a r t i s t : Polar Bear
t i t l e : Peepers
d a t e : 2010
l a b e l : Leaf
c a t : BAY 74CD
s o u r c e : CDDA
g e n r e : Jazz
r l s. d a t e : Feb/2010
t r a c k s : 12
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 63,8 MB
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Categorising Sebastian Rochford poses problems. Jazz is at the
heart of his work, yet his understanding of and engagement
with a wide range of genres are such that it's impossible to
shoehorn his recordings into neat and tidy boxes. Peepers is
RochfordÆs fourth album as the leader and percussionist of the
London-based Polar Bear, alongside collaborators Leafcutter
John, Tom Herbert, Pete Wareham and Mark Lockheart. It
confirms that the unassuming but sharply focused young Scot is
pursuing his muse as openly and as adventurously as possible,
studiously avoiding any straight retreads of his previous work
while letting a distinctive composerÆs voice come to the fore.
More than its predecessors (2004's Dim Lit, 2005's Mercury
Prize-nominated Held On The Tips Of Fingers and 2008Æs Polar
Bear), Peepers sounds very close to a live Polar Bear
performance. The kind of session that has won the group a
diverse audience with exuberant music that opens out into
moments of freewheeling abstraction. Rochford's gift for
melodic writing acquires new depth on this latest venture,
where the music displays both art and pop sensibilities in the
most organic and coherent fashion. I wanted to open the music
up with a different kind of harmony, he says.
Above all there is a sense of completeness in the emotional
sub-text of RochfordÆs writing. Peepers has moments of
unbridled joy like the euphoric Happy For You where the whole
band bounces on a rock beat without resorting to cliche. In
the front line, the two tenor saxophones create prickly,
grainy timbres and also let rip with solos that contrast the
marked difference in tone between the two players. If there is
a certain ruggedness in the way that the instruments come
across in the performance, it is wholly intended. Rochford
insisted on simple working conditions.
ôThe recording process was definitely different this time,ö he
explains. I wanted to record this album as raw and spontaneous
as possible with us just setting up in a room and playing,
with no separation or headphones. I thought this would alter
the way we played together in the studio, hearing how the tone
of our instruments blended naturally like we do in rehearsals
or gigs.
Many of my favourite albums were recorded this way so I wanted
to try it and see. I also wanted to record the tunes when they
were in a more naive state, so I didnÆt give most of the music
to everyone till just before the recording, when we had two
gigs at [north London venue] the Vortex and then two days in
the studio.
Such a relative lack of preparation might unsettle many bands,
but Rochford's desire to challenge himself and his band
members is an essential part of his creative drive. In the
last few years this has produced music that has been widely
acclaimed, including a BBC Jazz Awards Rising Star gong and
the inclusion of Held On The Tips Of Fingers in Jazzwise
magazineÆs 100 Jazz Albums That Shook The World and The
GuardianÆs 1000 Albums To Hear Before You Die. He has
performed with everyone from Joanna MacGregor and Andy
Sheppard, Brian Eno and David Byrne, to Pete Doherty and
Herbie Hancock, and as part of Acoustic Ladyland and Basquiat
Strings, as well as in his own projects Fulborn Teversham,
Room Of Katinas and Big Dave.
If his bandmates provide Seb Rochford with a high degree of
technical and creative skill to help fulfil his artistic
vision, they are also capable of gelling as an ensemble - by
no means an obvious occurrence among virtuoso musicians. Much
of the success of Peepers results from precisely this
cohesion, as well as the freshness of Rochford's writing. The
unsettling crackle that John draws from his laptop on æDrunken
Pharoah' is vividly enhanced by the close harmonising of the
mighty twin tenor sax frontline while the drums and bass keep
a tight lid on the bottom end of the music. Everybody plays
with great attention to sonic detail.
Elsewhere, The Love Didn't Go AnywhereÆ sees Leafcutter John
play guitar on a beautifully loping piece that has the subtle
afterglow of classic Roxy Music, with Bryan Ferry's vocal
replaced by the rapier glide of the two reeds, while Tom
HerbertÆs hefty double bass pounds out concise but penetrating
lines. Interestingly, prior to the sessions, Rochford listened
to a lot of æ60s soul (ôAretha and Marvin Gayeö), an influence
that he has channelled with more guile than is immediately
discernible.
RochfordÆs bandmates have that vital mixture of experience and
youth, maturity and energy that often defines the best
ensembles in improvised music. Tenor saxophonist Mark
Lockheart has been a highly respected player on the British
jazz scene since the early 80s, when he debuted with the
revered big band Loose Tubes. Pete Wareham, the groupÆs other
tenor player, is best known as the leader of Acoustic Ladyland
(in which Rochford also drums). Double bassist Tom Herbert was
also an original member of WarehamÆs band and has racked up a
huge list of credits through his work with anybody from
stellar jazz soloists Andrew McCormack and Finn Peters to
membership of 2009 Mercury prize nominees The Invisible.
Finally, Leafcutter John, who joined Polar Bear following
their debut release, is an irrepressibly open-minded artist
intent on exploring as many novel sound worlds as possible,
while retaining a connection to folk music of the most
ancestral kind. The producer of four solo albums, the
versatility of John's work at any given point is breathtaking.
Perhaps his most significant contribution to Peepers is the
unsettling Middle Eastern influence on Finding Our FeetÆ
(featuring his own recorded vocal), and it's with JohnÆs
influence that Polar BearÆs live performance transcends its
base elements, featuring as it does playful interjections of
noise triggered by games console controllers, and a balloon
soloà
On his accompanists Rochford makes a telling observation. ôOur
friendship is really important to me. If you're friends it
makes a big difference to how you and the music grow. TheyÆre
all open to new things and our friendship means that itÆs
about more than just music. EveryoneÆs coming from a different
place with different influences but can share in the same
concept. ItÆs an exciting thing. It means things can stay
open.ö
Peepers thus stands as another strong document of both Seb
Rochford's development as a bandleader and writer as well as
player. This is a group album that could not have been born
without the strength of character of each musician involved, a
superb, rich whole that is very much more than the sum of its
illustrious parts. ItÆs also about vision. ôThe word peepers
is another way of saying eyes,ö Rochford says mischievously.
ôA musician friend of mine uses it mainly to describe cheeky
ones!
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01-Happy For You [04:09]
02-Bap Bap Bap [02:12]
03-Drunken Pharoah [03:26]
04-The Love Didn't Go Anywhere [07:00]
05-A New Morning Will Come [04:42]
06-Peepers [04:24]
07-Bump [00:38]
08-Scream [00:36]
09-Hope Every Day Is A Happy New Year [04:08]
10-Want To Believe Everything [04:36]
11-Finding Our Feet [06:38]
12-All Here (excluding vinyl edition) [05:50]
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48:19 min