Each individual reacts to loss in different ways, and for Sebastian Rochford, this translated into creative activities that attempted to fill a void left by an irreparable, tragic event. In 2019, the British drummer’s father, the poet and psychologist Gerard Rochford, passed away. In response to such a devastating moment of grief and sorrow, Sebastian sat at his grandfather’s piano in his childhood home in Aberdeen, Scotland, and wrote a set of hymnal-like compositions that sound both as a final goodbye and a self-confrontatory but comforting whisper. These compositions were released in 2023 in a record titled A Short Diary by ECM Records.

The title of A Short Diary is self-explanatory in the sense that the album somehow documents the emotions and ruminations Sebastian went through after his father’s passing. And what the 8 compositions may lack in length (the record clocks in at 36 minutes), they have in depth. Emotional substance is the foundation upon which this album is based, and Sebastian Rochford did an exceptional job in conveying the myriad of feelings he experienced during this period in his writing.

Despite having composed the music of this deeply personal record on the piano, when playing it, Sebastian Rochford (Polar Bear, ex Sons of Kemet) sticks to the instrument he is widely known for — the drums. Instead, he brings along a longtime collaborator, the pianist Kit Downes, who has taken on the major interpretative responsibility, as if the material the music is based on is too sensitive for Sebastian himself to be at the forefront. The two musicians have collaborated extensively in the past, as both are members of the London-based The Loop Collective. Furthermore, Rochford led the rhythm on Downes’ Dreamlife of Debris, also an ECM Records release.

On Friday, 12th January 2024, the duo performed at Turner Sims, a venue that always breathes fresh air into Southampton’s stagnant cultural scene. The gig lasted slightly over an hour and was played in an intimate setting, with the audience gathered around the duo “in the round.” Silence permeated the hall, initially interrupted by the dramatic chords that open “This Tune Your Ears Will Never Hear.” From that point onwards, the compositions of A Short Diary were played in extended versions, with Seb’s drums producing subtle and cerebral sounds, and Kit’s piano delivering a wailing cry full of pungency and introspection. With the utmost attention to detail, the songs were presented leaving ample space for the meditative and melancholic feelings they carry within. It was all about slowly crafting the fine and spacious sounds — mournful yet luminous — that adorn this music in all its beauty.

Although evident from the album, the concert reinforced why A Short Diary is an ECM release: the fusion of contemporary jazz with the nuances of classical piano makes it a perfect match for the sound Manfred Eicher has been pursuing and exploring for over 50 years. The performance resonated with pianism from not only Keith Jarrett and Aaron Parks but also Johann Sebastian Bach and Frederic Chopin. These influences are clearly marked — at least in the aesthetics to which these piano-composers have devoted their work. And despite the limited instrumentation, the performance brimmed with dynamics, where crescendos and diminuendos breathed a distinctive life into the interplay between the duo. Between songs, Seb carefully shared several episodes and anecdotes that accompanied the album’s production, making the audience feel more connected to his work.

To conclude the set, the duo played the elegiac “Even Now I Think Of Her,” quite possibly the most beautiful song on the record. This composition is based on a melody Seb’s father had sent him, and later Seb shared it with Kit, prompting them to start working on it. There was still time for a short encore in which the duo performed a song written by Seb that pays homage to his homeland, Scotland. It served as the ideal endpoint for an evening of introspection that ended on an optimistic and hopeful note.