Record Reviews

PHIL MINTON / VERYAN WESTON ~ SONGS FROM A PRISON DIARY LEO 196 (Barcode: 5024792019625) ~ UK ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 1991 Released: 1993 This is a criminally little known album by two distinguished British Jazz heroes, vocalist / composer Phil MintonFind albums by this artist and pianist / composer Veryan WestonFind albums by this artist. It presents a brilliant Avant-Garde Jazz cantata for solo voice, choir, piano and percussion, co-composed by Minton and Weston, with lyrics based on poems written in 1943 by Vietnamese leader and statesman Ho Chi MinhFind albums by this artist while he was imprisoned by the Chinese. The music was recorded live at the Church of Saint Paul in Strasbourg with Minton performing the solo vocal parts, Weston playing the piano and Gary HammondFind albums by this artist playing the percussion. The twenty four piece choir called Voices From SomewhereFind albums by this artist, conducted by Mike RaffertyFind albums by this artist, includes British and French singers, among them such renowned Jazz vocalists like Norma WinstoneFind albums by this artist and Maggie NicolsFind albums by this artist. The cantata is divided into eighteen tracks, eight of which are solo / duo / trio unaccompanied vocal improvisations. The music is a wondrous amalgam of Avant-Garde vocal music, Jazz improvisation, choral Church music, Jazz & Poetry and a myriad other idioms, fused together into a powerful statement, that keeps the listener on his toes from start to finish. As much as it is innovative and extraordinary in its approach, at the same time it is deeply rooted in European sacral music, which comes up to the surface from time to time. For people interested in vocal improvised music, this album is a true revelation of course and the solo vocal improvisations are absolutely stunning. But there is also the wonderful singing by Minton, which might be familiar to some listeners from his work with Mike WestbrookFind albums by this artist, the majestic choir parts and the instrumental parts by Weston and Hammond, all performed with obvious devotion and talent. It took me a while to get hold of a copy of this album and a web search amounted to very little artistic assessment of this masterpiece (except for a raving review by Thom JurekFind albums by this artist), which prompted me to write about this album, simply to expose some more people to its importance and beauty. With so much appalling "music" around us these days, taking a glance at forgotten gems is at least a partial solace. For people who are open to musical adventures, this is definitely a way to go. Do yourself a favor a grab a copy, put it in a player and enjoy an interstellar ride into the unknown. This music sounds at times somewhat like the fabulous music by György LigetiFind albums by this artist, which is used in the "2001: A Space Odyssey" soundtrack, so it is definitely appropriate such a journey ;)

Updated: 18/04/2019Posted: 18/04/2019

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MAGGIE NICOLS / MATILDA ROLFSSON / MARK WASTELL ~ SEMIOTIC DRIFT CONFRONT 37 ~ UK ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2023 Released: 2023 This is an album by Improvising Music trio comprising of British vocalist Maggie NicolsFind albums by this artist and multi-instrumentalist Mark WastellFind albums by this artist and Swedish percussionist Matilda RolfssonFind albums by this artist. The album presents one track of improvised music lasting for about thirty-five minutes. The album was released by ConfrontFind albums on this label Recordings, owned by Wastell, which is dedicated almost exclusively to the Improvised Music scene. The music evolves around the vocal expressionism by Nicols, one of the few British Improvised Music vocalists, active since the late 1960’s as one of the pioneers of the genre, with Spontaneous Music EnsembleFind albums by this artist, Keith TippettFind albums by this artist’s CentipedeFind albums by this artist and others. Her recorded legacy is sadly rather limited, which is a great pity, as she is definitely one of the most individual voices of the European Improvised Music scene. The music is as Avant-Garde as one might expect, completely free spirited and unconventional, going back to the first forms of expression available to humans, which were voice and percussive tools. Obviously this is mostly for the highly dedicated audience of Avant-Garde explorations, but the human voice enthusiasts should find this very interesting. Overall, this is a fascinating opportunity to hear Nicols again, which is always a great adventure, and the Improvised Music buffs should be very happy to have this album in their collection. Wastell’s dedication to promote adventurous and uncompromising music is truly admirable.

Updated: 30/06/2025Posted: 30/06/2025

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