MARIUS NESET AND THE LONDON SINFONIETTA - Viaduct
(Plus EFG London Jazz Festival Review)
ACT Records 9048-2
Marius Neset (ten, sop) Ivo Neame (pno) Jim Hart (vbs, mari, perc) Peter Eldh (bs) Anton Eger (drs) The London Sinfonietta conducted by Geoffrey Paterson
This is a suite of music in ten parts, conceived and arranged by Marius Neset and recorded at The Air Studios in London during December 2018, after its world premier at The Kongsberg Jazz Festival. It is the second collaboration between the Norwegian saxophonist and the London Sinfonietta following their much acclaimed release of "Snowmelt" ( ACT 9035-2) in 2016. Here he uses his current working quartet from his "Circle Of Chimes" recording (ACT 9038-2) in 2017. It is the fifth release for the thirty four year old leader under his own name, although he has appeared on many albums by others including the award winning "EST Symphony" with The Stockholm Philharmonic. He is able to take the saxophone to the furthest edges of its capabilities using sheer power or the lightest of touches, both of which are equally within his remit. The supporting quartet is also of the highest class. Ivo Neame is one of the UK's most talented contemporary pianists, his compatriot Jim Hart, who also plays with "The Cloudmakers" is a leading player on the European scene across all of his percussive instruments. From Sweden the bassist and producer Petter Eldh is a fine creative player who has worked with the likes of "Enja"and Kit Downes, alongside the excellent ex "Phronesis" drummer Anton Eger. All this fits very well alongside the nineteen piece sinfonietta led by Geoffrey Paterson which was founded in 1968 and is now one of the foremost contemporary chamber orchestras in Europe.
The suite, which is continuous on the album, runs for sixty five minutes, and is divided into parts one and two with further sub sections of six in part one and four in part two. It is a truly wonderful listen, as long as you give it your full attention. There is a broad sweep of orchestral sounds from the sinfonietta, sometimes symphonic and sometimes cinematic in nature. Its an ever changing panorama of sound with dark passages at times transposed with periods of both dramatic urgency and almost lush calm. The five jazz musicians emerge from the mix to produce stunning solos, to provide the character and direction of the music, but they are not alone as occasionally players from the orchestra are also showcased in solo mode always showing their own jazz sensibilities.
All this was brought to life at the EFG London Jazz Festival on Thursday 21st November. It was the first performance in the capital during their UK tour for the quintet and orchestra in the nine hundred seat Queen Elizabeth Hall at The Southbank Centre on the banks of the Thames. Sometimes a live performance is almost a carbon copy of a recording, perhaps it is supposed to be. However on this occasion it was much more than that with an uplifting brightness and sense of purpose that kept the near capacity audience on the edge of their seats for the whole performance. A viaduct, as we know, is a series of bridges bringing two or more destinations together. In this regard the suite was very well named as it fused contemporary jazz with the modern sound one of the most forward thinking orchestras of our time, or as The New York Times recently commentated about the sinfonietta "These people do not do nostalgia". Its part one of the piece that is the more symphonic in nature and driven by the classical musicians with interjections from the quintet containing raging solos from both the leaders soprano and tenor saxophones. It was startling music in the extreme for the most part with calming passages from the six violins from time to time, a high point being a wonderful unaccompanied exchange between lead violinist Jonathan Morton and jazz bassist Peter Eldh.
After the very briefest of interludes it was over to the cinematic style of part two, traces of Messiaen and Bartok from part one being replaced by overtones of Bernstein, Gershwin at times even Busby Berkeley. The quintet were awarded far more solo space, plus the jazz interaction with members of the ensemble became ever more frequent. Ivo Neame's piano interlude accompanied by the string section was nothing less than majestic. Applause during symphonic works is of course frowned upon in polite society, but most audience members could not contain themselves following a lengthy and stunning outing on vibes from the highly talented Jim Hart whose impact during the whole performance had been a key element. The temperature rose even further as the leaders final solo reached epic proportions during the closing segment with the sinfonietta at full throttle before the whole auditorium was expertly thrown into complete darkness on the final screaming note faded from the tenor saxophone. The standing ovation that followed was at a level very seldom experienced, it seemed that it would never stop. Of course it eventually did to be followed by Marius thanking everyone for their stunning contributions, a concluding bonus number led by the quintet, plus even more ovations for all. It had been a night that will live long in the memory for many, not easy music by any means, but proof that modern jazz and contemporary classical music can live harmoniously together and are in the very best of hands.
Reviewed by Jim Burlong
(Plus EFG London Jazz Festival Review)
ACT Records 9048-2
Marius Neset (ten, sop) Ivo Neame (pno) Jim Hart (vbs, mari, perc) Peter Eldh (bs) Anton Eger (drs) The London Sinfonietta conducted by Geoffrey Paterson
This is a suite of music in ten parts, conceived and arranged by Marius Neset and recorded at The Air Studios in London during December 2018, after its world premier at The Kongsberg Jazz Festival. It is the second collaboration between the Norwegian saxophonist and the London Sinfonietta following their much acclaimed release of "Snowmelt" ( ACT 9035-2) in 2016. Here he uses his current working quartet from his "Circle Of Chimes" recording (ACT 9038-2) in 2017. It is the fifth release for the thirty four year old leader under his own name, although he has appeared on many albums by others including the award winning "EST Symphony" with The Stockholm Philharmonic. He is able to take the saxophone to the furthest edges of its capabilities using sheer power or the lightest of touches, both of which are equally within his remit. The supporting quartet is also of the highest class. Ivo Neame is one of the UK's most talented contemporary pianists, his compatriot Jim Hart, who also plays with "The Cloudmakers" is a leading player on the European scene across all of his percussive instruments. From Sweden the bassist and producer Petter Eldh is a fine creative player who has worked with the likes of "Enja"and Kit Downes, alongside the excellent ex "Phronesis" drummer Anton Eger. All this fits very well alongside the nineteen piece sinfonietta led by Geoffrey Paterson which was founded in 1968 and is now one of the foremost contemporary chamber orchestras in Europe.
The suite, which is continuous on the album, runs for sixty five minutes, and is divided into parts one and two with further sub sections of six in part one and four in part two. It is a truly wonderful listen, as long as you give it your full attention. There is a broad sweep of orchestral sounds from the sinfonietta, sometimes symphonic and sometimes cinematic in nature. Its an ever changing panorama of sound with dark passages at times transposed with periods of both dramatic urgency and almost lush calm. The five jazz musicians emerge from the mix to produce stunning solos, to provide the character and direction of the music, but they are not alone as occasionally players from the orchestra are also showcased in solo mode always showing their own jazz sensibilities.
All this was brought to life at the EFG London Jazz Festival on Thursday 21st November. It was the first performance in the capital during their UK tour for the quintet and orchestra in the nine hundred seat Queen Elizabeth Hall at The Southbank Centre on the banks of the Thames. Sometimes a live performance is almost a carbon copy of a recording, perhaps it is supposed to be. However on this occasion it was much more than that with an uplifting brightness and sense of purpose that kept the near capacity audience on the edge of their seats for the whole performance. A viaduct, as we know, is a series of bridges bringing two or more destinations together. In this regard the suite was very well named as it fused contemporary jazz with the modern sound one of the most forward thinking orchestras of our time, or as The New York Times recently commentated about the sinfonietta "These people do not do nostalgia". Its part one of the piece that is the more symphonic in nature and driven by the classical musicians with interjections from the quintet containing raging solos from both the leaders soprano and tenor saxophones. It was startling music in the extreme for the most part with calming passages from the six violins from time to time, a high point being a wonderful unaccompanied exchange between lead violinist Jonathan Morton and jazz bassist Peter Eldh.
After the very briefest of interludes it was over to the cinematic style of part two, traces of Messiaen and Bartok from part one being replaced by overtones of Bernstein, Gershwin at times even Busby Berkeley. The quintet were awarded far more solo space, plus the jazz interaction with members of the ensemble became ever more frequent. Ivo Neame's piano interlude accompanied by the string section was nothing less than majestic. Applause during symphonic works is of course frowned upon in polite society, but most audience members could not contain themselves following a lengthy and stunning outing on vibes from the highly talented Jim Hart whose impact during the whole performance had been a key element. The temperature rose even further as the leaders final solo reached epic proportions during the closing segment with the sinfonietta at full throttle before the whole auditorium was expertly thrown into complete darkness on the final screaming note faded from the tenor saxophone. The standing ovation that followed was at a level very seldom experienced, it seemed that it would never stop. Of course it eventually did to be followed by Marius thanking everyone for their stunning contributions, a concluding bonus number led by the quintet, plus even more ovations for all. It had been a night that will live long in the memory for many, not easy music by any means, but proof that modern jazz and contemporary classical music can live harmoniously together and are in the very best of hands.
Reviewed by Jim Burlong
