A gentle spirit dwells in the musical heart of Tristan Mélia. His fourth solo album, comprising eight tracks, offers a good 48 minutes of relaxing piano music – calm, inviting, and consisting mainly of his own compositions, though the Frenchman has also included three standards.

Nature Boy by Eden Ahbez, Our Love Is Here To Stay by George Gershwin and Misty by Erroll Garner are interspersed amongst Mélia’s five original pieces. His style of interpretation allows them to blend together as if they were all part of a single whole.

Improvisation is like the narrative of a quiet day and marks one end of the stylistic spectrum within which Mélia operates, whilst Our Love Is Here To Stay, in its austere form, marks the other. A broad spectrum unfolds in between. Soledad – solitude – is an acoustic retreat with a tendency towards optimism. The Happy People appear surprisingly composed in the face of their happiness. And the dotted notes of Nature Boy sound as though a bird were just flitting across the keyboard.

Mélia’s latest album, The Bird In My Heart, oscillates between classical, ragtime, jazz and the unobtrusive playing found in a sophisticated hotel bar. Technically accomplished, the runs and chords flow pleasantly from the speakers; one senses joy and tranquillity, energy and relaxation in well-balanced doses. The bird in the heart touches the listener and unobtrusively accompanies them in their enjoyment.

The recording is mixed in a manner that is simply perfect for this. The piano is practically opposite the listening position. No grand stage, no theatrics; instead, performed directly through the audiophile chain, Mélia performs with an unusual acoustic intimacy, which is one of the album’s key qualities. Rarely can a pianist be experienced and appreciated so directly.

The Bird In My Heart is a piano experience of a special kind. The best thing is to immerse yourself and explore it for yourself. (Thomas Semmler, HighResMac)

Tristan Mélia, piano