Album Review: Upcycle
Album Review: Upcycle
Trumpeter Ashley Hall-Tighe puts things into perspective
It’s not a surprise that Ashley Hall-Tighe’s debut album treats the process of transcription as upcycling.
For Hall-Tighe, perspective means a lot. A quick tour of her social media shows an artist who is particularly mindful of what is important in this world, and how paying close attention to our surroundings can help us find deep joy.
There’s an openness to Hall-Tighe’s pursuit of authenticity that makes it even more powerful. It’s a brave thing to seek your true self. And music is a great place to do that.
That’s why more people should pick up an instrument or join a choir, by the way.
Start with the Bach prelude that opens the album - from the English Suite No. 2. Hall-Tighe leaves no doubt that her gentle personality accompanies a beast of a talent. Her agile playing, along with Ana Maria Otamendi at the keyboard, comes across as effortless.
In contrast, the lyricism of French composer Germaine Tailleferre’s Impromptu in E Major shows off Hall-Tighe’s warm tone.
Clara Schumann makes a particularly good pairing for Hall-Tighe’s personality, along with Otamendi’s skill. In fact, it’s hard not to identify with Clara Schumann as a woman in the world of classical music overall - a well rounded, loving partner and mother, with strong opinions, and talent beyond belief. Yet still never quite given her due by the keepers of history, even with the recognition of her indomitability during her lifetime. It’s worth pointing out for any trumpet players seeking new repertoire that the arrangement of the sonata, from Nathaniel Tighe (Hall-Tighe’s husband) is available for purchase from their publishing label Maple Rise Music.
And indeed this partnership is an important facet of what makes this album so enjoyable. Knowing that these bespoke arrangements from Nathaniel Tighe each have meaning gives another layer to the authenticity of the collection. Especially the Sibelius Barcarola, an emotional work, that Tighe discovered and felt deeply when he was working as a physician in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, spending a good deal of time separated from his family.
Upcycle is available wherever you stream music. You can preview the full album below.