MIKE WESTBROOK ORCHESTRA - Catania
Westbrook Records WR 004
Chris Biscoe, Alan Barnes, Pete Whyman, Alan Wakeman, Chris Caldwell (saxophones); Karen Street (saxophone & accordion); Graham Russell, Dave Plews, Noel Langley, James McMillan (trumpets); Paul Nieman, Adrian Lane, Tracy Holloway (trombones); Andy Grappy (tuba) Frank Schaefer (cello) Pete Saberton (piano); Mike Westbrook (piano) Anthony Kerr (vibraphone) Steve Berry (bass); Peter Fairclough (drums); Kate Westbrook (voice) with guests Phil Minton (voice); Dominique Pifarely (violin) Danilo Terenzi (trombone)
Recorded live in Sicily 1992
This is an extraordinary piece of music making. You can sense the occasion: a warm night in Catania, Sicily, a band on the final night of the three day Mike Westbrook Music Festival, honed and relaxed, at complete ease with the compositions, prepared to play with humour, fervour and panache. The pieces, are a mixture of eclecticism, gentleness, braggadoico and sheer unadulterated Westbrookness. The soloists blaze, the rhythm pulses and the invention soars.
Eclecticism and stubbornness has always been a feature of Westbrook’s music: he resolutely goes his own way. Although the DNA of his music is English with links to John Clare, William Blake and even the Beatles, Westbrook has always shown an affinity to the continent. He is more appreciated in Europe than in the UK. Some of the pieces come from what Westbrook called his European Song Book with settings of poems by Lorca and arrangements of songs by Brecht and Weill.
In describing how the album came about we have the usual story of tapes being hidden in drawers for years. Whatever the truth is, the fact is that the late John Hiseman has done great work with the sound so that we can share in what happened.
The festival was presented by the Associazione Catania Jazz and the Orchestra performed a kind of retrospective with pieces from Westbrook’s albums: Citadel/Room 315, Big Band Rossini, After Smith's Hotel and The European Song Book.
Westbrook has a list of musical achievements that are unique and although he has been influenced by the innovators of the past, his compositions are fiercely individual, shot through with aspects that are peculiarly English and European. At Catania he had the chance to release the soloists and they energetically seize the opportunities: Chris Biscoe sings out the complicated line of Billy Strayhorn’s ‘Lush LIfe’; Alan Barnes improvises expertly on Rossini in ‘Factotum al Bebop’, Chris Biscoe lifts off again on ‘The Toper’s Rant’; Kate Westbrook’s voice is innately suited to ‘Surubaya Johnny’ and ‘Alabama Song’; Pete Saberton’s subtlety on piano as he accompanies and solos on Lorca’s ‘Leñador’ and Alan Wakeman on William Blake’s ‘Long John Brown’ plays as the poet says as though ‘he had a wolf in his stomach’ . Pete Whyman on soprano and Anthony Kerr’s vibes underpin the ducal thoughts on ‘I.D.M.A.T’. The writing for the band throughout is positive and strong and the brass section glistens and is shoutingly exultant particularly on the Ellington piece.
In some ways these two CDs are a summation of Westbrook’s work up to 1992. However, the work still continues. The new band ‘The Uncommon Orchestra’ played at Ronnie Scott’s recently and returned to Catania and Palermo last year.
Reviewed by Jack Kenny
Westbrook Records WR 004
Chris Biscoe, Alan Barnes, Pete Whyman, Alan Wakeman, Chris Caldwell (saxophones); Karen Street (saxophone & accordion); Graham Russell, Dave Plews, Noel Langley, James McMillan (trumpets); Paul Nieman, Adrian Lane, Tracy Holloway (trombones); Andy Grappy (tuba) Frank Schaefer (cello) Pete Saberton (piano); Mike Westbrook (piano) Anthony Kerr (vibraphone) Steve Berry (bass); Peter Fairclough (drums); Kate Westbrook (voice) with guests Phil Minton (voice); Dominique Pifarely (violin) Danilo Terenzi (trombone)
Recorded live in Sicily 1992
This is an extraordinary piece of music making. You can sense the occasion: a warm night in Catania, Sicily, a band on the final night of the three day Mike Westbrook Music Festival, honed and relaxed, at complete ease with the compositions, prepared to play with humour, fervour and panache. The pieces, are a mixture of eclecticism, gentleness, braggadoico and sheer unadulterated Westbrookness. The soloists blaze, the rhythm pulses and the invention soars.
Eclecticism and stubbornness has always been a feature of Westbrook’s music: he resolutely goes his own way. Although the DNA of his music is English with links to John Clare, William Blake and even the Beatles, Westbrook has always shown an affinity to the continent. He is more appreciated in Europe than in the UK. Some of the pieces come from what Westbrook called his European Song Book with settings of poems by Lorca and arrangements of songs by Brecht and Weill.
In describing how the album came about we have the usual story of tapes being hidden in drawers for years. Whatever the truth is, the fact is that the late John Hiseman has done great work with the sound so that we can share in what happened.
The festival was presented by the Associazione Catania Jazz and the Orchestra performed a kind of retrospective with pieces from Westbrook’s albums: Citadel/Room 315, Big Band Rossini, After Smith's Hotel and The European Song Book.
Westbrook has a list of musical achievements that are unique and although he has been influenced by the innovators of the past, his compositions are fiercely individual, shot through with aspects that are peculiarly English and European. At Catania he had the chance to release the soloists and they energetically seize the opportunities: Chris Biscoe sings out the complicated line of Billy Strayhorn’s ‘Lush LIfe’; Alan Barnes improvises expertly on Rossini in ‘Factotum al Bebop’, Chris Biscoe lifts off again on ‘The Toper’s Rant’; Kate Westbrook’s voice is innately suited to ‘Surubaya Johnny’ and ‘Alabama Song’; Pete Saberton’s subtlety on piano as he accompanies and solos on Lorca’s ‘Leñador’ and Alan Wakeman on William Blake’s ‘Long John Brown’ plays as the poet says as though ‘he had a wolf in his stomach’ . Pete Whyman on soprano and Anthony Kerr’s vibes underpin the ducal thoughts on ‘I.D.M.A.T’. The writing for the band throughout is positive and strong and the brass section glistens and is shoutingly exultant particularly on the Ellington piece.
In some ways these two CDs are a summation of Westbrook’s work up to 1992. However, the work still continues. The new band ‘The Uncommon Orchestra’ played at Ronnie Scott’s recently and returned to Catania and Palermo last year.
Reviewed by Jack Kenny
