John Surman - The Spaces in Between
ARTIST.....: John Surman
TITLE......: The Spaces in Between
LABEL......: ECM
URL........: http://www.johnsurman.com
RIP DATE...: Jul-04-2007
STORE DATE.: Apr-30-2007
GENRE......: Jazz
QUALITY....: VBR / 44.1Hz / Joint-Stereo
SIZE.......: 80,5 MB
Track Listing:
01 - moonlighter 06:25
02 - you never know 05:31
03 - wayfarers all 06:02
04 - now and again 07:31
05 - winter wish 04:35
06 - the spaces in between 08:18
07 - now see! 03:12
08 - mimosa 04:42
09 - hubbub 03:57
10 - where fortune smiles 04:40
11 - leaving the harrow 06:48
─────
61:41 min
Release Notes:
REVIEWAfter a relatively quiet period, this promises to be an
active year for John Surman, starting with this album, a follow-up
to Coruscating (ECM, 1999). It again features Surman on reeds,
plus bassist Chris Laurence and the string quartet Trans4mation.
Ever since Charlie Parker, meetings between jazz and classically
trained musicians have had the potential to be clashes of
incompatible approaches. Not here; this is an unreserved success,
and credit goes to all concerned. Crucially, Surman has not over-
written the string parts, including opportunities for them to
improvise. Trans4mation readily seize those opportunities. They
were fans of SurmanÆs music before coming together to play with
himà and it shows. They display a flexibility that supports and
accommodates the jazz players, never sounding as if they are just
'playing the dots'.
Laurence û himself having experience of orchestral playing plus
decades of working with Surman û plays a pivotal role. Without any
unnecessary embellishments, save a brief solo flurry on ôLeaving
The Harrowö, his bass is the glue that binds everything into a
cohesive whole; a majestic performance. The end result combines
strings with jazz more successfully than ever. In the years since
Coruscating the six musicians have gelled into a proper group.
Naturally, the dominant sound on the album is Surman; switching
between baritone sax, soprano sax and bass clarinet, to give
variety to the soundscape, his flowing melodic playing is as
beguiling as ever. However, the title track features violinist
Rita Manning playing solo; taut and compelling, it acts as the
albumÆs centrepiece and its focus. ôNow See!ö which follows is in
complete contrast, a typically uplifting Surman melody, the type
one whistles after a couple of hearings.
Surman has also recycled several older compositions, the oldest
being ôWhere Fortune Smilesö, first recorded with John McLaughlin
in 1970 when Surman was still a wunderkind. Needless to say, this
version is mellower than that one. ôMimosaö, written for a trio
including oud player Anouar Brahem, still clearly displays Middle
Eastern influences. Impressively, Surman has pulled such seemingly
diverse material together into an album that is totally coherent
and extremely listenable. A triumph.
John Eyles (2007-06-21)
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