BYRON WALLEN - Portrait: Reflections On Belonging
Twilight Jaguar Productions: TJCD3
Byron Wallen: trumpet, flugelhorn, shells, piano, percussion; Rob Luft: guitar; Paul Micheal: bass guitar; Rob Youngs: drums: Richard Olatunde Baker: congas, talking drums; Plumcroft Primary School: vocals
Recorded by Benedic Lamdin at Fish Factory, London.
The liner notes provide a subtitle to this set, ‘reflections of belonging’, and this captures the motivation for Wallen’s collection of tunes. He wanted to take the experience of living in South East London, and convey this. Given the wealth of cultures that share this corner of London, the question of what it means to belong somewhere and where to trace one’s roots – and how these roots spread from different part of the world and join together in this single place – becomes not simply a question of geographical but a deeply personal existential quest. This latter brings his experiences from travelling and playing across Africa and the Middle East together with the musical traditions that can be heard in the Nepalese, Nigerian, Somali and Eastern European that live and work in Wallen’s manor. In addition to the melting-pot of peoples, Wallen is also reflecting on the history of where he lives and in particular the legacy of the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich and its cooperative society carries with it the pioneering spirit of the early Labour Party and the desire to ensure that workers in the Arsenal were able to care for each other, although this does not shy away from tensions of racism in Woolwich; ‘No moons no stars; (track 4) is from Darcus Howe’s documentary about Woolwich. With so many ideas inspiring the music, this could easily have been a set of tunes that were solipsistic and idiosyncratic, and it is to Wallen’s credit that each piece not only looks outward to the community, its history and its values, but also creates immediately accessible and hugely enjoyable songs. Given this emphasis on unity, it is now surprise that this (Wallen’s first release for over a decade) merges different musical styles and also brings in a choir of children from a local Primary school on three of the tracks. ‘Spirit of the Ancestors’, track 8, is an uplifting tune where the chanting of the children is over a loping, funky groove and Wallen’s trumpet bubbles joyfully around the words. On ‘Holler’ the music has a loose and languid Cuban feel, with Wallen’s trumpet sharply defining the tune over a danceable groove.
I liked the way that the tunes are organised so that track 1 is the Epilogue and track 12 is the Prologue, just to emphasise that ways in which history loops around and repeats itself, much like Wallen’s own travels around the globe to return to London. The Royal Arsenal Cooperative Society’s motto of ‘each for all and all for each’ is the title of track 2. But it could easily have been the title of the album because it captures the breadth of musical styles that Wallen’s compositions weave together and his big-hearted response to multicultural Britain in all its messy history.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Twilight Jaguar Productions: TJCD3
Byron Wallen: trumpet, flugelhorn, shells, piano, percussion; Rob Luft: guitar; Paul Micheal: bass guitar; Rob Youngs: drums: Richard Olatunde Baker: congas, talking drums; Plumcroft Primary School: vocals
Recorded by Benedic Lamdin at Fish Factory, London.
The liner notes provide a subtitle to this set, ‘reflections of belonging’, and this captures the motivation for Wallen’s collection of tunes. He wanted to take the experience of living in South East London, and convey this. Given the wealth of cultures that share this corner of London, the question of what it means to belong somewhere and where to trace one’s roots – and how these roots spread from different part of the world and join together in this single place – becomes not simply a question of geographical but a deeply personal existential quest. This latter brings his experiences from travelling and playing across Africa and the Middle East together with the musical traditions that can be heard in the Nepalese, Nigerian, Somali and Eastern European that live and work in Wallen’s manor. In addition to the melting-pot of peoples, Wallen is also reflecting on the history of where he lives and in particular the legacy of the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich and its cooperative society carries with it the pioneering spirit of the early Labour Party and the desire to ensure that workers in the Arsenal were able to care for each other, although this does not shy away from tensions of racism in Woolwich; ‘No moons no stars; (track 4) is from Darcus Howe’s documentary about Woolwich. With so many ideas inspiring the music, this could easily have been a set of tunes that were solipsistic and idiosyncratic, and it is to Wallen’s credit that each piece not only looks outward to the community, its history and its values, but also creates immediately accessible and hugely enjoyable songs. Given this emphasis on unity, it is now surprise that this (Wallen’s first release for over a decade) merges different musical styles and also brings in a choir of children from a local Primary school on three of the tracks. ‘Spirit of the Ancestors’, track 8, is an uplifting tune where the chanting of the children is over a loping, funky groove and Wallen’s trumpet bubbles joyfully around the words. On ‘Holler’ the music has a loose and languid Cuban feel, with Wallen’s trumpet sharply defining the tune over a danceable groove.
I liked the way that the tunes are organised so that track 1 is the Epilogue and track 12 is the Prologue, just to emphasise that ways in which history loops around and repeats itself, much like Wallen’s own travels around the globe to return to London. The Royal Arsenal Cooperative Society’s motto of ‘each for all and all for each’ is the title of track 2. But it could easily have been the title of the album because it captures the breadth of musical styles that Wallen’s compositions weave together and his big-hearted response to multicultural Britain in all its messy history.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
