Artifact Album - Kate Wyatt
- Patrick Duchesne
- Aug 11
- 2 min read
ARTIFACT – Kate Wyatt
With the upcoming release of her new album, I wanted to listen carefully to Kate Wyatt's first album, "Artifact". Although many artists release their first album early in their careers, Kate Wyatt released her first record in 2022, after more than ten years as a pianist and composer. Having worked alongside great musicians throughout her career, one can sense the energy and creative freedom that emerges from this album, making it an excellent representation of her talent.
" Artifact, a captivating album "
"Artifact" is a musical collaboration between Kate Wyatt (piano), Adrian Vedady (double bass), Jim Doxas (drums), and Lex French (trumpet). Improvisation is at the heart of every track on this album. There are several impromptu creations by Wyatt and her bandmates. From one track to the next, we
hear authentic compositions and a well-mastered sense of improvisation. The quartet strikes a perfect balance between the instruments, exposing their great complicity.
From the very first notes of each piece, you can feel their strong identities; the title track and the following "Short Stories" already reveal the richness of the album, both in terms of the technical skill of each musician and the quality of the improvisation. The melody remains organic, and the musical arrangement is creative and inspiring.
In the piece entitled "A Flower is a Lovesome Thing", a very slow tempo, fluid harmony, and a languid melody sprinkled with blues come together. The result creates a unique, spellbinding atmosphere throughout the piece.
And "Underwater Chant"? In this piece, Wyatt manages to transport us to an underwater world from which emerges a feeling of ethereal calm.
In "Antepenultimate", there is a great deal of interaction between the artists. Each player makes a sizable contribution to the musical dialogue by supporting or responding to the main improviser. The arrangement and melody make use of several dissonances to create a tense atmosphere, but Wyatt stands out as a soloist, reiterating these dissonances in her improvisation.
Finally, Wyatt offers us a generous final piece lasting almost 10 minutes at the very end of her album: "Duet".
All in all, "Artifact" is an excellent demonstration of Wyatt's artistic authenticity, as well as an exemplary result of interpretation, improvisation, and interaction between four accomplished artists, transporting us to a fresh and captivating universe. A pianist with confident ideas, Kate Wyatt has certainly piqued our curiosity, and we eagerly await the release of her next album!
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