Chris Burn - John Butcher - Rhodri Davies - John Edwards: The First Two Gigs (2002)

Glenn Astarita

Senior Contributor since 1997

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

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Published: February 1, 2002

The world of free-style improvisation can be a lonely place. Music of this ilk may conjure up notions of kindred spirits rehearsing in hidden chambers rich with intimacy, oneness of spirit, and microcosmic frameworks.

On this release, some of these sensibilities come to mind, thanks to the instrumentalists' penetrating exchanges and elusive statements. With their first release as a quartet (after prior affiliations), the band merges edgy (and slightly neurotic) underpinnings with faint trills and micro motifs. Saxophonist John Butcher executes grinding notes, pops and split tones while harpist Rhodri Davies' ethereal voicings seemingly instigate the group's probing and thoroughly conversational mode of attack. The band also pursues geometrically divergent patterns and contrasting tonalities while also utilizing space as a means of redefining previous movements into newfound dialects.

This quartet transports its spellbinding musicality into the comfort and familiarity of your personal space. Recommended.

EMANEM

Track Listing: 1.Low Standard 2.High Standard 3.The Remove 4.Scharlachglut 5.Russelliana 6.Souvenir De Docteur

Personnel: Chris Burn: piano & percussion

Record Label: Emanem
Style: Modern Jazz