SPACECRAFT

SPACECRAFT is an intergenerational and multicultural jazz creation. It brings together an experienced rhythm section with Simon Goubert on drums and composer Gary Brunton on double bass. These musicians have been playing together for over thirty years. They are joined by three young musicians from Europe’s top conservatoires. A rich cast of personalities: two British and three French. Or rather two female saxophonists, Emma Rawicz and Léa Ciechelski, who also have Polish roots, and Benjamin Garson, a Franco-German guitarist. In fact, you could say that SPACECRAFT is a European project for the 21st century.

As well as evoking speed and adventure, Spacecraft represents the universe imagined by Gary Brunton. The repertoire features charismatic melodies and at times employs silence, exploring the unknown through inspired improvisations. SPACECRAFT also stands for Craft, meaning highly specialized work and instrumental mastery, acquired through constant dedication, passion and daily practice. Each musician have their own musical personalities and develop their unique instrumental sounds with their personal distinct approach to improvisation.

On alto saxophone, Léa Ciechelski is reminiscent of the two Colemans, Steve and Ornette. She plays with great energy and a generous, powerful sound. And when she picks up the flute, she conveys a great deal of warmth and elegance.
On tenor saxophone, Emma Rawicz evokes Jan Garbarek or Michael Brecker, with a pure, lyrical sound and a mastery of the treble register.
On electric guitar, Benjamin Garson employs a wide range of sounds. He is highly versatile and inventive.
Simon Goubert, on drums, continues to play games with us. He is at the same time stunning and reassuring, delicate and percussive.

The music written by Gary Brunton for “Spacecraft” takes us on a journey through multiple artistic directions in jazz. With his double bass, he has a gift for finding the right sound, the right spirit and the right direction. He makes sure to leave sufficient space for each musician’s individual freedom, while benefiting from sound advice from musician David Patrois during the recording sessions.

The Spacecraft album, which lasts over an hour and was recorded at Studio Sextan, is divided into two. An “outward” flight entitled “Outward Bound” and a “return” flight entitled “Return to Earth”. The CD edition, released on Friday 13 June 2025, incorporates the complete journey. For streaming, Outward Bound will be released on 13 June 2025 and Return to Earth has been announced for 12 September 2025. Several singles will be available from May as the journey progresses.

The expedition begins with Lunar Meditation, inspired by an imaginary trip to the Moon. The album takes off with sound exploration by Benjamin Garson and Simon Goubert, set to a drone on double bass. This provides a solid foundation for improvisations on the flute by Léa Ciechelski, joined by the tenor saxophone of Emma Rawicz. The crew is complete. A crescendo from the quintet launches a cyclical melody: the take-off is successful.
Then Snecklifter begins. A little-known term with its origins in Yorkshire, in the North of England. Someone is trying to get a free beer in a pub. Gary Brunton’s father often used this expression to describe an unexpected happy event in his day. The main theme builds on a haunting bass line with a binary rhythm. After a transition section, we arrive at a harmonic sequence, almost in orbit, in the spirit of English rock.

It’s a good time to launch into So Chavvy, a funk-style composition generally used in concert to introduce the crew members.
From up here, you can see Three Cliffs Bay, a site of great natural beauty in Wales, on the Gower Peninsula. A place that reminds Gary Brunton of his student days at Swansea University. An even eights ballad, the melody was written with Léa Ciechelski’s flute in mind and in memory of a Welsh friend, Jez Rowden, who died in March 2024.

It’s time to slow down with A Sign From Within. This composition is inspired by the refined and explosive playing of Simon Goubert. Benjamin Garson is given a free role to express his talents on guitar. The title refers to the signals one feels inside the body, a kind of sixth sense, a positive energy that drives us to make the right decisions in life. A title quite naturally dedicated to Gary’s daughter Jade Brunton.

Light years away comes Take The Rocket, the first composition written for Spacecraft. It features a Hungarian minor scale, a North Indian tihai, passages in 5/8 time and a fast-paced “Time No Changes” section. Solos from double bass, alto sax, tenor sax and drums follow before the final tihai. Outbound flight completed.

Now to Return to Earth, the return flight. The unknown recedes with Lost In The Black Fort. Gary Brunton recalls a harrowing trek on the Aran Islands in Ireland in 2023. The minor harmonic sequence for tenor captures a long walk to nowhere, then transforms into something pleasurable, the path home found, a funk, an alto sax / drums duet in 7/4, festivities, recollecting the Nigerian musician Fela Kuti. Perhaps it’s the idea of returning to Earth that so inspires the musicians in this way.

Then comes Nightcap For Dot, a blues inspired by the world of Carla Bley and dedicated to the ever-present Dorothy Brunton, Gary’s mother. It’s a simple melody with a country blues accent, showcasing the fine cohesion between the drums and double bass. In short: it swings and it’s exhilarating.

With Rising Damp, a free improvisation by the two saxophonists leads into a guitar solo in Phrygian mode, followed by a double bass improvisation to be joined by the central theme. A tip of the hat to Steve Swallow and the distance he has travelled.

Then it’s time for … Houston, can you hear me ? Can anyone answer ? The controls no longer respond. So to stabilise Spacecraft, here’s a sort of adaptation of ‘Next Up’ recorded with Bojan Z and Simon Goubert on the Night Bus album. It’s a minor blues played at a medium fast tempo, an invitation for each musician to express themselves on a familiar, comforting harmonic sequence. You enter the atmosphere, everything becomes more familiar.

Finally, SPACECRAFT lands with Song For Jez. A ballad written for Jez Rowden. He was passionate about music, very open-minded, and had no limits on style (he notably published works on Steely Dan and Aimee Mann). The journey ends with a melody inspired by the world of Thelonious Monk. Short improvisations by each musician salute the Earth and the imagination.