“quite simply the most formidable songwriting partnership of this century”
Upon the release of Songbook in 2017 I wrote that the songwriting partnership of Georgia Mancio and Alan Broadbent established them as one of the most formidable songwriting partnerships of the 21st century. However, I was wrong they are quite simply the most formidable songwriting partnership of this century.
Nobody writes like Georgia and Alan, with songs that touch on the personal and the political and are not only of their time but have that air of timelessness that ensures that the music will endure as all the great classics do.
In a partnership that has an air of perfection in every song that they compose together, the personalities of both shine through. Georgia’s lyrics are not overlong, but in a few words are able to express so much. Complex emotions that we all identify with are succinctly said but carry an emotional weight that is heartwarming and at times quite overwhelming.
Alan’s arranger’s instincts bring a depth to the music that echoes the emotional impact of the lyrics. His piano playing perfectly accompanies Georgia’s voice and has the uncanny knack of being able to sweep up the melody and embellish it at the most poignant moments that lift the music to greater heights.
This incredible collaboration has now reached more than 40 songs, and following on from Songbook (2017) and Quiet Is The Star (2020) Georgia and Alan release their third album together that brings together a magnificent collection of songs that encompasses quartet, trio and duo settings along with the majestic finale and title track recorded with the 42-piece FAME’S Skopje Studio Orchestra.
A Story Left Untold continues the momentum built up on the two earlier recordings by seemingly finding a way to bring them together while also allowing the songs that Georgia and Alan write together to evolve. The wonderful duets that we heard on Quiet Is The Star are furthered here with two exquisite and exquisitely performed songs ‘Heart of Hearts’ and ‘The Love I Left Behind (L’Amore Che Lasciai)’ in which Georgia has written lyrics in both English and Italian and taken her inspiration from a poem by John Glenday, ‘For My Wife, Reading in Bed’. On both these beautiful compositions, Georgia’s heartfelt lyrics are matched by Alan ‘s masterful touch at the piano, everything understated and yet each word, phrase and note perfectly weighted.
This is equally true of ‘A Lark’s Lament’ that was originally conceived as a duet, but on the day of recording it was decided to add the double bass of Andrew Cleyndert. An ideal choice of bassist for the recording, Andrew Cleyndert is incredibly close to the music as under a different guise he has expertly captured the music and co-produced with Georgia all three albums.
Throughout the album the bassist’s presence is felt. He has a superb sound on the instrument and the technical mastery to enable him to ensure that this is clearly and fully heard on the recording. Coupled with his superb feeling for time and melodic sense, his solos are as absorbing and concise as Georgia’s lyrics and partnered with drummer Dave Ohm and you have a rhythm section that is second to none.
Just listen to how bass and drums power along ‘Same Old Moon’, a fast and furious pace with lyrics that depicted the turmoil of political events in the UK and US at the time of writing the lyrics in 2016, and that strike a more ominous chord in today’s unstable climate. Capturing the mood of the piece completely, Dave Ohm’s drum solo is a tour de force. Dave clatters around the kit magnificently in a majestic and melodic solo that is as turbulent as Georgia’s words.
Elsewhere, Dave brings his unique musicality to the fore with some wonderfully sensitive playing, and gives a masterclass in the art of playing with brushes on ‘When The Time Has Come To Part’ and ‘From Me To You’ which remarkably was originally written by Alan for four soprano saxophones and titled ‘Sopranissimo’, and is here recast with Georgia’s lyrics and a new title as a samba in tribute to her father-in-law who had a lifelong passion for jazz. Dave’s playing with brushes is quite astonishing, dynamic, rhythmically powerful yet always musical and at the service of the song whether it be up tempo or ballad. This trait is not lost on Alan who has previously observed that he “is one of the finest brushes players to be heard anywhere”.
This borrowing of music from Alan’s rich and varied musical past has been a constant throughout their songwriting partnership as the pianist discovered scores that he had forgotten about, or simply not known what to do with until Georgia’s lyrics made them feel complete. Another such composition is the wonderful ‘In The Afternoon’ that Alan says he wrote “quite a while ago while visiting my parents in New Zealand”. Reminding him of walk that he liked to take on Sunset Boulevard, the piece was originally titled ‘Sunset Afternoon’ and can be heard as a ballad feature for saxophonist Ernie Watts on the Charlie Haden Quartet West album, ‘Always Say Goodbye’.
As a lyricist Georgia’s gift is the way in which her words are so succinct, as a vocalist her talent lies in the way in which she is then able to convey the story inherent in the lyrics imbued with such passion, humility and humanity. You can feel the pain of loss in ‘Then And Now’ the tenderness in ‘When The Time Has Come to Part’ and the feeling of mystery that fascinates in ‘The Love I Left Behind’. With perfect enunciation each word, syllable and inflection, Georgia is able to transport the listener into her story.
As the shape and concept of the album became apparent to Georgia, an album of two interconnected halves, personal and political (Side A and Side B of the LP), with ‘Same Old Moon’ inspired by Donald Trump’s first presidency and Brexit, and as an antidote ‘Still We All Can Dream’ that Georgia says was written “during Black History Month and on the cusp of the US election, in hope for a better future for us all”.
The fitting finale to this exceptional album is the awe-inspiring title track which places Georgia’s voice and lyrics front and centre of FAME’S Skopje Studio Orchestra and confirms my belief that this is exactly the setting that an artist of Georgia’s calibre should be in. From the opening notes from the orchestra, the breadth and scope of Alan’s score is captivating and with Georgia’s words painting an extraordinary view of loss and remembrance, and a warning of what might yet be to come.
If A Story Left Untold is the final part of this trilogy, then let us hope that there are further chapters in the story and placing Georgia where she belongs, in front of an orchestra with arrangements of their remarkable songs orchestrated by one Mr Alan Broadbent.
In conclusion, when writing about music as exquisite as this one quickly runs out superlatives. Far better to let the music speak for itself, something that Georgia and Alan do so eloquently.