Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Musson - Noble - Sanders: Tatterdemalion

6

Musson - Noble - Sanders: Tatterdemalion

By

Sign in to view read count
Musson - Noble - Sanders: Tatterdemalion
Tatterdemalion: the album title refers to someone who wears tattered clothing, a simile that may parallel the unadorned and rather raucous proceedings enacted by this trio's thoroughly "free" approach to jazz improvisation. You won't find pieces that intimate a sea of tranquility. It's more about an in-your-face type workout featuring saxophonist Rachel Musson's hardcore expressionism. However, veteran improvisers, keyboardist Liam Noble and drummer Mark Sanders, oblige Musson's rambunctious and serrated lines with contrapuntal responses and guileful treatments on this wildly explorative outing.

The musicians' high-octane thrust features imaginative three-way dialogues and soaring opuses. But Noble's dark electric piano voicings, occasionally touched-up with distortion, serve as a contrasting agent as he mimics, prods, solos and underscores Musson's gritty choruses. On "The Blue Man," the artists portray a feeding frenzy with energized interactions, abetted by Sanders' rolling rhythms and powerful cymbal hits. This song could loom as a poster for modern era avant expressionism. Yet they do tone it down towards the finale with an undulating soundscape atop an asymmetrical pulse.

The musicians' relentless attack could possibly be the output of indulging in highly potent energy drinks. But "The Blanket Feels Wooden" is somewhat subdued and probing, as the trio depicts an unsettling climate accented by Sanders' gently placed cymbals swashes and Noble's phased keys work, casting notions of a nomadic progression into an abyss.

Indeed, this album is not for the faint of heart. It's an implosion of rapidly executed improvisational tactics and on-the-fly theme-building amid the garrulous processes, primarily engineered via the artists' notable synergy and anticipation of almost every move.

Track Listing

May Be A Silken Thread; Wheel; The Blue Man; On My Road; Spinning; The Blanket Feels Wooden; You Wear Your Colours And Move.

Personnel

Rachel Musson
saxophone, tenor

Rachel Musson: saxophones; Liam Noble: keyboard; Mark Sanders: drums.

Album information

Title: Tatterdemalion | Year Released: 2013 | Record Label: Babel Label

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris
Candid
Sunny Five
Inside Colours Live
Julie Sassoon

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.