LUKE MARANTZ & SIMON JERMYN

ECHOES

Chill Tone Records

Luke Marantz, piano/synthesizer/Fender Rhodes/composer; Simon Jermyn, electric bass/electric guitar/composer; Josh Dion, drums.

This is the kind of relaxing music I hear when I’m lying on a massage table. The album cover photo is provided by the pianist, Luke Marantz. It pictures birds soaring against a pale blue sky, a photo that speaks of freedom, nature and beauty.

The first song that Luke Marantz and Simon Jermyn have composed is the title tune, “Echoes 1.”  It soars and swirls across my listening room, setting the tone for this album. I hear a blend of contemporary classical music, with electronics and improvised jazz threading through their duo production. On a pair of tunes, Josh Dion joins the duo on drums.

Luke Marantz is based in Brooklyn, New York. He is equally adept on piano or synthesizer and leans heavily into electronic music during this production. His debut recording was called “Embers” and was a collection of original compositions for solo piano.

Simon Jermyn is an Irish guitarist and electric bassist who recently relocated to Berlin, Germany after living eleven-year in New York City.  He too is his own bandleader and holds a PhD from Ulster University in Northern Ireland. Simon and Luke have been composing and collaborating for the past five years. When the guitarist left New York to live in Europe, both musicians were determined not to lose contact or desert their musical connection. That determination has resulted in this album, scheduled for a January 9, 2026 release. Their album label it called “Chill Tone” and that is a perfect description of this music.

“Neither of us knew what this album was going to be at the start. Piano and guitar aren’t always an easy fit. You can swallow each other up or get in each others way.  But with Simon, not only does that never happen, but an ocean of sonic possibilities opens up. I always feel like we can do anything and go anywhere,” Luke describes their partnership.

Their composition “Light Scatters Green” is a warm example of these two musicians offering their collaborative efforts to create a relaxing hour of music that reminds me of the cover photograph, birds circling and enjoying the freedom of wings spread against sky.

The title of their album, including several original pieces of music that reflect tunes titled, Echoes 1 through 4, explains the way these two musicians interact with one another. Like an echo, each sound is distinct and separate but still unified with the other. I was surprised to learn that they did not record this album in the studio together. Instead, guitarist Jermyn pre-recorded a series of textural musical ideas and handed them off (long distance) to Marantz. The pianist transformed them by embellishing them with piano, synthesizers and electronics. Voila!  This is the completed project.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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