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"HiGH ▀ iNTELLiGeNCE tRoLLS"
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a r t i s t : Jon Lloyd
t i t l e : Praxis
d a t e : 1998
l a b e l : FMR
g e n r e : Jazz
r l s. d a t e : Jul-2004
t r a c k s : 04
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 102,1 MB
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Avant
Jon Lloyd Sextet Praxis (FMR CD40-V0198)
Jon Lloyd - Alto and Soprano Saxophones; Marc Stutz Boukouya
- Trombone; Aleks Kolkowski - Violin; Stanley Alder -
Cello; John Edwards - Bass; Mark Saunders - Drums
Lloyd's previous quartet CDs featured the assertively muscular
bass playing of Paul Rogers, and unsurprisingly, they were
often terrifically propulsive and thickly textured. His
replacement, Tim Wells, though less forceful, has had a big
impact on the group sound. More of an orchestral player than
Rogers, he gravitates towards different musicians at different
times and supports their efforts brilliantly. Though Lloyd
provides all but one of the compositions on By Confusion (Eric
Dolby's 'Straight Up and Down'), this is a democratic unit: the
musicians are given equal prominenve in the mix, and Lloyd and
Law don't hog the limelight.
As if to set the tone of what is to come, Wells begins the
first track alone, plunking out the rhythm to '3:2'. The other
musicians join him to tackle the angular theme, and Lloyd's
solo expands on its melodic contours. He worries at phrases,
pulling them apart to see how they work and then putting them
back together slightly differently - a process of gradual
refinement. Essentially his approach is linear, even if the
lines he plays are as jagged as the west coast of Scotland.
This ties in beautifully with Law, who is also a linear player
and just as harmonically adventurous. Wells and Sanders
provide a surging free-style mesh, simultaneously soloistic and
supportive, and the group builds up a powerful head of steam.
Add a couple of instruments to the tightly focused sound of the
quartet. The result? Well, you'd expect powerful unison
lines, a thickening of texture, more complex harmonies, and
greater interaction between players. But Praxis is nothing
like that. In fact the opposite is true: the musicians rarely
unite except to address the theme or one of its developmental
phases, and solos are often unaccompanied. Piano has been
replaced by cello, and less emphasis is placed on chordal
relationships. Interestingly, the theme(s) punctuate the
soloistic episodes in the music and bind them together, but
they don't provide material for the soloists to build on. If
anything, once stated they're ignored. Whether this is a
deliberate compositional strategy I can't say. Effectively it
means that every moment in the music is as capable of surprise
as the best free improvisation, but without hte risk of sprawl
or tedium.
Highlights abound, but one or two are worth singling out: a
wonderful microtonal string trio improvisation, a brief
cartoonish episode which begins some twenty four minutes into
Part 1 (imagine Tom pounding Jerry on the head with a saucepan,
and Jerry whacking Tom on the shins with a baseball bat, while
both stagger round in a tight circle), and a sublime moment in
Part 2 where, after a lengthy trombone solo, the other players
slide in to play a snake-hipped swaying blues.
This is a jazz-based music without licks or longueurs - quite a
rarity, in other words. By Confusion and Praxis confirm what
Lloyd's earlier discs suggested: great originality and,
perhaps, a touch of genius.
Taken from Brian Marley in Avant
Rubberneck 27
Jon Lloyd Sextet, Praxis (Future Music Records FMR
CD47-V0198 CD)
Saxophonist Jon Lloyd gets better every time I hear him. This
current sextet recording is a lengthy part composed/part
improvised suite with an unusual line-up of saxophone,
trombone, violin, cello, bass and percussion. Improvisation
and composition are for the most part blended seamlessly, which
makes the few occasions when one or other dominate a pleasant
surprise. The improvised sections are extremely disciplined;
they don't waste notes, and this allows a sense of timelessness
and space to infiltrate the music making. Often the music is
slow and quiet but wonderfully there are even examples of that
rare commodity, improvisors playing fast quietly! The music
mostly operates in a more or less classical chamber music
soundworld; this is in part due to the excellent playing of
violinist Aleks Kolkowski and cellist Stan Adler.
Percussionist Mark Sanders, for once out of the rhythmic
driving seat, is unusually laid back and provides a panoply of
intriguing sounds. Perhaps the most refreshing aspect is the
comfortable way in which they operate within what is broadly a
tonal language. Tonality is often a rarity in free
improvisation and it is pleasing to hear a group using it so
constuctively away from jazz influences. This is a
delightfully thoughtful piece of music making from a group of
highly articulate musicians.
Taken from Bruce Coates in Rubberneck 27
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01-Part 1: Section 1 [12:52]
02-Part 1: Section 2 [15:55]
03-Part 2: Section 3 [16:32]
04-Part 2: Section 4 [13:39]
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58:58 min
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