JULIAN ARGÜELLES - Tetra
Whirlwind Recordings WR4678
Julian Argüelles (soprano & tenor saxophone, celeste); Kit Downes (piano); Sam Lasserson (double bass); James Maddren (drums)
Recorded 18th January 2014
This is a second release in fairly quick succession for Argüelles, having released the superb Let It Be Told on Basho Records just a few months ago with the Frankfurt Radio Big Band. The two recordings could not be more different, in terms of line-up and choice of material, but it is a testament to the saxophonist's talents in bringing diverse musical challenges to the table and indelibly stamping both with his own personality that both are strong contenders for inclusion in my Album of The Year selection.
Whereas Let It Be Told featured the compositions of others, all the material here was penned by Argüelles and written especially for his working quartet, Tetra, and with these specific players in mind. The quartet have toured extensively over a three period and this is much evident in this recording with the compositional framework familiar enough to all, and structurally malleable enough for the four musicians to bend and reshape the music without losing sight of the composer's intentions, as complex as these may be at times.
If pianist Kit Downes and drummer James Maddren were well known to the Argüelles, then Sam Lasserson was a real find. He holds down the rhythm with a superb sense of time, wonderful full and strong tone and as with Maddren, will command attention and set up a composition from his opening solo statement. Downes is a another ubiquitous presence, but for this listener seems to reserve his best work for the albums of others, and confirms this by turning in some of his best recorded work. He provides the perfect support between harmonic and rhythmic duties cementing the relationship with melody lines that shadow or mirror those of the saxophone along with the propulsion provided by bass and drums.
From this secure foundation Argüelles unfurls supple and shifting melodic contours that never quite follow expectations. His two outing on soprano take contrasting routes, with the bustling solos of 'Hurley Burley' counteracted by the serpentine flow of 'Hocus Pocus'. The tenor follows a different path again
from the joyous swing of 'Iron Pyrite' and the tender lyricism of 'Asturias' and the multiphonics that creep in the solo on powerfully stated 'Yada Yada'.
Over the course of an hour, Tetra weave their way through this fresh and invigorating music, and if one stage conceived as a continuous suite by it's composer it is should be noted that the album works it's magic best when listened from start to finish to in one sitting.
All in all a fine way for Julian Argüelles to prepare to bring the year to a close and look forward to 2016. With the two releases under his own name, and the release of the Loose Tubes set Arriving the saxophonist will have had a big impact on the listening of many of us throughout 2015.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
Whirlwind Recordings WR4678
Julian Argüelles (soprano & tenor saxophone, celeste); Kit Downes (piano); Sam Lasserson (double bass); James Maddren (drums)
Recorded 18th January 2014
This is a second release in fairly quick succession for Argüelles, having released the superb Let It Be Told on Basho Records just a few months ago with the Frankfurt Radio Big Band. The two recordings could not be more different, in terms of line-up and choice of material, but it is a testament to the saxophonist's talents in bringing diverse musical challenges to the table and indelibly stamping both with his own personality that both are strong contenders for inclusion in my Album of The Year selection.
Whereas Let It Be Told featured the compositions of others, all the material here was penned by Argüelles and written especially for his working quartet, Tetra, and with these specific players in mind. The quartet have toured extensively over a three period and this is much evident in this recording with the compositional framework familiar enough to all, and structurally malleable enough for the four musicians to bend and reshape the music without losing sight of the composer's intentions, as complex as these may be at times.
If pianist Kit Downes and drummer James Maddren were well known to the Argüelles, then Sam Lasserson was a real find. He holds down the rhythm with a superb sense of time, wonderful full and strong tone and as with Maddren, will command attention and set up a composition from his opening solo statement. Downes is a another ubiquitous presence, but for this listener seems to reserve his best work for the albums of others, and confirms this by turning in some of his best recorded work. He provides the perfect support between harmonic and rhythmic duties cementing the relationship with melody lines that shadow or mirror those of the saxophone along with the propulsion provided by bass and drums.
From this secure foundation Argüelles unfurls supple and shifting melodic contours that never quite follow expectations. His two outing on soprano take contrasting routes, with the bustling solos of 'Hurley Burley' counteracted by the serpentine flow of 'Hocus Pocus'. The tenor follows a different path again
from the joyous swing of 'Iron Pyrite' and the tender lyricism of 'Asturias' and the multiphonics that creep in the solo on powerfully stated 'Yada Yada'.
Over the course of an hour, Tetra weave their way through this fresh and invigorating music, and if one stage conceived as a continuous suite by it's composer it is should be noted that the album works it's magic best when listened from start to finish to in one sitting.
All in all a fine way for Julian Argüelles to prepare to bring the year to a close and look forward to 2016. With the two releases under his own name, and the release of the Loose Tubes set Arriving the saxophonist will have had a big impact on the listening of many of us throughout 2015.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
