Home » Jazz Articles » Extended Analysis » Barry Guy New Orchestra: Barry Guy New Orchestra: Amphi ...

9

Barry Guy New Orchestra: Barry Guy New Orchestra: Amphi - Radio Rondo

By

Sign in to view read count
Barry Guy New Orchestra: Barry Guy New Orchestra: Amphi - Radio Rondo
One of the most noteworthy releases of 2013 was the Barry Guy New Orchestra's Mad Dogs (Not Two), a five disc compendium which collected largely freeform meetings between various subsets of the 11-piece company during their 2010 residency in Krakow. However even that copious set offered only a partial view of the Orchestra's range, a deficiency filled by the issue of Amphi + Radio Rondo which should perhaps be seen as a companion piece. Recorded in St Johann in Tirol, Austria in 2013, the session showcases the BGNO's rendition of the two titular charts by the British bassist. Renowned as a composer who makes space for improvisation an integral part of his charts, Guy has followed the template established with Inscape—Tableaux (Intakt, 2001) and Oort—Entropy (Intakt, 2005) by retooling existing works specifically for the BGNO. Influenced by contemporary classicism as much as jazz, the end result is unique to Guy.

"Amphi," which features Guy's partner and baroque violinist Maya Homburger, is based upon the title suite from the couple's marvelous Tales of Enchantment (Intakt, 2012). As such it still retains a chamber ambience, as members of the Orchestra interact with the lightly strung baroque violin in a series of volatile but rigorously controlled encounters, though rarely with the whole group playing at the same time. Standout sections include the alternating unisons and freewheeling exchanges between Homburger and Hans Koch's bass clarinet in which he deploys a stunning assortment of voice-like trills and shrieks, as well as a passage of austere hymn-like beauty for bass and violin. In a virtuoso performance, Homburger makes her violin sing, soar, creak, and even whistle as the track concludes with the highest notes of the violin blending with Paul Lytton's scraped cymbals.

"Radio Rondo" forms a distinct contrast to the opening cut. Although much more orchestral, a similar interchange between the soloist and elements of the ensemble ensues. It first appeared on the album of the same name (Intakt, 2009) by the London Jazz Composers Orchestra, as a showcase for Swiss pianist Irene Schweizer. In this new version for the BGNO, Catalan pianist Agusti Fernandez takes center stage. Behind the title lay the idea that the band had been traveling around the globe since the last concert of the LJCO some ten years previously and their music had been circulating across the world's airwaves. That concept informs the tremendous opening tutti which erupts from nothing, as if a radio has been turned on to reveal the band in mid expression.

Those chaotic blasts of conglomerated mayhem figure as a repeating motif throughout the proceedings, until the conclusion when everything comes to an abrupt halt, as if the radio has been switched off. In between Fernandez ranges from Cecil Taylor like pan tonal verve, to bursts of melancholic lyricism, by way of percussive attack inside the guts of the piano. High points include the pianist's headlong dash with Evan Parker's tenor saxophone, recalling their compelling interplay on The Voice Is One (Not Two, 2012), a sequence of darting arpeggios shared with Jurg Wickihalder's tart alto saxophone, and a stand off with the volcanic baritone saxophone of Mats Gustafsson.

Guy begs the question of what an improvising ensemble in the 21st century can be and provides an answer which satisfies both the head and heart: cerebral yet packing a visceral punch.

Track Listing

Amphi; Radio Rondo.

Personnel

Barry Guy: bass, director; Agustí Fernández: piano; Maya Homburger: Baroque violin on «Amphi»; Evan Parker: saxophone; Jürg Wickihalder: saxophone; Mats Gustafsson: saxophone, fluteophone; Hans Koch: bass clarinet; Herb Robertson: trumpet; Johannes Bauer: trombone; Per Åke Holmlander: tuba; Paul Lytton: percussion; Raymond Strid: percussion.

Album information

Title: Barry Guy New Orchestra: Amphi - Radio Rondo | Year Released: 2014 | Record Label: Intakt Records

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

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

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.