Laura Cole

What an absolutely stunning album; so deep and emotional. Great to hear Ron’s tunes reinterpreted so vividly. – Clive Craske, GREEN RADIO

This ambitious 2 CD set features the music of progressive composer Ron Caines being performed by Laura Cole on solo piano, the Ember String Quartet and one piece with Ms. Cole and the string quartet together. Ron Caines plays sax and keyboards and is a founding member of the great British progressive rock band East of Eden (a dozen albums between 1969 & 2005). Mr. Caines is also a composer, has played in several free or progressive jazz projects and formed a band with Martin Archer called Axis, with five albums between 2018 and 2024. Laura Cole plays acoustic & electric piano in Axis as well as with several other bands on the Discus label. Ms. Cole recorded two solo piano pieces of Mr. Caines’ compositions which were supposed to on a Caines/Archer Axis disc but Mr. Archer suggested that Ms. Cole performed an entire CD of Mr. Caines’ music, which is the first disc here. This disc is called ‘Sky Chord’ and it has 11 sections. The title track is first and it has a lush, haunting, stark sound. “Mazeep” is also rather stark and rather haunting. I was listening to a John Coltrane CD called ‘Meditations’ the other day since we were celebrating the birthday of Trane’s drummer, the late, great Elvin Jones. The next piece is called “Heavy Loaded Trane” and it has a similar modal, spirit/jazz vibe which radiates throughout this piece. One might think that Mr. Caines’ music should or might be coming from a more dense or progressive terrain would be surprised by the stark, suspense-filled music here. While listening to this disc, I had to be patient and savor each note which is not so easy to do as my newsletter deadline pops up. Halfway through “Reverie”, a new theme appears, a slow, somewhat funky, blues-like groove which then disappears. “Calypso Roto” does have a sort of calypso-like groove which feels good although the piece is pretty short. Martin Archer and his recording engineer Chris Sharkey add subtle bits of electronic ambience to two of the pieces here. “African Violets” has a most hypnotic repeating riff which had me humming along to the pulsating drone at the center. Once my expectations calmed down, I was able to enjoy this disc more. On the second disc, ‘Haptic Space’, Ms. Cole took five of Mr. Caines solo piano pieces and arranged them for a string quartet. Although the solo piano versions were mostly much shorter, Ms. Cole stretches them out with all four strings carefully working their way through the melodies, fragments and harmalodic contours. The spare, suspense music of disc one is expanding, giving more life to this music, occasionally adding some surprising spice here and there. Ms. Cole plays piano on the last piece, “Calypso Roto”, giving the piece more depth when the strings come in midway. The strings slow down the piece and wheeze like ghosts with asthma, transforming this piece into a more harrowing, disorienting place. Both discs here show a very different approach to Ron Caines’ music with Laura Cole embracing and reinventing what was originally written. The balance between both worlds is just right. – Bruce Lee Gallanter, DOWNTOWN MUSIC GALLERY NYC

Pianist Laura Cole pays tribute to the eighty-year-old multidisciplinary artist Ron Caines on a double CD. The compositions are by Caines; Cole wrote arrangements for solo piano (CD 1) and for string quartet (CD 2). Recorded in Matthew Bourne’s studio, the pianist sat behind a Bösendorfer. In the solo section, Cole primarily maintains a poetic approach with darker undertones. Think of the works of Leon Spilliaert. She also makes good use of silence and space. Two tracks feature sparse ambient electronics by Martin Archer and Chris Sharkey, two other acolytes from the Discus community. The Ember String Quartet was assembled by Cole for the occasion and consists of Gemma Bass (violin), Seth Bennett (double bass), Aby Vulliamy (viola), and Semay Wu (cello). They adopt a much more dysfunctional approach, though they also occasionally incorporate a light melody line. The four of them shape five of the eleven pieces on the first CD, developing them much further and longer through improvisation. The DNA of the Discus label is clearly embedded in them. In one composition, they’re joined by Cole, first developing the score together and then improvising freely, as in a role-playing game. A more than worthy tribute to the man who, decades ago, explored the possibilities of psychedelic rock with East of Eden and later, in Keith Tippett’s group, provided impressive contributions with a requisite subversive edge. – Georges Tonla Briquet, JAZZ HALO https://www.jazzhalo.be/reviews/cdlpk7-reviews/l/laura-cole-sky-chordhaptic-space/

I’m listening right now to the extraordinary new album from pianist/composer/improviser Laura Cole – who for me is one of the most distinctive piano voices active in the UK . It’s a double album in which Laura arranges themes by saxophonist Ron Caines. This made me prick my ears up as soon as I heard about it. Bluetopia by Martin Archer/Ron Caines Axis is one of my favourite albums of recent years.

The first CD features Laura playing solo piano and is just wonderful stuff. The exploitation of everything the piano has to offer, in terms of register and texture is fabulous. We get to hear the decay of held notes, the subtle harmonics generated by use of the sustain pedal, power and delicacy. “1934” is a sonic feast, which uses Toy Piano and some subtle processing as well as the strings of the grand piano. It’s full of dense, mysterious beauty. The waltz “African Violets” which follows it has a gorgeous, lilting simplicity which is intoxicating. “Haptic Space” is a pointillistic delight. That’s just three of the eleven pieces on disc one. The range of this music stunning. It’s also stunningly beautiful, and on a piece like Heavy Loaded Trane deeply moving. Disc two features Laura’s arrangements of a some of the Caines tunes for a string quartet of Gemma Bass, Seth Bennett, Aby Vulliamy and Semay Wu. Again this is sonically sumptuous and deeply expressive. Gnarly textures suddenly flower into intense lyricism. I can’t think of an album to compare this to, this is very special music from an artist we should treasure. A word also about the recording by Chris Sharkey : It’s fantastic, capturing so much detail and nuance, and really drawing the listener in to the wondrous soundworlds Laura has created. It’s just out on Discus Music and it gets the strongest possible recommendation from me. – Bandcamp UK Jazz & Improvised Music

Veteran Uk jazz and improv saxophonist Ron Caines acts as the catalyst that has undoubtedly sparked the nimble fingers of pianist Laura Cole to create a new formulae of Ron’s tracks that are composed with the addition of the Ember String Quartet. Each bringing their own energy and spark to ignite and create an all together quite different chemistry.
Some of you will know Ron Caines from the nothing short of brilliant East of Eden, the jazz fusion progressive band from the 60’s. Since then, and more recently, he has collaborated with fellow saxophonist Martin Archer as the jazz duo, Axis, on five albums on the Discus label. This homage to Ron led by piano and then string ensemble, brings quite disparate stylings to the mix on each of this double CD album.

Disc one is all about piano, and it speaks. Delicate, refined, with hints of menace yet discerning in its delivery. A piano that knows when to be melodious, when to peak and attack, or gradually fade and be silent. Prolonged notes, reflections that at times die away, then come back and make their strong presence known in all their glory. ‘Reverie’ is like pin drop piano, with silence that ups the tension whilst the amplitude of quite stark notes is felt breaking the void, but it’s the quiet, the stillness, that takes your breath away even when the piano escalates and ups the ante. Heavy Loaded Trane with its beautiful melody and precisely placed notes that sweep you away as the story unfolds with its compelling dynamics. The drama is felt, in parts vastness, the piano ramping it up a notch as it reaches its peak then descends to a fitting finale. Disc one is not however a rush to the head type of an album, rather a take time to saviour. Feel every note. Contemplate. Attention rapt. An album of subtle complexities. There is an affective quality. It’s detailed and precise with the essential elements of piano which strikingly focus on exactly that as its core component and almost every note feels visceral. Disc two is more of a heady brew. More fizzy and elaborate with violin, double bass, viola and cello bubbling up but never overflowing. ‘Mazeep’ opens up with fragmented string textures and sound effects that feel unoiled creating a feel of foreboding. Haptic Space continues to take that theme and hold it with its eerie strings feeling quite perilous. Something is lurking in the air, you can feel the ensuing threat then in the last three minutes it dissipates, absolving itself of any possible anguish as it soars mightily in a beautifully light and melodic outro. Where there is cloud there is sun. It’s the highlight for me.

Disc two is not about piano that might have stroked you like a feather in parts, but tense strings that build and have you in a vice like grip, when it’s not seducing you with its beauty that is. An album of glorious chamber jazz type feel. I actually cannot decide which arrangements I prefer, the predominance of piano or strings. It is irrelevant as the nuanced expressions on each disc give their own credence and bring a twist to the work of Ron Caines in ways that each add their own story telling in paying honour to him. My hypothesis is he’ll be more than happy with the result. – Paula Mcadam, BANDCAMP UK JAZZ & IMPROVISED MUSIC

Ron Caines, the magic bird who built its nest on the other side of Eden, turned 80 last December. Already on “Practical Dreames” with Caines/Archer Axis, the idea was to highlight his compositional genius alongside his improvisational genius. This ultimately evolved into Sky Chord / Haptic Space (DISCUS 196, 2xCD). Featuring 11 arrangements by Laura Cole for solo piano, including ‘1934’ (from “Armadillo”), where she scratches around the inner piano and taps into the past, and an ice-picked ‘Waterways’ (from “Mercator Projected”), two of his pieces conceived for East of Eden. Between the bluesy ‘Heavy Loaded Trane’ and ‘Atlantide,’ ‘Reverie’ spins out beauty-drunk melancholy, wistfulness, and fragility as the essence. The extent to which Caine’s imagination wanders beyond the British insular is revealed by ‘Haptic Space’ (from Axis’s debut “Les Oiseaux de Matisse”), ‘Mazeep’ & ‘African Violets’ (from “Dream Feathers”), ‘Morocco Rose’ (like ‘Reverie’ from “Blutopia”) and ‘Calypso Roto’ (from “Port of Saints”). His pianos are made up of paintings by Matisse, Rothko, Kline, Guston, Marcel Proust’s Temps Perdu, and music by Ornette Coleman and Nico. Alongside the solo version, these five pieces are heard again, almost mystically, in a string quartet. Cole gave the Ember Quartet an elvish thread with ‘Entering the forest… What grief means to you… Fireside / fire noises… Departing the forest’, giving them the freedom to develop their voices. In the final ‘Calypso Roto,’ she dances ahead again at the piano and emerges from the forest to playful fiddling, plopping, crawling, meowing, and flute playing. [BA 130 rbd] – Rigobert Dittmann, BAD ALCHEMY

Laura’s familiarity with the chosen tracks means that their transition from Axis pieces to solo piano affairs for disc one is absolutely seamless, retaining the initial seed, but taking it into a whole other realm which is captured beautifully by Chris Sharkey on Matthew Bourne‘s Bösendorfer. The intimacy and vibrancy is almost palpable; you can feel yourself in the room as the pieces are stripped down and then re-skinned, their soul retained in the new form.

The Sky Chord disc contains eleven tracks, each one an enigmatic journey tying Laura’s ability as an interpreter to her elegance as a pianist; it opens with the slow plangent sweep through “Sky Chord” itself and it approaches carelessly, completely disarming with its early morning quality. There is a lushness and richness to the tone that is entirely welcoming, Laura relishing the notes, measuring their separation and listening to the decay before another rolls along. There is a stately space and even where subtle discord wends its way in, the pieces follow their own enigmatic logic.

There is a darkened romance to some of the tracks, their richness rather moving and oddly lulling, but really the playing is absolutely sublime; her understanding of how much is needed to push the piece along and then how sparse the notes should be in another setting. It makes for quite the voyage, the chosen songs diverse enough to retain constant interest as they travel from rolling structure to fractured minimalism, from waltz time to joyful abandon.

At some points we are barely above silence, the notes suspended and the decay almost visible in the atmosphere of the studio; at others, our resolve is tested as the note selection starts to scamper into more unusual territory and are almost ugly in a couple of places, an ominous reflection in a broken silence or a bludgeon held threateningly before ascending to Teutonic elegance. Later there are touches of classical structure, but these are tempered by fractured squeals and this sense of paradox is very much part of the work as a whole from scattered pins to romantic melancholy in the blink of an eye.

The second disc is far more involved, with five pieces set for the ember string quartet and although these pieces appear stripped down on the first disc, apart from the odd recognisable melody or motif, they are completely separate works with extra texture and more tension. The abstract squeals sound almost like feedback, containing a willingness to be less reserved with the original compositions. In places it feels like an awkward conversation, the cello deep and barking with violin and viola frying in the background.

It is extraordinary the sheer physicality of these reconstructions on Haptic Space; you can really sense the players reaching in for something visceral, a way of making them stand out and recognised for something wilder; the stirring churn of cello and bass really moves the body, while the violin and viola dip and swoop, forcing you to step in their shadows. It isn’t all overwhelming drama, though with certain sections in a more minimalist vein, a kind of pointillist procession takes place which adds a sweetness and fullness that sees them circling back, reigniting a lost motif and seeing in which other direction it can be stretched.

There is one section which had me envisaging a particularly hazardous jungle, the extra string textures creating unexpected dimensions and then the delicious bass starts to propel with real purpose. These pieces have a vibrancy that is further fleshed out when Laura joins them for the finale, a dramatic rendition of “Calypso Roto” which had a two-minute outing on the first disc. Here, after a meandering intro, the strings start to pick at the piano, sliding and slithering around the central melody; they lose their reserve a little, skittering off on their own trajectories like skaters leaving an impression on virgin ice. This really does feel like a conversation, but people struggle to be heard over a general good-natured hubbub; the whine of violin, the scoffs of other strings and the piano tears through it all with the most to say.

It is a dramatic and impressive climax which then leads us to wonder what the first disc would have been like with the string quartet let loose. But that is a question for another day; because for now, this two-disc labour of love is more than enough. It takes some already lovely songs and totally repurposes them, in some cases twice, and the end result is one that is equal to the original pieces giving them new definition. Allow this album to overwhelm you and then go back and revisit the originals to see just how much Laura has accomplished. -Mr Olivetti, FREQ

A beautiful two-CD album edited and produced by Laura Cole and Martin Archer. The music is by Ron Caines, former saxophonist of East of Eden, arranged for solo piano, string quartet, and piano quintet by Laura Cole. This two-CD recording comes from the sessions for Axis’s latest recording of the seven-track album, released on July 5, 2024, *Practical Dreamers*, for which two solo piano tracks of new compositions by Ron Caines were recorded but not used. It was during this recording that Laura Cole had the idea to include a second album of five tracks in string quartet versions of some of the pieces on the second CD, *Haptic Space*. Laura Cole has been a member of the AXIS group Ron CAINES/Martin ARCHER since its inception and has participated in numerous recordings.

The first CD, SKY CHORD, 64 minutes long, features eleven solo piano tracks. The overall quality of these performances is pure and does credit to its creator. Who better than Laura Cole could give a new dimension to the resounding virtuosity of Ron CAINES’ work? This pianist is in her element and has a playing style whose trajectories burst forth in all directions, as on the 3rd track, Heavy Loaded Trane 8:12, stunning in its brilliance, demonstrating the singular hallmarks of her convincing artistry. The first track, Sky Chord 5:03, is played with a hushed nonchalance and a gentle, steady sway, offering a crystalline and lightly played sound in a shivering whisper. The technical restoration of the recording on Rêverie 12:05 is first-rate. Breaths and silences create a refined version, immersing the listener in a deliberate atmosphere of reflection. A recording faithful to the original composition, which she serves with the skill and dedication of a faithful interpreter whose touch is truly admirable. A broad and profound piano style, exemplary handling of languorous phrasing, a slow, rhythmic subtlety unfolds note by note, each note taking its time to linger and resonate under her fingers. Another example of her diverse artistry can be found on Haptic Space 7:13, a version where her skill is fully on display. An intricate, oratorical style, enhanced by her technical gestures and her presence at the piano, leaves one in awe. A diffuse, iridescent light emanates from this atypical interpretation, with its sometimes dramatic confluences. In Waterways 6:53, in his skillful hands, the architecture of this poem is highlighted. A certain nakedness is expressed in the raw notes propelled into controlled dissonance. Behind a mask of pain, one senses the consuming passion beneath his forlorn fingers. An interpretation as smooth as it is battered, well-played, a boundless, rebellious imagination to make capricious or versatile notes resonate, the piano outside its traditional, velvety framework. With each note, different moods, varying tempos, revealing reflections of his piano. The other tracks, Mazeep 3:24, Calypso Roto 2:13, Morocco Rose 6:55, 1934 6:54, African Violets 3:21, Atlantide 3:09, are played with as much dynamism as charm, as much stylistic change as naturalness. In this vibrant CD, everything is a matter of sound, precision, methodology, technique, and creative freedom.

Passion, emotion, grace, and exquisitely nuanced piano playing. For the second CD, HAPTIC SPACE, STRING QUARTET/PIANO QUINTET, 48:06, the EMBER QUARTET takes center stage with Gemma BASS on violin, Seth BENNETT on double bass, Aby VULLIAMY on viola, Semay WU on cello, and Laura COLE on piano for the 5th track, Calypso Roto (piano quintet) 14:48. All compositions are by Ron CAINES, arranged by Laura COLE.

Recorded in 2025 at The Old Cowshed by Chris SHARKEY. Edited and produced by Laura COLE and Martin ARCHER. The front cover photograph is by Laura COLE and Martin ARCHER, while the front cover featuring the EMBER QUARTET is by Laura COLE. The photograph of Ron CAINES inside the sleeve is by Emma CHRISTOPHERSON. Background photographs and CD label by Laura COLE.

Five tracks are performed in extended versions by the EMBER QUARTET string quartet, including Mazeep (8:56), Haptic Space (9:25), African Violets (8:57), Morocco Rose (7:20), and Calypso Roto (piano quintet) (14:48). The second CD begins with Mazeep, a jewel of strings imitating large birds, then unfolds into a rich, textured bowing, full of sharp edges and finely chiseled curves. An enigmatic, previously unreleased piece, at times whimsical, yet poetic in its ease, a clear interpretation in its denser rhythmic complexity.

The warmth of the strings, unleashings of violence, insubordination, and inner revolt, creeching and screeching, in every corner, containing an energy taut to the point of breaking. Abundant sensitivity, virtuosity, and imagination; music with a dramatic temperament in the extreme high notes and vertiginous low notes. Transformation and transcendence driving the sonorities

From the very first notes of Haptic Space, the mystery already present in Mazeep descends like a tragic scene from a William Shakespeare play with a bad ending. The modern technique of the string instruments is captivating in this moving recital, burning with pain. A piece permeated by a great confusion of rough strings that flutter and collapse upon one another, clumped together in a tangled ball. The double bass, seeking to distinguish itself and extricate itself from this mass, cries out its sorrow; the violin, in full compassion, pours forth its prayer; the viola expresses itself in a heart-rending sorrow; the cello lengthens its long moans, note by note.

A fabulous theatrical acoustic at its best. African Violets comes alive with deep, resonant, and resonant bass tones, intertwining with the high notes of the violin and viola. A violin solo highlights the nuances and interplay of the three other instruments. Piercing notes give way to notes struck with the bow. The magic of this rich, balanced tessitura is evident in this live performance. Morocco Rose continues in the same intricate musical vein, emphasizing the superhuman, timeless aspect of this exemplary saga. The work’s feverish melodic richness and complexity find convincing illustration in its astonishing transmutation of the heightened string sounds. A drift of textured sounds, signatures of the four musicians, with the cello’s “do, sol, re, and a” engaging in an enigmatic dialogue with the highest to lowest notes of the double bass’s sweeping “sol, re, a, and mi,” showcasing its beautiful bowed strings. The high-pitched viola displays its “do, sol, re” strings with their very sharp A’s through its high multiphonics and the rare richness of its distinctive timbre. The violin plays its high, haunting scales beyond the high frequencies and bends in its repetitive dances. A work possessing all the majesty and nobility of detail. The final work, Calypso Roto (piano quintet), blossoms in emotion, like the previous ones, in its perfect sound quality and natural reproduction. A committed balance of the piano playing through the beauty of the string tones and the natural freedom of the phrasing between the five soloists. A particularly felicitous lighting effect because above all, it is vigorous. The acoustic balance of the piano with the violin, the double bass, the viola, and the cello is here splendidly achieved. One hears the most minute dynamic nuances, offering the most varied coloring, the most indisputable rhythmic precision, and the most evident deepening of the marriage between the eminent piano and the sublime strings with their broad sketches. Pure beauty of timbres even in this fireworks display with the piano’s notes sometimes dramatic, versatile, cyclothymic. Power and edginess, abrupt playing of the strings, a dazzling spontaneous sense of attacks and contrasts. The tempos are moderate, the articulation and bow strokes masterfully structure within a free flow of rebellious, crowded, disoriented, yet equally limpid and plaintive sonorities. The generally slow movements underline the piano notes, their playing displaying as much harmonico-melodic sweetness as expressive tension born solely from its contrasts. Two CDs with a bold spirit, as flamboyant, surprising, and captivating as they are meditative and strange, re-writing the famous saxophone sounds of Ron Caines. A successful exercise, equal to the difficulty of its adaptation. An invitation to stimulating contrasts, to reverie, to a slightly rugged fullness. A solid, sometimes rigid, playing style coexisting with an extreme and often dark tension. Five brilliant musicians in the flow of their musical thought, playing radiantly and subtly. Overall rating for the two albums: (****¼) – Marie MESMER, HIGHLANDS

Beautiful melodies, interesting developments, and captivating atmospheres: Cole captivates without using too many notes; her arrangements have something special, both solo and with the string quartet. It’s music that captivates with the slow pace with which she develops her ideas, adept at taking the listener by the hand, who lets them share a remarkable experience, balancing freedom and control of emotional substance. Rating 8/10 – Vittorio Loconte, KATHODIK https://www.kathodik.org/2026/01/21/laura-cole-sky-chord-haptic-space/ 

I am somewhat at a loss with this album, as to my ears this double disc should have been released as two separate albums but at the same time it makes total sense to release it as one, but I am getting somewhat ahead of myself so really should explain what we have here. Pianist Laura Cole originally recorded solo piano arrangements of two pieces by Ron Caines (founder of East of Eden) for an album Caines was working on with Martin Archer. Martin suggested that Laura keep the songs for a solo album, and to write arrangements for more or Ron’s compositions. This seemed like a great idea, so she set to and recorded ‘Sky Chord’, which features 11 songs by Ron Caines. Then once that was completed discussions turned to possibly adapting some of Ron’s songs for a string quartet, which led to ‘Haptic Space’ with four songs (which are also on the first disc) now recorded as a string quartet, and then a fifth which is a quintet including Laura.

This means that while we have two albums of material all originally composed by Ron Caines and then arranged by Laura Coles, there are very different approaches between the two. ‘Sky Chord’ is a thing of majestic towering beauty, fragile yet strong, weak yet powerful, relaxed yet on edge. Here the notes are jagged and sharp, breaking in through the reverberation and space with menace and feeling, yet while they may be abrupt in their entrance they hang on with the use of the pedals, the sustain often drifting along to its ultimate conclusion. Here I found myself awaiting every new step with great anticipation, not knowing the journey on which I was being undertaken but with full confidence that this was something quite remarkable which needed my undivided attention (I highly recommend playing on headphones when one has the time to truly listen and devote oneself).

Contrast that to the performance on the second disc by Gemma Bass (violin), Seth Bennett (double bass), Aby Vulliamy (viola) and Semay Wu (cello). This feels more intense, far more in common with improvised music as they push their instruments to their limits, playing them in different styles, yet all so tightly arranged that it somehow makes sense even when it should not. On the first disc “Mazeep” is only 3:24, but on the second it is 8:56 and feels like a very different piece altogether as Laura shows what a fine arranger she is as she takes pieces and deconstructs them to turn them into something quite different indeed. The highlight of this disc is the final number, “Calypso Roto”, where Laura joins with the others as they extend the piece which is 2:13 on the first disc to 14:48 on the second as they improvise to make something very different indeed.

The overall impression is of two modern classical albums which are determined to break boundaries and does just that. They two discs are distinct and very different, but they are both exceptional and there is no doubt this is a concept which has worked very well indeed. This will not be for everyone, but for those who really understand music and its possibilities will find this incredibly powerful. Rating: 9/10 – Kev Rowland, HOUSE OF PROG https://houseofprog.com/laura-cole-sky-chord-haptic-space-2025/