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171booklet 7/8/09 12:35 Page 1 ALSO AVAILABLE on signumclassics Scenes of Spirits Electric Counterpoint The Graham Ashton Brass Ensemble Powerplant SIGCD099 SIGCD143 The Graham Ashton Brass Ensemble boldly explores new repertoire Powerplant encompasses the work of some of the most dynamic for brass from different cultures around the globe, with an incredible young British artists, bringing together the virtuoso percussionist line up of composers and instrumentalists from different disciplines Joby Burgess and live sound engineer Matthew Fairclough. and musical spheres. A melting pot of Indian ragas, Japanese Gagaku, Argentinian tangos and ancient Celtic tradition, via The repertoire centres on Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint, a American improvised and classical music, gives rise to a release of piece originally written for guitarist Pat Metheny, alongside works sparkling originality, where daring instrumentations are perfectly by techno pioneers Kraftwerk and original compositions by Burgess matched with sublime performances from this true ‘world’ ensemble. and Fairclough. “A really worth-while extension of the brass ensemble repertoire … “… a glinting, chiming soundworld that seems perfectly judged for Recommended unreservedly.” Musical Pointers Reich’s intricate canonical writing.” The Guardian Available through most record stores and at www.signumrecords.com For more information call +44 (0) 20 8997 4000 171booklet 7/8/09 12:35 Page 3 Dance of the Three Dance of the Three then blues and swing, and then something very Legged Elephants modern and avant-garde. These myriad tones, Legged Elephants textures, feels, grooves and emotions hold Dazzling yet intimate, this set of tracks is the work together in a fabulous aural tapestry, at times of two brilliant and internationally renowned freely improvised and at other times more musicians who are also close friends, and their arranged or composed, as is the jazz tradition. The friendship pours from the music with passion, ways in which these performers draw classical 1. Improvisation #7 Barley/Joseph [1.40] intensity, humour and inspiring energy. The and jazz together is literally infinite and is proof of 2. (Used to be a) Cha Cha Jaco Pastorius [5.33] central focus here is ‘collaboration’ - the musical how jazz, once an outsider to classical music, has 3. Improvisation #3 Barley/Joseph [5.36] collaboration of Barley and Joseph and the been absorbed; indeed you could argue that it is traditions from which they have individually actually the other way round, and the classical 4. Castellain Sunshine Julian Joseph [8.47] evolved, and their combined collaboration with colours and sensibilities become merely aspects 5. Sabia Antônio Carlos Jobim [3.31] other composers in a series of imaginative of the improvising force. Or maybe that would be arrangements. Matthew Barley’s influences are to suggest boundaries that do not, or should not 6. Dance of the Three Legged Elephants Julian Joseph [11.53] initially classical, but have broadened into world exist … Anyway, the great jazz artist Miles Davis 7. Pièce en Forme de Habanera Maurice Ravel [4.23] music, Indian music and electronic music; with (celebrated on this CD in the John McLaughlin Julian Joseph the influences again have a strong track Miles Beyond), would have been thrilled to 8. Miles Beyond John McLaughlin [9.57] classical heart but we know him primarily as a hear Barley and Joseph working so freely in and 9. Vika Julian Joseph [11.40] jazz performer and composer. But the classical out of their traditions, because for Davis, to 10. Improvisation #2 Barley/Joseph [5.24] performer and the jazz practitioner are searching perform jazz was never to stand still, but always to for the same thing - as Joseph puts it ‘improvisation be moving forward and challenging expectation, is pulling magic out of the air’ - so that through absorbing new influences and creating great music. Total timings: [72.24] their playing music together, and challenging each others’ musical experience they end up In the main these tracks follow a traditional jazz blurring boundaries which, as Barley says, ‘never concept of episodes. There is often a presentation Matthew Barley cello really existed’ between genres and people. We are of the tune or ‘head’ which is pre-arranged, Julian Joseph piano transported through music which at times echoes followed by solo sequences where one instrument the romantic harmonies of the European tradition, is to the fore and the music is more improvised. then again the latin rhythms of South America, This ‘conversation’ between musical personalities www.signumrecords.com - 3 - 171booklet 7/8/09 12:35 Page 5 takes many textural forms, so for example in (Used There are three original Julian Joseph compositions to be a) Cha Cha - originally a Herbie Hancock / featured on the CD. Castellain Sunshine opens Jaco Pastorius classic - the piano keeps the left with high piano chords, cello pizzicato and piano hand ostinato patterns moving as the cello soars effects (such as strumming the strings). This above before the performers swap round and the track has a latent latin feel and combines cello takes the ostinato, or in Dance of the Three episodes of intense rhythmic conversation with Legged Elephants, where the cello produces a heartfelt lyricism in the melancholic E flat minor pizzicato walking bass over-which the piano plays main melody. And no record which has jazz at its fast jazz lines before the textures are again reversed. heart would be complete without a blues - that iconic jazz sequence, highly flexible and There are three Improvisations providing links to malleable, and wonderful to improvise over - and more composed sections. The first, Improvisation it is provided here in Joseph’s witty Dance of the #7 provides a mood setting introduction to the CD as Three Legged Elephants. In 3/4 time the chord a whole, exposing some of the fundamental elements sequence is a classic 12 bar form, with a defining of the duo sound. Thus we hear bass ostinato in a riff featuring a strong minor second and third. ‘walking’ jazz style, chords, melody, pedal-points and There is some great high glissando work in this a soft lyrical line, elements which will be elaborated track and fabulous jazz lines from the piano. The in subsequent sections. The second, Improvisation third Joseph contribution Vika, originally written #3 has a Satie-esque chord pattern in G minor over for Barley’s wife, Russian violinist Viktoria which the cello weaves lyrical lines with semi-tonal Mullova, is a gorgeous, expansive melody with an figures and grace notes. There is an intoxicating move 8/8 latin feel pulsing beneath. There is something to E flat in the chord sequence, and piano and cello yearningly European in the passionate cello tune, each have solo sections working over the ‘changes’ as well as echoes of Chick Corea in the harmonies (repeating chord patterns). The final improvisation and piano lines of the solo section - once again (#2) makes use of effects including pizzicato and the musical influences meld effortlessly, and as a tapping on the bodies of the instruments, which track builds the energetically flowing jazz piano build up a vivid and engaging rhythmic tapestry. fully demonstrates Joseph’s mastery of the modern This improvisation allows cello and piano free rein jazz style. of their technical and harmonic skills. - 4 - - 5 - 171booklet 7/8/09 12:35 Page 7 Four other tracks are based on the work of other sensibility and the improvised jazz response. composers. (Used to be a) Cha Cha is a Jaco Ravel, who absorbed the habanera music as a folk Pastorius number, and Joseph says of the Weather style and breathed into it a classical framework in Report original that the improvising is his original, in turn provides Barley and Joseph ‘unsurpassable’ and so the aim here was to break with a starting point for this contemplative this down and re-build it in the duo’s own way. So response. There’s no denying either the debt 20th this is homage to the original track, and it’s Century Jazz musicians owe to Ravel in terms of wonderfully executed, setting up the latin ostinato pan harmonies and whole tone colours - used to in piano left hand with the melody played in great effect here. unison above. As the music breaks down there are more complex rhythms and effects - whole tone And the inclusion of Miles Beyond is fitting on a disc harmony - with more contrapuntal and fugal that is so much about fusions and collaboration. elements that take the work very much into the British jazz/rock guitarist John McLaughlin played ownership of Joseph and Barley. At the end of the with Miles Davis during the 1970s when Davis was track the laughter is just what we the listeners experimenting with jazz/rock fusion. Davis was a have sensed - devilish fun enjoyed by two brilliant great icon of jazz experimentation from the early musical personalities. period of his ground-breaking ‘Kind of Blue’ album in the 1950s all the way through free jazz, rock and The beautiful arrangement of Antônio Carlos Jobim’s into the 1970s pop fusion movement. The McLaughlin Sabia is one of the simplest arrangements on the original pays homage to Davis with a kind of be-bop CD, with wonderful lyrical playing from Matthew melody juxtaposed with the block chord harmonies Barley underpinned with a laid-back latin groove. of heavy rock, and this is the starting point of a There is less focus here on improvisation, but very free improvisation which includes cello and rather on interactive playing and interpretation of piano effects and complex rhythmic development the harmony. as well as, once again, giving us a strong sense of that bedrock sound of jazz improvisation - the Joseph describes the inclusion of Ravel’s Pièce en blues.