in that "Belvedere" now reveals a Beady Belle at their warmest, and possibly in their most organic recording yet. With Beate’s lush vocal harmonies and the bluesy-intonations that pepper the album, the group emerges again as one of Europe’s leading nu-jazz ensembles. As the literal meaning of "Belvedere" is "beautiful view", the album’s nine tracks lays out before us the most beautiful of sonic landscapes. If you let your ears see, then "Belvedere" will most certainly welcome you into very friendly territory.
Brief synopsis, and story so far...
Born London September 1971. Premature, at St. Teresa's Hospital,
Wimbledon to be precise. Music in the blood, Steinway piano in family
sitting room, turned down a place at St. Paul's Cathedral Choir School,
where grandfather Sir Percy Sillitoe sang as a boy, opting instead for
public school and a music scholarship. From 1982-1985 much in demand as
a boy soprano performing major operatic roles with both English
National Opera and The Royal Opera House. In between worldwide tours,
recorded cult choirboy classic "On Wings of Song" for EMI/Classics for
Pleasure, aged 12.
Teenage subversions led to an interest in folk-pop, psychedelia, and
acid house... somewhat at odds with classical pianoforte studies and
A-levels! Nevertheless, first dabbles in vocal samples, synthesizers,
sitars and electronica in early 1990´s, signed to hip London Records
(Internal) with the short-lived but memorable "United Sound System"
hippy-disco collective. Moved from London to Oslo in 1994 to continue
musical voyages with new friends in the north of Norway, notably
technocrat Per Martinsen...releases as "Illumination" on own label +47,
with various licenses in the dance underground and then onwards to
major labels SonyBMG and Universal. Furthermore incessant clubbing,
luxury Café del Mar transglobal Djing, producing, remixing, indeed it
was an intense Illumination remix of Norwegian indie-pop band "Velvet
Belly" that had the strange desired effect in that Nicholas fell in
love with the voice of vocalist Anne Marie Almedal and not too long
afterwards fell in love, love...got married, had children and escaped
to the quietude and coastal harmony of Kristansand, Southern Norway.
Nicholas currently focuses his attention on composing and producing
music for film, television, and commercials, notably with the pleasure
and privilege of working for distinct Norwegian arthaus directors Erik
Skjoldbjærg and Marius Holst. He is still active with the polyphonic
powerhaus of Illumination and it´s alter-ego Chilluminati, last album
releases "The Poppy Rocks" (SonyBMG) and "The Chilluminati remixes"
(Jazzland/Universal), both in 2004. Take a search on google, myspace,
imdb.com, or iTunes to find out more in either English or Norwegian.
Right now, in between scoring two television series currently in
production, he is also co-producing and writing with Anne Marie Almedal
on delightful new recordings for her forthcoming album. Full circle,
with the creative wheel spinning round, Nicholas is coming home to the
sound of muted pedal pianoforte, acoustic guitars, cellos, voice, and
valves, aided and abetted with pencils, manuscript paper, hard disks
and products nicely designed by Apple in California.He mainly works at
"Lydbølgen" studios in a disused factory space with amazing natural
reverbs together with gracious engineer Øystein Aamodt, and regularly
travels between Kristiansand, Oslo and London. Otherwise, a happy
existence at home with family enjoying folk songs and good ambience on
the iTunes, walking on by the forest to the water´s edge, gazing out
towards the North Sea and beyond, wondering... where on earth am I?
(March 2006)
