Sometimes in the chaotic flow of daily life, we all need a brief respite, a small oasis of stillness and beauty such as we find in this wonderful collection of recently released neoclassical EPs that fuse modern composition with atmospheric elements of ambient and jazz – featuring Clem Leek, Jessie Marcella, Melissa Galosi, and Natalia Tsupryk in collaboration with Neil Cowley.
Clem Leek – Signs
Order: https://clemleek.bandcamp.com/album/signs
Clem Leek is a British born musician and composer who has graced the ears of millions of listeners with early solo works such as Holly Lane (2010), Lifenotes (2011, Drifting Falling) and Rest (2013, Brian Records), the latter being a personal favorite I still return to often. For the last 10 years Leek has remained active in producing music for film and television and while his full-length albums have become fewer and further between, he has released a number of fine singles and EPs the latest of which is this lovely quartet of piano vignettes that reaffirm just how good he is at creating beautiful suspensions of time in compact form.
Signs was released May 9, 2025, and is available for download and streaming directly from the artist.
Jessie Marcella – Wings
Order: https://jessiemarcella.lnk.to/WingsID
Leeds based musician, composer, & producer Jessie Marcella is an artist who is capable of creating atmospheric ambient and neoclassical works or filling concert venues & dance floors with electrifying, high energy music. Wings is a sumptuously produced EP that falls squarely in the former category with lush, expansive arrangements and ethereal melodies that conspire to create a sense of meditative wonder.
This EP represents the parts in nature you cannot physically touch or comprehend but can feel. Like the light through the trees on your skin, the detail in moss, the billions of particles of mist, calmness when you place your hand on bark, aliveness. I hope it helps you feel connected to the natural world in some way.
Jessie Marcella
Wings was released on March 28, 2025, as a digital release by Mercury KX.
Melissa Galosi – Quiet Path
Order: https://modernarecords.bandcamp.com/album/quiet-path
Italian pianist and composer Melissa Galosi follows last year’s Acorn with a lovely new EP entitled Quiet Path, a collection of five solo piano sketches that “that speak to nurturing ourselves and how we can make inner growth possible”. In their sincere emotion and elegant simplicity, the songs serve as a reminder to take a pause to find joy and sit in reflection.
Quiet Path was released April 4, 2025, as a digital release from Moderna Records.
Natalia Tsupryk & Neil Cowley – There Was a Field
Order: https://nataliatsupryk.bandcamp.com/album/there-was-a-field
This quietly stunning collaboration between British pianist Neil Cowley and Ukrainian violinist Natalia Tsupryk is presented to listeners as having been created “without editing, discussion, or hesitation”. No more words are really offered to frame this inspired pairing of musicians with very different backgrounds, but with music as sublime and expressive as this they are hardly needed. Though each artist is clearly capable of holding a stage on their own, these four pieces thrive in a sense of stillness and restraint as they leave ample space for the music to evolve organically and linger in the tender moments of magic that they create.
There Was a Field was released digitally May 15, 2025, by Manners McDade.
