OxJaMS Trio - Suite of Dreams
SLAM Records: SLAMCD330
George Haslam: baritone saxophone, clarinet and tarogato; Richard Leigh Harris: piano, keyboards; Steve Kershaw: double bass, electronics
The tarogato hailed originally from Eastern Europe and probably even further east and was essentially a shawm, keyless and with a double reed. The modern version invariably has a single reed and is truly more complex, often resembling the soprano saxophone but made of wood, like the clarinet. The instrument’s timbre will often depend on the mouthpiece style and these were often handmade by the musician, but today are more likely to be fashioned like that of a soprano or even a clarinet.
The trio has not changed in the ten years of its life. While George has expressed interest in many musical forms, he began to encompass free improvisation towards the end of the 1960s, but did not lose sight of more conventional forms. Suite of Dreams might be seen as following in this tradition: the suite was conceived as a whole and is presented as recorded, even the sequence as followed on the day. The music is extraordinary and I was never sure where it was next heading or even if it would ever finish. It is completely warm and expansive, imaginative and enchanting and the baritone’s emphatic rendering is both erudite and tireless. It is a spiritual offering that does indeed lead to dreaming.
Reviewed by Ken Cheetham
SLAM Records: SLAMCD330
George Haslam: baritone saxophone, clarinet and tarogato; Richard Leigh Harris: piano, keyboards; Steve Kershaw: double bass, electronics
The tarogato hailed originally from Eastern Europe and probably even further east and was essentially a shawm, keyless and with a double reed. The modern version invariably has a single reed and is truly more complex, often resembling the soprano saxophone but made of wood, like the clarinet. The instrument’s timbre will often depend on the mouthpiece style and these were often handmade by the musician, but today are more likely to be fashioned like that of a soprano or even a clarinet.
The trio has not changed in the ten years of its life. While George has expressed interest in many musical forms, he began to encompass free improvisation towards the end of the 1960s, but did not lose sight of more conventional forms. Suite of Dreams might be seen as following in this tradition: the suite was conceived as a whole and is presented as recorded, even the sequence as followed on the day. The music is extraordinary and I was never sure where it was next heading or even if it would ever finish. It is completely warm and expansive, imaginative and enchanting and the baritone’s emphatic rendering is both erudite and tireless. It is a spiritual offering that does indeed lead to dreaming.
Reviewed by Ken Cheetham
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