Record Reviews

KEVIN FIGES ~ YOU ARE HERE JAZZ NOW 02 (Barcode: 5060774190654) ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 2023 Released: 2024 This is an album by British Jazz saxophonist Kevin FigesFind albums by this artist, recorded in a sextet setting with pianist Jim BlomfieldFind albums by this artist, trombonist Raphael ClarksonFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Pete JudgeFind albums by this artist, drummer Tony OrrellFind albums by this artist and bassist Riaan VoslooFind albums by this artist. The album presents fourteen tracks, five of which were composed by Keith TippettFind albums by this artist, five were composed by other British Jazz musicians connected to Tippett throughout his career, and the remaining four short pieces were composed by the members of the sextet. The album (and the sextet) is a tribute to the music of the legendary British pianist / composer / bandleader Keith Tippett, one of the most important figures of the modern British Jazz. Figes and a few other members of the sextet played with Tippet before his untimely demise in 2020, and the leader directed a series of concerts commemorating Tippett’s music, leading to the creation of this album. The music is a wonderful tribute to Tippett’s giant contribution to the development of British Jazz since the late 1960s, in which he instigated some of the most revolutionary ideas, ranging from solo piano to Big Band / Orchestral projects, which are still perfectly valid today and remain beacons of ingenuity and genius, sadly not present on the contemporary scene. The music is splendidly performed and recorded and offers a fond memory of Tippett and other heroes of the British Jazz scene, like Elton DeanFind albums by this artist, Harry MillerFind albums by this artist, Hugh HopperFind albums by this artist, Dudu PukwanaFind albums by this artist and King CrimsonFind albums by this artist members, all of which made a tremendous contribution at their time. The material selected for this album is a superb review / retrospect glance at the finest moments of the scene. This album is the second release on the new Jazz NowFind albums on this label label, created by the same people who run the splendid Jazz In BritainFind albums on this label label, which produced an impressive series of brilliant albums, which document the development of British Jazz in past decades. Obviously the new label is meant to document contemporary British Jazz. Overall, this is a wonderful tribute album, which offers refreshed versions of compositions by Keith Tippett and other Godfathers of modern British Jazz, splendidly arranged and performed by Figes and the sextet, a great addition to any British Jazz record collection.

Updated: 10/07/2024Posted: 10/07/2024

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KEVIN FIGES / JULIE TIPPETTS ~ HAPPY APPLES SLAM 2117 (Barcode: 5052442026327) ~ UK ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2023 Released: 2024 This is an album by the improvising British duo of saxophonist / flautist / composer Kevin FigesFind albums by this artist and vocalist extraordinaire Julie TippettsFind albums by this artist. The album presents fifteen spontaneously improvised pieces by the duo, recorded during a single session. This magical encounter between two improvisers creates a brief glimpse into the mind of one of the most extraordinary British Avant-Garde, but also Jazz and Pop musicians, the one and only Julie Tippetts, whom I had the life-long pleasure to follow closely, in her many incarnations and musical personae, always with awe and admiration. Tippetts is probably the most thrilling example of musical transformation, from a Pop Diva into an Avant-Garde groundbreaking innovator, and her courage and ingenuity remains simply unchallenged by any other vocalist. The music on this album is, as always, completely unique, yet at the same time consistent with her stylistic approach to human voice / vocalese / producing sound, which she practices since several decades. This duo is especially effective, as her rapport with Figes seems to be completely symbiotic, and together they are able to create music, which compliments their talents perfectly. As unearthly and weird this music might appear at the first glance, it is less radical and estranged than “usual”, which might result in a much wider accessibility than her earlier recordings. But of course I am the last person on earth to estimate how this music might sound to anybody besides myself, being completely non-objective and biased, since I am totally enchanted by its magic, which is a sublime example of the “Art of the Duo”. Overall, this is as unusual as music gets, full of superb vocal and instrumental sounds blended together into an unwinding story, which takes the listener to uncharted territory of aural experiences. Open-minded music lovers and Tippets admirers will find this as rewarding as always, but hopefully some new listeners will get hooked on this marvelous music. Not to be missed!

Updated: 17/02/2025Posted: 17/02/2025

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KEITH TIPPETT ~ THE MONK WATCHES THE EAGLE DISCUS 102 (Barcode: 5051078984025) ~ UK ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2004 Released: 2020 This is a sensational archive album by British Jazz pianist / composer Keith TippettFind albums by this artist, which presents a live recording of his composition for large choir, solo voice and a two saxophone quartets, with lyrics by Julie TippettsFind albums by this artist. The work was commissioned for the 2004 edition of the Norwich and Norfolk Festival and was premiered that year at the Norwich Cathedral where it was also recorded for broadcast by the BBC. Tippett conducted the performance, which included Julie Tippetts on solo vocals, the BBC SingersFind albums by this artist choir, an improvising saxophone quartet comprising of Paul DunmallFind albums by this artist, Kevin FigesFind albums by this artist, Ben WaghornFind albums by this artist and Chris BiscoeFind albums by this artist, and also the Apollo Saxophone QuartetFind albums by this artist. The music is every bit as innovative, far-reaching and groundbreaking as the rest of Tippett´s musical legacy and this posthumous release expands even further the scope of his musical vision, which encompassed enormous variety of works between solo piano music to extremely large ensembles like CentipedeFind albums by this artist or smaller ensembles like ArkFind albums by this artist, and stylistically spanning various Avant-Garde sub-genres between Improvised Music, via Free Jazz to contemporary Classical Music, rubbing shoulders with Progressive Jazz and Art Pop. Most of the body of this work is performed by the choir, which often sounds like an instrument rather than a choir, resembling choral works of 20th Century Classical composers like Henryk GoreckiFind albums by this artist, György LigetiFind albums by this artist and Krzysztof PendereckiFind albums by this artist to mention just the most audacious ones. When accompanied by the saxophone quartets, one supporting the music harmoniously and the other spicing the proceeding with intensive improvisations, the music offers several climaxes, which mark the transitions between the consecutive sections of the entire composition. It is not surprising to see Julie Tippetts taking a major part in this project, like she did in so many of his endeavors over the years. Her vocal performances are the focal point of this music and her improvised soloing should remind everybody of her incredible abilities from the first moment she arrived on the music scene as a Pop star and throughout her transformation as a highly idiosyncratic Avant-Gardist. The presence of Dunmall and Biscoe, two of the British Jazz most significant veteran saxophonists, adds additional quality to the rich tapestry of sounds and aural stimuli. Overall this album is an absolutely essential piece of the puzzle, which Tippett managed to create during his lifetime, and perhaps even one of the most inspired of his works. As usual Martin ArcherFind albums by this artist and his DiscusFind albums on this label label manage to bring an essential piece of the British Culture back to life, saving it from the imprisonment in the darkness of the BBC vaults (God bless them for recording the music), with a lot of help from Julie. This album is an absolutely essential piece of music in any serious music collection!

Updated: 13/11/2020Posted: 13/11/2020

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