Nat Brookes - Cormorant (2023)

Nat Brookes‘ first album, Cormorant, is a work that takes a 180-degree turn by exploring traditional forms in untraditional ways. While classical composers have looked to the folk world for inspiration, Brookes, an accordionist, caller, composer and arranger, stretches the boundaries of folk tunes, noting, “I love the way that whole sections of instruments can fire competing tunes and countermelodies into the air like the cannons of opposing war ships.”

Utilizing the skills of Deb Chalmers on fiddle, Sam Partridge on flute and Tom Evans on guitar and bass, Brookes steps off on a journey that, like the diving cormorant, emerges in unexpected directions. The album is described as an exploration of the dance forms of England and Western Europe, and “Mushroom Vent/Cormorant” leads off, enticing the listener with accordion playing that sounds decidedly unaccordion-like, immediately paying off the notion of something classically orientated while also immersive and unexpected.

Brookes’ sense of humour shines through in the title of the more danceable “Painted Cupboracle/Bicycle Hunt,” named after the hard case she made for a previous accordion that “could be used as a cuboid coracle,” while the second half of the set was named after an unruly golden retriever. With “Nat’s Groovy Tune”, she highlights how, as a band leader, the instruments serve the tune, evidenced here by Evans’ one-minute opening solo before she and Chalmers join the proceedings.

The penchant for playfulness is demonstrated on “Bootleg Mazurka,” where extra quavers appear in the first two beats of every two bars. Playing with the pulse in that way, Brookes creates a sense of heaviness to the dance, as if the dancers were wearing weighted boots. “Mushroom Interval” exposes that while Brookes may not always be the most memorable of chefs, having forgotten the mushrooms with breakfast, serving them at elevenses solved the problem, providing a simple second breakfast. Hearing how the inherent sadness of the situation turns into a joyful time serves to undermine the potentially disastrous situation.

What comes through most clearly on Cormorant is the emotional pull of Nat Brookes’ music, something that’s also reflected in the meditative portrait album cover, captured by the intuitive eye of Elly Lucas. Brookes has found notes that resonate with the heart and soul, providing an entryway into tunes that serve the mind and the dancefloor. She notes: “Some of my favourite music is best listened to in the dark without any distractions, music that can immerse and captivate the listener in a meditative, almost trance like state. I wanted to create an acoustic world that could engage the audience and dispel distractions, permitting them to exist in the moment.” One can’t tell where a cormorant will arise; instead, I strongly advise that you lose yourself in this music and go along for the ride.