Sarah Heneghan: ‘Tiny Sacred Gaps’

Composer and drummer Sarah Heneghan brings us ‘Tiny Sacred Gaps’ - an album of exceptional rhythmic complexity from a beautiful stripped-back jazz trio.

Dynamically and with a sense of natural motion, Tiny Sacred Gaps begins with It Flows Back to You. From the first notes, it’s clear that musical collaboration is at the heart of this. That motion continues with Wings and Locomotion with dextrous rhythmic patterns shared between drums, piano and trumpet. Heneghan’s music is in expert hands once again with Ben Gaunt (piano, Rhodes, organ) and Charlotte Keeffe (trumpet, flugelhorn).

Nature seems important to Heneghan’s influences and Heath takes us on a wander across a landscape of lyrical horn melodies. The drum elements are subtle and restrained throughout. Similarly on Light Poles, where arpeggios on the piano allow a gentle trumpet once more to lead us. There’s a balance between chamber music and improvisation in their collaboration.

Heneghan’s use of electronics comes to the fore in the brief interlude Train Coming, Train Going with its abrupt end before we have the trio back for The Rhondda Line with more electronics before the beautiful return of the gentle melody from the opening. We’re back to natural inspiration with To the Root, To the Leaf, with more rhythmic complexity and the final gentle piano opening to Water Never Leaves.

There’s something folk-like alongside the electronics and rhythmic figures imbuing this delightful album.

Sarah Heneghan’s ‘Tiny Sacred Gaps’ is out on 9 October