A Jazz Thread

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‘Farewell To Dogma’ from pianist Victor Gould’s 2018 album ‘Earthlings’, with Tim Warfield soprano saxophone, Dezron Douglas bass and Eric McPherson drums.

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‘The Tale Of Debauchery’ from trumpeter Thomas Marriott’s 2014 album ‘Urban Folklore’, with Orrin Evans piano, Eric Revis bass and Donald Edwards drums.

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‘Song For My Brother’ from bassist Avishai Cohen’s 2013 album ‘Almah’, with Yoram Lachish oboe, Nitai Hershkovitz piano, Ofri Nehemya drums, Yael Shapira cello, Amit Landau viola and Cordelia Hagmann violin.

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‘Development 3’ from the 2020 album ‘Architexture’ by pianist Florian Ross, with Sebastien Gille tenor saxophone, David Helm bass, Fabian Arends drums and the Event Wind Ensemble conducted by Susanne Blumenthal.

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‘Believe, Beleft, Below’ from ‘Live In London (released in 2018, recorded in 2005)

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‘Do The Jangle’ from ‘Goodnight Susie Soho’ (2000)

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A few days late, but here’s the annual commemoration of pianist Esbjorn Svensson, the most important and influential European jazz musicians of his generation, who died 15 years ago in a diving accident. This is ‘A Picture Of Doris Travelling With Boris’ from E.S.T’s 2005 album ‘Viaticum’, with Dan Berglund bass and Magnus Ostrom drums.

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‘Moontide Chorus’ from the 2023 album ‘Since Time Is Gravity’ by bassist Joshua Abrams’ Natural Information Society Community Ensemble. Featuring Ari Brown tenor saxophone, Nick Mazzarella alto saxophone, Mai Sugimoto alto saxophone, Jason Stein clarinet, Ben Lamar Gay cornet, Josh Berman cornet, Mikel Avery drums and Hamid Drake percussion.

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‘Shades Of Dolphy’ from the 2009 album ‘Reminiscence’ by Phil Ranelin and Tribe Renaissance, a collection of live performances recorded between 2002 and 2005. Featuring Ranelin on trombone, Louis Van Taylor bass clarinet, Keith Fiddmont tenor/soprano saxophones, Jinshi Osaki guitar, Ryan Cross bass, Don Littleton drums and Hal ‘Taumbu’ Ector percussion.

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‘Aubade’ from guitarist Tomas Sauter’s 2023 album ‘Treasure Hunt’, with Domenic Landolf tenor saxophone, Luzius Schuler electric piano, Daniel Schlappi bass and Kevin Chesham drums.

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‘Spring’ from the Onur Aymergen Quintet’s 2023 album ‘Lunar’, with Aymergen on guitar, Tolga Bilgin trumpet, Can Cankaya piano, Apostolos Sideris bass and Tugut Alp Bekoglu drums.

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‘Stumble’ from Gilad Hekselman’s 2018 album ‘Ask For Chaos’, with Hekselman on guitars and bass, Aaron Parks electric piano and Kush Abadey drums.

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‘Still, Hidden Meaning’ from bassist Misha Mullov-Abbado's 2017 album ‘Cross-Platform Interchange’, with Sam Rapley tenor saxophone, Matthew Herd alto saxophone, James Davison trumpet, Liam Dunachie electric piano, Scott Chapman drums and Elad Neeman percussion.

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‘Saippuakauppias’ from the 2017 album ‘Can’t Believe, Won’t Believe’ by Henry Lowther’s Still Waters – Lowther on trumpet, Pete Hurt tenor saxophone, Barry Green piano, Dave Green bass and Paul Clarvis drums.

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‘Some Always’ from pianist Gerald Clayton’s 2013 album ‘Life Forum’, with Ambrose Akinmusire trumpet, Dayna Stephens tenor saxophone, Logan Richardson alto saxophone, Gretchen Parlato vocals, Sachal Vasandani vocals, Joe Sanders bass and Justin Brown drums.

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'Mumtaz Mahal' (with fireworks)

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'Agra' (with mosquito)

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I don’t play ‘Inside’, flautist Paul Horn’s extraordinary and beautiful 1969 album of solo flute improvisations recorded at the Taj Mahal very often, but sitting on the patio with a cool drink in the warmth of yesterday evening, it was the perfect accompaniment. I knew a bit about the background to the recording, but this, from Wikipedia, provides some fascinating detail that I was completely unaware of.

“Horn's trip included a visit to the Taj Mahal in Agra. There, he encountered a guard "informally standing on duty" to protect the tombs. Horn wrote: "Quite unexpectedly he bursts forth a vocal 'call' every few minutes to demonstrate the remarkable acoustics emanating from the solid marble dome", which produced a 28-second unbroken echo. The sound captured Horn's interest and left him with the "very faint hope that I might have a chance to play even one note in that remarkable chamber." Horn maintained that it was never his intention to record or make an album inside the Taj Mahal, "it just happened". His original idea was to produce a tape of his flute playing inside the building and play it for himself and some friends.

Shortly after his return to the U.S., Horn became the producer of a documentary film on the Maharishi and Transcendental Meditation which saw him return to India in April 1968. On April 25, during a stop in Agra, he returned to the Taj Mahal. Inside, the tomb guard granted Horn permission to return at 8:30 p.m. that evening, one hour before closing time, so he could play the flute when it was less busy. Horn arrived that evening with his translator Sankar, audio engineer John Archer, and photographer Earl Barton. Horn approached the tomb guard, but realised it was not the same one he had previously met. Archer, not knowing this, proceeded to set up the recording equipment which included a microphone and a portable tape recorder. Initially, the guard told Horn not to play. “But you sing in here, don't you?' I said. 'I sing to God,' he answered very emphatically. 'Well, I play my flute to God,' I said, just as emphatically, and took the flute out of the case and put it together."

With his alto flute assembled, Horn blew a low C note, which "filled the entire room and hung there" as the guard "stood there transfixed". He signalled Archer to start recording and for several minutes played whatever came to his mind. Upon stopping, Horn found the guard smiling and signalled him to give some of his Hindi calls. At closing time, the guard left to do one of his rounds of the building, but allowed Horn and the crew to stay. Horn soon found his arms covered with mosquitoes, but he continued to play. Upon reviewing the recordings at his hotel room, he heard a mosquito fly by the microphone during one of his improvisations. It can be heard around 42 seconds in on "Agra". A firework display as part of a wedding celebration can be heard in the background of "Mumtaz Mahal". At around 11:00 p.m., all the recording tape had been used and Horn left.


This is ‘Prologue/Inside’.

[Tony C]

A range of great stuff for our enjoyment as ever here. ‘A New Hope’ was a particular favourite. Looked up the ‘Be Yourself’ album and it’s very good. Thanks.

[gjw100]

‘One Whicker Wisp’ from the 2018 album ‘Murmur’ by Dakhla Brass – Sophie Stockham alto saxophone, Charlotte Ostafew baritone saxophone, Pete Judge trumpet, Liam Treasure trumpet, Riaan Vosloo bass and Matt Brown drums.

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A version of Wayne Shorter’s ‘Masqualero’ taken from the 2015 album ‘Wildflower’ by the Wild Flower Sextet – Matt Anderson tenor saxophone, Laura Jurd trumpet, Alex Munk guitar, Jamil Sheriff piano, Sam Vicary bass and Sam Gardner drums.

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The title track from the 2019 album ‘Dance Of Venus’ by drummer Sam Gardner’s Samadhi Quintet, featuring Krzystof Urbanski tenor saxophone, Dominic J. Marshall piano, Sam Vicary bass and Sam Bell percussion.

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‘Thalassa Platia’ from the 2019 album ‘Irrationalities’ by bassist Petros Klampanis, with Kristjan Randalu piano and Bodek Janke percussion.

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‘A New Hope’ from the 2023 album ‘Be Yourself’ by pianist Ilario Ferrari accompanied by the Ondanueve String Quartet – Paolo Sasso violin, Andrea Esposito violin, Luigi Tufano viola and Marco Pescosolido cello.

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‘Fly’ from alto saxophonist Hayden Chisholm’s 2015 album ‘Breve’, with John Taylor piano and Matt Penman bass.