ALINA BZEZHINSKA - Inspiration
UBUNTU MUSIC - UBU0008
Alina Bzezhinska - harp; Tony Kofi - tenor & soprano sax; Larry Bartley - bass; Joel Prine - drums
The harp has played a peripheral role in the history of jazz and its leading exponent, Alice Coltrane, left a towering body of work that is still undergoing a much-deserved re-evaluation, but no obvious successors. Into the breach now leaps the fearless Alina Bzezhinska - opening tune ‘Wisdom Eye’ retains the magisterial glissandos that characterised Ms Coltrane’s work, but adds a percussive attack on the strings that is all Alina’s own. ‘Blue Nile’ has become something of an anthem for the cosmic jazz crowd, and it’s so well known and idiosyncratic that despite the passion and reverence apparent in this reading one can’t escape a slight feeling of redundancy. ‘Los Caballos’ is given a suitably equine percussion arrangement, with some unexpected tempo changes matching the original version, and Kofi’s sax a well-judged replacement for the woozy organ on the 1975 ‘Eternity’ album release. Bzezhinska’s originals are open-ended pieces based around pulsing grooves (the unfortunately titled Annoying Semitones) or somber, impressionistic sweeps of colour and texture (Winter Moods, Lemky).
Tony Kofi is a powerful and original voice on both tenor and soprano, and he and big-toned bassist Bartley lend a real gravitas to proceedings throughout - Bartley’s sonorous bowed work on ‘Following A lovely Sky Boat’ is a delight, and Kofi doesn’t shrink from tackling such iconic material as ‘After The Rain’ and ‘Journey In Satchidananda’ - his playing draws inspiration from the towering masters who performed the originals without being overwhelmed by their legacy, reminding us what an enormous, often under-heard asset he is to the UK jazz scene. Together they cook up a real vibe, aided by Joel Prine’s swinging kit work and tastefully deployed percussion; despite it’s acknowledged indebtedness to the source material, this album retains a quirky originality that’s all its own.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
UBUNTU MUSIC - UBU0008
Alina Bzezhinska - harp; Tony Kofi - tenor & soprano sax; Larry Bartley - bass; Joel Prine - drums
The harp has played a peripheral role in the history of jazz and its leading exponent, Alice Coltrane, left a towering body of work that is still undergoing a much-deserved re-evaluation, but no obvious successors. Into the breach now leaps the fearless Alina Bzezhinska - opening tune ‘Wisdom Eye’ retains the magisterial glissandos that characterised Ms Coltrane’s work, but adds a percussive attack on the strings that is all Alina’s own. ‘Blue Nile’ has become something of an anthem for the cosmic jazz crowd, and it’s so well known and idiosyncratic that despite the passion and reverence apparent in this reading one can’t escape a slight feeling of redundancy. ‘Los Caballos’ is given a suitably equine percussion arrangement, with some unexpected tempo changes matching the original version, and Kofi’s sax a well-judged replacement for the woozy organ on the 1975 ‘Eternity’ album release. Bzezhinska’s originals are open-ended pieces based around pulsing grooves (the unfortunately titled Annoying Semitones) or somber, impressionistic sweeps of colour and texture (Winter Moods, Lemky).
Tony Kofi is a powerful and original voice on both tenor and soprano, and he and big-toned bassist Bartley lend a real gravitas to proceedings throughout - Bartley’s sonorous bowed work on ‘Following A lovely Sky Boat’ is a delight, and Kofi doesn’t shrink from tackling such iconic material as ‘After The Rain’ and ‘Journey In Satchidananda’ - his playing draws inspiration from the towering masters who performed the originals without being overwhelmed by their legacy, reminding us what an enormous, often under-heard asset he is to the UK jazz scene. Together they cook up a real vibe, aided by Joel Prine’s swinging kit work and tastefully deployed percussion; despite it’s acknowledged indebtedness to the source material, this album retains a quirky originality that’s all its own.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
