SFQ: Thirteen Rectangles (2002)

Glenn Astarita

Senior Contributor since 1997

Longtime contributor to AAJ and Downbeat, Jazz Review, EjazzNews, Radio DirectX.

Recent articles (1,629 total)

Published: December 26, 2002

Long hailed as one of the finest bassist/composers to grace Britain’s always flourishing modern/free jazz arena, Simon H. Fell has released much of his most prolific work on his Bruce’s Fingers label. With this outing, he leads a quintet through fourteen interrelated pieces, distinguished by various degrees of momentum and complex, harmonic formations. As Fell states in the liners, “ The structure of the work is derived from the 1930 painting by Wassily Kandinsky known in English as Thirteen Rectangles. "

Fell and associates implement geometrically inclined themes to coincide with gobs of heated and/or subdued improvisational episodes. The band can also swing, amid abstract doses of traditional jazz concepts and free style opuses. The bassist enables his musical associates with the ability or option to reconfigure themes and time signatures. Fell provides the instrumentalists with a great deal of flexibility – where they can veer off and alter the inherent compositional forms, yet not stray too far off course. This compelling effort should rouse the interests of the avant-gardists, modernists and whomever else might be up for the occasion. (Recommended...)

Bruce’s Fingers

Track Listing: 1.Start Frame + Soft Hard (interpolation 1) 2.Rectangle 1 3. Rectangle 2 4. Rectangle 3 5. Rectangle 4 & 5 6.Rectangle 6 7. Rectangle 7 8.Soft Hard (interpolation 2) 9. Rectangle 8 10. Rectangle 9 11. Rectangle 10 12. Rectangle 11&12 13. Rectangle 13 14.Soft Hard (interpolation 3) + end frame

Personnel: Alex Ward: clarinet

Record Label: Bruce's Fingers
Style: Modern Jazz