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Nat Birchall Sextet: Exaltation / Live In Athens Vol 1
ByBirchall last recorded with his own band in 2019, on the delightful The Storyteller: A Musical Tribute To Yusef Lateef (Jazzman), the first of possibly several tributes which may be released to mark Lateef's centenary in 2021. If so, it will be a hard act to follow. On the album, Birchall added bass clarinet, zurna, argul, balaphon, mbira, gunibri, bells, shakers and guiro to his battery of instruments. On Exaltation / Live In Athens Vol 1 he plays tenor saxophone only.
Exaltation was recorded in late 2018, a few months before The Storyteller was released. Pianist Adam Fairhall and drummer and percussionist Andy Hay are heard on both albums. Seth Bennett replaces bassist Michael Bardon in Athens, where on one of its performances the quartet was joined by the like-minded Greek musicians Harris Lambrakis on ney (Egyptian end-blown flute) and Nikos Sidirokastritis on drums.
The album opens with Lambrakis' "For Michalis," which takes up all of side one of this limited edition LP. It is followed by Birchall's "Exaltation" and "Humility." Birchall takes as his launch pad all but the furthest sonic reaches of mid and late period John Coltrane, and his solos are as gritty as they are seraphic. The album's subtitle suggests a second volume is in the pipeline. Let us hope so. (If you are reading this review, two recent AAJ articles which you may have missed might be of interest. An Alternative Top Ten Yusef Lateef Albums and an interview with Matthew Halsall).
Track Listing
Side One: For Michalis. Side Two: Exaltation; Humility.
Personnel
Nat Birchall
saxophone, tenorHarris Lambrakis
fluteAdam Fairhall
pianoSeth Bennett
bass, acousticNikos Sidirokastritis
drumsAdditional Instrumentation
Nat Birchall: tenor saxophone; Harris Lambrakis: ney; Adam Fairhall: piano; Seth Bennett: bass; Andy Hay: drums, percussion; Nikos Sidirokastritis: drums.
Album information
Title: Exaltation / Live In Athens Vol 1 | Year Released: 2020 | Record Label: Parafono
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About Nat Birchall
Instrument: Saxophone, tenor
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