TIM GARLAND – One
EDITION RECORDS: EDN1072
Tim Garland (soprano & tenor sax, additional keyboards&percussion) Asaf Sirkis (drums & percussion) Jason Rebello (piano, Fender Rhodes, Hammond B3 organ & keyboards) Ant Law (nylon string, 12 string, 8 string & acoustic guitars) with guests, Hossam Ramzy (doholla, Egyptian tabla & karkabu) Dionne Bennett (vocals)
Recorded in the UK between June 2015 and January 2016
In this latest release for Edition Records, Tim Garland, with his new band of long-time associates, makes the most powerful and exciting musical statement of his career so far. All his signature passions and predilections are on show here in the nine pieces performed but they are presented with a rhythmic drive and forward momentum – at times bordering on the aggressive- that has been absent from many of his more recent projects.
It would be simplistic to characterise this as a return to the jazz-rock of his formative years, though those tendencies are clearly present in several of the pieces, for his musical intellect rises above the clichés that often define that genre and makes for a body of music that is at once profound and complex as well as being exhilarating to the senses.
The disc opens with a Middle Eastern themed piece employing the percussive skills of guest performer, Hossam Ramzy who in conjunction with the core band lays down an intricate rhythmic patterning that is subsequently enhanced and embellished in the pieces that follow producing a variety of meters that guarantee an unflagging vitality. There being no bass in the line-up this role is shared between Rebello and Law playing at the lower end of their respective compass in a dialogue that imparts added mobility and buoyancy rather than a simple metronomic beat.
There are no weak pieces in the set but worthy of special mention are `Prototype`, a ferocious tune written for Bill Bruford’s band of the same name and featuring a torrid solo for Law’s eight string axe; `Foretold` with its snarling barrage of multi-tracked tenors and `The Gathering Dark`, a sombre lamentation of through composed gravitas in which Garland fashions a line of musical reasoning containing considerable substance: also featured within its framework is a brilliant Rebello acoustic solo, one of the several standout contributions he makes on a variety of keyboards.
In contrast to these weightier pieces Garland gives vent to his pastoral yearnings in the beautiful, song-like ` Bright New Year` in which his soaring soprano recalls the music of his former band, Lammas and the spirit of his orchestral tone poems, `If The Sea Replied` and `Songs To The North Sky`. Also included is an actual song performed by guest vocalist, Dionne Bennett whose strong, soulful voice is perfectly suited to the articulation of a deeply held aversion to the dubious morality of the arms trade. A doleful riff from Garland’s tenor underwrites the tragic theme of war and displacement related by the lyrics. `Pity The Poor Arms Dealer` may seem a bit of an oddity placed as it is amongst these instrumental gems but there can be no denying its passion and conviction as a political statement whether you agree with it or not. All compositions featured including the song lyrics are credited to Garland.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
EDITION RECORDS: EDN1072
Tim Garland (soprano & tenor sax, additional keyboards&percussion) Asaf Sirkis (drums & percussion) Jason Rebello (piano, Fender Rhodes, Hammond B3 organ & keyboards) Ant Law (nylon string, 12 string, 8 string & acoustic guitars) with guests, Hossam Ramzy (doholla, Egyptian tabla & karkabu) Dionne Bennett (vocals)
Recorded in the UK between June 2015 and January 2016
In this latest release for Edition Records, Tim Garland, with his new band of long-time associates, makes the most powerful and exciting musical statement of his career so far. All his signature passions and predilections are on show here in the nine pieces performed but they are presented with a rhythmic drive and forward momentum – at times bordering on the aggressive- that has been absent from many of his more recent projects.
It would be simplistic to characterise this as a return to the jazz-rock of his formative years, though those tendencies are clearly present in several of the pieces, for his musical intellect rises above the clichés that often define that genre and makes for a body of music that is at once profound and complex as well as being exhilarating to the senses.
The disc opens with a Middle Eastern themed piece employing the percussive skills of guest performer, Hossam Ramzy who in conjunction with the core band lays down an intricate rhythmic patterning that is subsequently enhanced and embellished in the pieces that follow producing a variety of meters that guarantee an unflagging vitality. There being no bass in the line-up this role is shared between Rebello and Law playing at the lower end of their respective compass in a dialogue that imparts added mobility and buoyancy rather than a simple metronomic beat.
There are no weak pieces in the set but worthy of special mention are `Prototype`, a ferocious tune written for Bill Bruford’s band of the same name and featuring a torrid solo for Law’s eight string axe; `Foretold` with its snarling barrage of multi-tracked tenors and `The Gathering Dark`, a sombre lamentation of through composed gravitas in which Garland fashions a line of musical reasoning containing considerable substance: also featured within its framework is a brilliant Rebello acoustic solo, one of the several standout contributions he makes on a variety of keyboards.
In contrast to these weightier pieces Garland gives vent to his pastoral yearnings in the beautiful, song-like ` Bright New Year` in which his soaring soprano recalls the music of his former band, Lammas and the spirit of his orchestral tone poems, `If The Sea Replied` and `Songs To The North Sky`. Also included is an actual song performed by guest vocalist, Dionne Bennett whose strong, soulful voice is perfectly suited to the articulation of a deeply held aversion to the dubious morality of the arms trade. A doleful riff from Garland’s tenor underwrites the tragic theme of war and displacement related by the lyrics. `Pity The Poor Arms Dealer` may seem a bit of an oddity placed as it is amongst these instrumental gems but there can be no denying its passion and conviction as a political statement whether you agree with it or not. All compositions featured including the song lyrics are credited to Garland.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
