TINY SACRED GAPS

ABOUT TINY SACRED GAPS

TINY SACRED GAPS is a trio album that brings together improvisation, Nordic jazz, folk, post-rock, minimalism and ambient electronics. Built around lyrical flugelhorn melodies, gently patterned piano and highly textural drumming, the music evokes landscapes, long train journeys, and the changing moods of the coast and countryside of south Wales, where Heneghan was born and raised.

Tiny Sacred Gaps is set for release on October 9th, 2026, preceded by three singles:
Wings & Locomotion (July 3rd), Water Never Leaves (September 4th) and The Rhondda Line (September 25th).

The album marks the culmination of music Heneghan had wanted to make for years, with much of the writing centred on experimenting with instrumental colour and ensemble interaction. Some pieces began with cello and clarinet before evolving into arrangements for trumpet and flugelhorn, while the combination of free improviser Charlotte Keeffe and classically trained pianist Ben Gaunt helped shape a sound that moves comfortably between contemporary jazz, chamber music and atmospheric, textural composition.

Across the album, improvisation is treated as a shared process rather than a showcase for individual solos. Repeating piano figures inspired by composers such as Philip Glass, Arvo Pärt and Hauschka sit alongside lyrical horn writing, spacious electronics and rhythmic interplay, creating music that ranges from intimate trio passages to expansive, cinematic soundscapes.

The album's three singles offer a glimpse into its different musical worlds. Wings & Locomotion, released July 3rd, is a jaunty, playful piece in 5/4, combining a broken piano arpeggio with cheeky trumpet melodies and dry, percussive drumming. Water Never Leaves, released September 4th, transforms a slowed-down folk jig through free improvisation and electronic textures. The final single, The Rhondda Line, released September 25th, draws on post-rock and dark drones, bringing a more expansive and atmospheric side of the album to the fore.

Elsewhere, Light Poles explores delicate minimalism through repeating piano figures, while Heath builds towards an emotionally charged climax inspired by the intensity of Sigur Rós, Mogwai and Radiohead.

With this release, Heneghan brings together the diverse musical influences that have shaped her work, creating an album where improvisation, composition and texture meet with clarity and restraint.

Sarah Heneghan - Composer, drums, electronics, sampling, guitar.
Ben Gaunt - Piano, Rhodes.
Charlotte Keeffe - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Produced and mixed by Chris G Wilkinson at Balcony Studios, Sheffield.
Mastered by Gavin McGrath at ZVUK
Album photo taken by Julie Bellemann