Andy Middleton w/Ralph Towner and Dave Holland: Nomad's Notebook

Straightahead / Mainstream Jazz
premiera polska: 1999-10-10
opakowanie: Jewelcaseowe etui
opis:
multikulti.com:
Już sam tytuł - Nomads Notebook - roztacza aurę braku stabilności, wizję podróży, a nawet włóczęgostwa. Mimo magii wielkich jazzowych nazwisk Ralpha Townera (Oregon) i Dave'a Hollanda (zespół Milesa Davisa) Andy Middleton nie dał usunąć się w cień. To on rozdaje karty i to w każdym z utworów.
I jeszcze coś, co może przekonać niezdecydowanych: ten album nie ma w sobie nic z powierzchownych produkcji współczesnego jazzu.

JazzTimes:
Saxophonist Middleton has assembled a truly stellar band for his third Intuition release. Guitarist and pianist Ralph Towner and bassist Dave Holland pretty much define the soundscapes in which Middleton's compositions unfold-and why not? Their sense of interplay would be ample inspiration for any improviser-and Middleton shows signs of being more than "just any" improviser. Drummer Alan Jones rounds out the core group, which is augmented by the acute percussionist Jamie Haddad on three tracks, two of which also feature Noah Bless on trombone. Middleton finds compositional inspiration in his travels: Afghan caravans, Muslim prayer calls, the Canadian Rockies and Tolkien's mythical Lothlorien are among the starting points for Middleton, who writes in a broadly euphonious harmonic language, with a natural tunefulness that engages the ear with exotic airs, but never strays too far from home.
By Bill Bennett

All About Jazz:
Tenor and soprano saxophonist Andy Middleton’s third disc as a leader is a mixed bag of middle-eastern melodies, jazz-rock fusion (played with acoustic instruments), and pieces that fit comfortably in the modern mainstream of jazz. The unifying element in all of this music is the exemplary musicianship of Middleton and his core band of guitarist and pianist Ralph Towner, bassist Dave Holland, the drums of Alan Jones, with percussion and trombone added on some tracks. They find creative ways of playing the wide variety of material, thereby giving the disc a feeling of wholeness.
Middleton’s moody composition, “Loyalsock,” begins with an ethereal guitar introduction by Towner, leaving room for Holland’s comments and Jones’ shifting accents, which imply rather than explicitly state a pulse. Middleton’s ripe tone on tenor becomes somewhat raspy as his solo progresses, and on this and his other turns, he favors a deliberate development of ideas and interaction with the others. “Lothlorien,” named for a mountain in the Canadian Rockies, is a reflective ballad that becomes more insistent without shattering the mood. Middleton’s tenor mixes strength and sensitivity, and Jones offers a thrashing, polyrhythmic solo over a vamp and continues in this vein during the restatement of the theme.

Towner’s “Raffish,” one of three of his compositions on the recording, starts with sinister-sounding insistent guitar chords, which evolve into two bright, funky themes. The band improvises collectively and then Middleton unleashes his most impassioned playing on the disc, racing through the changes without dominating, and leaving space for the commentary of Towner, Holland, and Jones.
By DAVID A. ORTHMANN

muzycy:
Andy Middleton: Tenor, Soprano Saxophone
Ralph Towner: Classical, 12 String Guitar, Piano
Dave Holland: Bass
Jamey Haddad: Percussion, Vocals on tracks: 2, 4, 8
Alan Jones: Drums on 2 track

utwory:
1. Loyalsock
2. Kasbah Tadla
3. Mount Rundle
4. Raffish
5. Lothlorien
6. I'll Remember August
7. Lizbet
8. Songs Of Struggle And Songs O Love
9. Simone

wydano: 1999
nagrano: 1999
more info: www.intuition-music.com