I often talk about the difficulty - and pointlessness - in trying to categorise music and the latest EP from Stewart Prosser proves the point. Quasi-classical, ambient, jazz, Far From Home brings trumpet and electronics to life and player, out on Elm Tree Records on 14 February 2025.
Lost Dawn, the first of these three tracks, is a gentle musing from collaborator Jody Smith on keyboards before Stewart’s trumpet ambles in and takes centre stage. The track leaves the listener wanting more, swiftly followed by a tempo and mood change in Punchbag. Stewart and Jody interweave and it’s never quite clear how much is improvised and how much has been composed. It doesn’t matter, because there is a sense that this is music from the soul.
Stewart says: “The compositions were prompted by my deep concerns about how difficult the world has become for young people to navigate. The melodies came to me as I was trying to capture a mood that sits somewhere between jazz and ambient sounds. From searching for meaning and sparring with constraints, to reflecting on the right path and self-care, I hope the tracks speak to personal fortitude, optimism and resilience. Each musical statement has that at its core.”
Full disclosure - Stewart is a friend and musical collaborator, but if your only experience of hearing his playing is with Paul Weller and Mick Talbot (The Style Council), or a whole heap of soul bands, then you’re in for a treat with Far From Home. This is much more than a trumpeter set free from the horn section, and shows Stewart’s breadth as both composer and player.
The third track - Fogbound - is also the first single from the EP, released today. A brief piano intro and then a breathy trumpet soars above the most gentle of accompaniments before the arrangement develops and Stewart adds a mute to sit behind strings and percussion for the briefest of appearances. A final return to the original motif brings something of coming home.
Stewart says: “The compositions were prompted by my deep concerns about how difficult the world has become for young people to navigate. The melodies came to me as I was trying to capture a mood that sits somewhere between jazz and ambient sounds. From searching for meaning and sparring with constraints, to reflecting on the right path and self-care, I hope the tracks speak to personal fortitude, optimism and resilience. Each musical statement has that at its core.”
Full disclosure - Stewart is a friend and musical collaborator, but if your only experience of hearing his playing is with Paul Weller and Mick Talbot (The Style Council), or a whole heap of soul bands, then you’re in for a treat with Far From Home. This is much more than a trumpeter set free from the horn section, and shows Stewart’s breadth as both composer and player.
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