Next weekend, on October 8 and 9, noted Maltese guitarist Jes Psaila is launching his new album The Hinge Project at Palazzo De La Salle concert hall in Valletta. This new record is Psaila’s third album release since his first CD in 2014, and features Mark Attard on keyboards, André Micallef on bass guitar and Luke Briffa on drums. The record is described by Psaila as ‘instrumental fusion’.

One thing that immediately stands out with this album is its evocative soundscape and, in particular, that elusive quality that musicians highly prize – successfully forging a unified group sound that, while unique, is nonetheless clearly representative of its individual contributors.

This is achieved perfectly throughout The Hinge Project, with the album’s rich and at times cinematic sound world achieved through artful ensemble playing, as well as on the strength of the melodic and harmonic writing.

The album’s first track, Second Wind, is a strong opening to the album, featuring joyful ascending chords that bestow an unerring sense of freedom as they pass through cycles of uplifting harmonies.

The solo sections immediately establish the personalities of both the guitar and keyboard parts, the identities of each throughout the album clearly demonstrated here, with Psaila’s maturity of note placement and sound indicative of a style built on years of experience.

Mark Attard’s keyboard playing weaves intricate melodic lines that trace tantalising melodic progressions perfectly chosen for the album’s first track.

From left: Mark Attard, Luke Briffa, André Micallef and Jes Psaila

This strong opening statement from the group is followed up perfectly by What If, a track that begins with a delicate piano introduction featuring masterful use of the instrument’s bottom register, accompanied by atmospheric percussion and a repetitive guitar idea perfectly placed slightly lower in the mix by David Vella of Temple Studios, where the album was recorded in October 2019 (the launch delayed due to restrictions on cultural events).

The album’s third track Sample 5 bursts with energy, its first section striking in how it manages to exist in an irregu­lar time signature while still feeling supremely comfortable. The end of the first section gives additional freedom to Luke Briffa on drum kit, who non-intrusively introduces intriguing improvisatory elements to the piece’s established flow.

Next, the album features arguably its most programmatic work in the collection, The Wait, a track opening with a piano melody punctuated by mildly dissonant upper harmonies quietly voiced in the guitar part.

The second solo on guitar seems a conceptual answer to the exposition laid out in the confident and introspective piano solo, not in a ‘trading’ way as the hallmark of many jazz records, but rather like two friends in turn each voicing their innermost thoughts as a stream of consciousness, perhaps while waiting for something, or someone.

Track five, Hinge, features a playful and energetic introduction with a slight nod to South American influences before aligning comfortably into a modern jazz feel, incorporating artfully placed unison notes designed to draw attention to small harmonic enquiries.

Despite its seemingly perilous-sounding title, the album’s sixth piece, Fall, opens with an uplifting and carefree introduction that leaves the listener instantly wanting more. This gives way to a spacious and expos­ed lush guitar melody featuring delicate delay effects.

I strongly recommend check­ing out this album and wish you happy listening when you do.

The cymbal use here in par­ticu­lar is excellent and highly engaging. Shortly after, the introductory melody returns in a newly developed form exquisitely performed by André Micallef on fretless bass, in an interesting contrast to his busier and more angular supporting playing in pieces like What If.

The improvisations, while not moving into outlying harmonic territory, nonetheless effortlessly maintain interest throughout, while the ending recapitulation of the song’s main melody powerfully builds to an emotional climax to close the work.

Room with a View, the album’s seventh track, displays a subtly negentropic character, with the second section a driving, visceral departure from the established sound world up to that point, and is perhaps the most clear evidence of the band’s rock influences.

I particularly enjoyed the outro, which features a glorious synth solo containing virtuosic melodic lines and perfect­ly utilised pitch modulation.

The record’s closing track, Lullaby, is aptly named, featuring a strong and beautiful melody that never feels self-indulgent or repetitive.

From left: Jes Psaila, Mark Attard, Luke Briffa and André Micallef

The gently crescendo-ing string pad and unison playing are especially joyful, creating a rich texture that gives way masterfully to the album’s final chord.

In short, The Hinge Project is a strongly melodic, atmospheric and beautifully crafted album which, although incorporating strong improvisation, never overly relies on it. This artfully composed body of work creates a unique and centralised voice despite its collectively composed origins.

Even without the improvisatory sections – which are a joy to behold – the record could easily stand proudly on the strength of its composed melodies, the improvised sections, as such, working effortlessly to enhance already captivating musical ideas.

While not written intentionally as an answer to the troubles facing society in recent times (the material was written bet­ween 2018 and 2019), one cannot help but feel a sense of long-overdue serenity while listening to this record, something which may be, perhaps, exactly what we all need right now.

I strongly recommend check­ing out this album and wish you happy listening when you do.

The album launch for The Hinge Project will take place on October 8 and 9 at Palazzo De La Salle, Valletta. Tickets are available at www.shop.trackagescheme.com. For album sales following the launch, visit www.hingeproject.com.