JIM RATTIGAN'S PAVILLON - Strong Tea
Pavillon 002
Jim Rattigan - french horn; Martin Speake - alto sax; Andy Panayi - tenor sax; Mick Foster - baritone sax; Percy Pursglove - trumpet & flugel; Steve Fishwick - trumpet; Robbie Robson - trumpet; Jeremy price - tenor trombone; Sarah Williams - bass trombone; Hans Koller - piano; Dave Whitford - bass; Gene Calderazzo - drums
Despite the best efforts of Julius Watkins and Gunther Schuller, the french horn has only tentatively established itself as a voice in jazz - it’s presence usually denoting a more sedate, Third Stream approach to the music. From the opening moments of ‘Parkwood Fair’, it’s clear that nothing of the kind is happening here - thanks to Whitford’s insistent, sonorous bass and Calderazzo’s edgy, explosive drumming, the mood is powerful and portentous.
Rattigan’s horn, heard solo over the pulsing rhythm section, has the flexibility and attack more associated with trombone - when the rest of the horns enter, it’s with unexpected stabs and punches, leading to an almost riotous swing, like an amalgam of George Russel, Charles Mingus and Frank Zappa. ‘Dulwich park’ has a more sunny, midtempo traditional swing-band feel, but the world-class horn section have an appealingly strident, urgent quality that keeps away the enervating smoothness that sometimes besets contemporary big-band writing. Panayi shows why he’s one of our best saxophone stylists in a solo that’s both wide-ranging and swinging - the splendidly named Pecy Pursglove follows with aplomb on flugel. ‘Strong Tea’ picks up the pace, with Whitford and Calderazzo swinging away under powerful contributions from Fishwick and Speake and generating some impressive heat that effortlessly carries the weight of the closely arranged band sections. “Won Over The Eight” has a cartoonish, nocturnal 6/8 that provides a vehicle for Rattigan to show what he can do on the horn; here the mellowness of the tone perhaps doesn’t quite cut through the louder passages. ’24/7’ has an afro-cuban 12/8 feel, some more bravura horn charts and great solos from Foster, Robson, and especially trombonist Jeremy Price - it sounds a little like Zappa’s ‘Grand Wazoo’.
The whole album has a clean but exciting live sound courtesy of a great recording at the Fishmarket by engineer Ben Lamdin and producer Alex Bonney. This is a great band playing some really exciting arrangements and you should catch them live if you have a chance.
For tour dates visit http://jimrattigan.com
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
Pavillon 002
Jim Rattigan - french horn; Martin Speake - alto sax; Andy Panayi - tenor sax; Mick Foster - baritone sax; Percy Pursglove - trumpet & flugel; Steve Fishwick - trumpet; Robbie Robson - trumpet; Jeremy price - tenor trombone; Sarah Williams - bass trombone; Hans Koller - piano; Dave Whitford - bass; Gene Calderazzo - drums
Despite the best efforts of Julius Watkins and Gunther Schuller, the french horn has only tentatively established itself as a voice in jazz - it’s presence usually denoting a more sedate, Third Stream approach to the music. From the opening moments of ‘Parkwood Fair’, it’s clear that nothing of the kind is happening here - thanks to Whitford’s insistent, sonorous bass and Calderazzo’s edgy, explosive drumming, the mood is powerful and portentous.
Rattigan’s horn, heard solo over the pulsing rhythm section, has the flexibility and attack more associated with trombone - when the rest of the horns enter, it’s with unexpected stabs and punches, leading to an almost riotous swing, like an amalgam of George Russel, Charles Mingus and Frank Zappa. ‘Dulwich park’ has a more sunny, midtempo traditional swing-band feel, but the world-class horn section have an appealingly strident, urgent quality that keeps away the enervating smoothness that sometimes besets contemporary big-band writing. Panayi shows why he’s one of our best saxophone stylists in a solo that’s both wide-ranging and swinging - the splendidly named Pecy Pursglove follows with aplomb on flugel. ‘Strong Tea’ picks up the pace, with Whitford and Calderazzo swinging away under powerful contributions from Fishwick and Speake and generating some impressive heat that effortlessly carries the weight of the closely arranged band sections. “Won Over The Eight” has a cartoonish, nocturnal 6/8 that provides a vehicle for Rattigan to show what he can do on the horn; here the mellowness of the tone perhaps doesn’t quite cut through the louder passages. ’24/7’ has an afro-cuban 12/8 feel, some more bravura horn charts and great solos from Foster, Robson, and especially trombonist Jeremy Price - it sounds a little like Zappa’s ‘Grand Wazoo’.
The whole album has a clean but exciting live sound courtesy of a great recording at the Fishmarket by engineer Ben Lamdin and producer Alex Bonney. This is a great band playing some really exciting arrangements and you should catch them live if you have a chance.
For tour dates visit http://jimrattigan.com
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
