JESSICA RADCLIFFE - Remembrance
Ubuntu UBU0016
Jessica Radcliffe - voice; Tom Dennis - trumpet; Sam James - piano; Joe Downard - bass; Will Glaser - drums; Mark Lockheart - tenor sax, bass clarinet
Marking the centenary of the 1914 war, this project places various written artefacts from that conflict into a contemporary jazz setting. Some of the lyrics have become very familiar - ‘Binyon’s ‘For The Fallen’ is taken as a wistful ECM midtempo, with Radcliffe’s clear toned voice beautifully restrained (and all the more emotive as a result) and some superb interaction from the band, while Owen’s ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ is delivered as a histrionic sprachgesang over a jagged free-improv, and if thankfully falling short of evoking the full horrors of way, does illustrate the perils and rewards of taking a creative risk.
Less readily recognisable are the texts of letters sent back from the front, movingly re-framed over a delicate pulse in ‘Jack Jack’, and an arrangement of ‘By A Bierside’ by neglected composer and Ivor Gurney. Radcliffe is an accomplished composer herself and her original material sits very well alongside the archived lyrics; ‘Mr Anonymous’ has a wonderful trumpet solo from Tom Dennis and an unexpected spoken word interlude, and “I Would Rather Be A Rebel’ provides an effective backdrop for extracts from Emmeline Pankhurst’s speeches.
'Over The Top' is the album's centrepiece, using a collage of music, lyrics and text to create their own commentary upon the terrible events of battle. There are a host of creative touches in the musical arrangements, from the chiming church bell effect at the end of ‘Bierside’ to the re-harmonsiation of ‘The Last Post’ that opens the record, and the band play with tremendous sympathy and sensitivity throughout.
All in all, this is an impressively conceived and realised piece of work from such a young talent, and holds great promise for the future.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
Ubuntu UBU0016
Jessica Radcliffe - voice; Tom Dennis - trumpet; Sam James - piano; Joe Downard - bass; Will Glaser - drums; Mark Lockheart - tenor sax, bass clarinet
Marking the centenary of the 1914 war, this project places various written artefacts from that conflict into a contemporary jazz setting. Some of the lyrics have become very familiar - ‘Binyon’s ‘For The Fallen’ is taken as a wistful ECM midtempo, with Radcliffe’s clear toned voice beautifully restrained (and all the more emotive as a result) and some superb interaction from the band, while Owen’s ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ is delivered as a histrionic sprachgesang over a jagged free-improv, and if thankfully falling short of evoking the full horrors of way, does illustrate the perils and rewards of taking a creative risk.
Less readily recognisable are the texts of letters sent back from the front, movingly re-framed over a delicate pulse in ‘Jack Jack’, and an arrangement of ‘By A Bierside’ by neglected composer and Ivor Gurney. Radcliffe is an accomplished composer herself and her original material sits very well alongside the archived lyrics; ‘Mr Anonymous’ has a wonderful trumpet solo from Tom Dennis and an unexpected spoken word interlude, and “I Would Rather Be A Rebel’ provides an effective backdrop for extracts from Emmeline Pankhurst’s speeches.
'Over The Top' is the album's centrepiece, using a collage of music, lyrics and text to create their own commentary upon the terrible events of battle. There are a host of creative touches in the musical arrangements, from the chiming church bell effect at the end of ‘Bierside’ to the re-harmonsiation of ‘The Last Post’ that opens the record, and the band play with tremendous sympathy and sensitivity throughout.
All in all, this is an impressively conceived and realised piece of work from such a young talent, and holds great promise for the future.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
