Just A Lyttle

When an email from David Lyttle drops into your inbox, you really never know what’s coming next.

Last time we spoke to the Warringstown-based multi-instrumentalist, he was preparing for a jazz gig inspired by the works of Charles Dickens. Previously, he’d been talking about his love for traditional folk music and old-time gospel. Add in an endless parade of high-end collaborators and touring mates (from MOBO winner Soweto Kinch to jazz heavyweights Jean Toussaint and Greg Osby), and Mr. Lyttle gives every indication of being the most curious, inventive and niche-averse artist in the country.
“I just try to keep it as interesting for me as much as anyone else,” he says over a coffee. “There’s no great master-plan; I just follow my nose really.”
However, while long-term Lyttle watchers should have some idea of his penchant for handbrake turns and drop-shoulder feints, surely even his biggest fans would be surprised by his latest venture. Because, in what could be his boldest costume-change yet, David is bringing out an album of urban hip-hop and contemporary soul.
“Well it’s not a total departure,” he smiles by way of a good-natured defence. “Before I became interested in jazz, I was working on electronic music and DJing and things like that. In a way, it feels like I’ve come back to something. It’s felt very natural. I like being in the studio, but as a jazz musician it can be tough sometimes. All the emphasis is on improvisation, so to try to nail a performance in one take and say, ‘Here’s the definitive version’ – not to make too much of a big deal about it – but it’s something I find hard to reconcile with. Whereas with this new material, it’s all about creating the best possible version of a song. You don’t run away from the definitive version, you go looking for it.”
The most striking aspects of Lyttle’s new material are, firstly, how elegant and fully realised the nu-soul sound is. And also (as showcased by first single ‘This Moon Of Ours’) just how brilliantly accessible it is. For a man who has spent the last five years promoting the cause of contemporary jazz in Belfast, often with a head/brick wall kind of conclusion, it sounds like a conscious effort to reach out and speak to a larger congregation.
“One of the things that used to bug me was the reaction of people when I told them I was a jazz musician,” he reveals. “Their faces would screw up and you could tell they thought I was into something obscure and elitist. I don’t think jazz necessarily is elitist, but some branches of it can be. And I was a bit tired of it. I was brought up to put on a good show, and some jazz musicians forget they’re essentially entertainers. So I was interested in doing something that still had integrity, that was musically challenging, but that maybe had a broader appeal.”
Despite having no background in the urban scene, Lyttle seems to have had little trouble persuading others to come along for the ride – with UK rapper Homecut, US freestyle star Illspokinn, and old friend Kinch amongst the names happy to hitch up.
“I suppose it comes from jazz again,” he says. “There’s an etiquette there. I’ve found if you send someone your music, no matter how big they are, at the very least they’ll respond to you. Now, that’s not what happened here. I think there are simply more people to get through if you want to contact established hip-hop artists than jazz ones, but if you pick people because you recognise a shared set of musical values, there’s a chance they may recognise it too. So, I’m delighted with the people I worked with.”
Perhaps the most striking name on the record’s cast list is Pino Palladino, the go-to session bassist of the stars (Adele, Richard Ashcroft, The Who). How did that come about?
“I noticed his name on D’Angelo and Manu Katche records. And, once I noticed it, it seemed to crop up on a lot of my favourite records of that type. He’s worked with Mos Def and Q-Tip – all the people I love myself. So I just got in contact, sent him the songs and he agreed to play. Easy really. But it’s not just about getting big names in. It’s about working with the right people.”
With his address book getting bigger, and his records getting better, Lyttle’s position as Northern Ireland’s most significant unknown musician is proving increasingly untenable.

‘This Moon of Ours’ is out now on Lyte Records. See lyterecords.com