FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THE PRINTMAKERS
WESTERLY
Nikki Iles (Piano), Norma Winstone (Vocals), Mike Walker (Electric Guitar), Mark Lockheart (saxophones), Steve Watts (Double Bass), James Maddren (Drums)
Norma Winstone – Best Vocalist, Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2015
“Westerly is an exquisite and elegant album, a myriad of finely crafted details in both words and music, counterbalanced with dazzling improvisations of great wit and imagination.
Nikki Iles and Norma Winstone have gathered around them a team of sublime and empathic musicians who are perfectly able to realise their shared concept, honing this set of pieces over several years of live performances. That live ‘edge’ is captured beautifully in this recording which was made in an idyllic Lake District location, chosen by Nikki with her characteristic sense of space and place, something I always feel is central to her own playing and her music.” Steve Berry
1. A Breath Away (Ralph Towner/Norma Winstone) 7:39
2. Under The Canopy (Nikki Iles/Norma Winstone) 6:34
3. I Do It For Your Love (Paul Simon) 6:07
4. ‘O’ (John Taylor) 7:53
5. Westerly (Nikki Iles/Norma Winstone) 6:53
6. Tideway (Nikki Iles/Norma Winstone) 8:51
7. The Glide (Ralph Towner/Norma Winstone) 6:53
8. Two Grey Rooms (Joni Mitchell) 6:08
9. High Lands (Nikki Iles) 5:57
10. City Of Dallas (Steve Swallow) 5:22
Recorded by Paul Allen at Yewfield 29-30 November 2014.
Label: Basho Records| Release Date: 11 May 2015|Cat no: SRCD 46-2 | Barcode: 0832929004629
The Printmakers is a collaboration between some of the finest talents in British Jazz. Led by pianist Nikki Iles and pioneering ECM recording artist, Norma Winstone, this is an ensemble with a vast emotional range, with exceptional contributions from Mark Lockheart, Mike Walker, Steve Watts and James Maddren. This long-awaited debut recording, Westerly, is a multi-faceted album where Iles’ originals – both rugged and reflective – are found alongside innovative treatments of contemporary standard songs. The name of this band is very much a metaphor for the process in printmaking where each new print can reveal a subtle, sometimes surprising take on the original.
Recorded live, in the beautiful surroundings of Hawkshead in the Lake District, Westerly captures the intimate and ever-changing environment in which it was made. This notion of ‘place’ weaves itself throughout the entire album with the evocative Tideway being named after Norma Winstone’s coastal house in Deal and the title track (one of Iles’s best loved compositions) originally written to set the scene of writer Mary Webb’s birthplace in rural Shropshire. In the spirit of printmaking however, Norma Winstone’s lyrics have recast this tune as an American Western tale – including some authentic banjo playing from Steve Watts.
Contact: Christine Allen/Dan Paton, Basho Records, 18 Linhope Street, London, NW1 6HT, UK
Tel +44 (0) 20 7724 2389, Fax +44 (0) 20 7724 6817, bashomusic@btinternet.com | www.bashorecords.com

In addition to Iles and Winstone’s intriguing originals, the remaining pieces emphasise some longstanding working relationships. Two tracks find Norma Winstone penning lyrics for Ralph Towner compositions (the great guitarist who recorded with Norma, John Taylor and Kenny Wheeler in 1979), whilst ‘O’ acknowledges the influence John Taylor has had on every member of this ensemble. The final piece, The City Of Dallas (a humorous note on which to conclude), is written by Steve Swallow, with whom Norma Winstone and guitarist Mike Walker both have long working associations.
Brought together by their collective love of song and a powerful spirit of collaboration, The Printmakers set out to cross many musical boundaries. With themes of obsession, murder, migration, home and first love, Westerly presents a brilliant unity of concept and sound, delivered with honesty and stunning clarity.

Album distributed in the UK by
Proper Music Distribution, The New Powerhouse, Gateway Business Centre, Kangley Bridge Road, London, SE26 5AN Tel: +44 (0)870 444 0799 Email: proper.info@properonline.co.uk
www.bashorecords.com | www.bashomusic.co.uk | www.sarahw148.sg-host.com

Contact: Christine Allen/Dan Paton, Basho Records, 18 Linhope Street, London, NW1 6HT, UK
Tel +44 (0) 20 7724 2389, Fax +44 (0) 20 7724 6817, bashomusic@btinternet.com | www.bashorecords.com