Home » Jazz Articles » John Surman
Jazz Articles about John Surman
John Surman - Howard Moody: Rain on the Window
by AAJ Italy Staff
C'è un che di religioso, in questo lavoro discografico di Surman e Moody. E non si tratta (o quantomeno non solo) della presenza dell'organo. E neppure di uno spiritual ("I'm Troubled in Mind") che è entrato anche nel songbook (ammesso che si possa dire così) della tradizione cattolica italiana. E', piuttosto, la rigorosa austerità, il severo autocontrollo che permea tutta la musica dell'album, a darci questa dimensione religiosa. Quasi che l'abbandono improvvisativo, il guizzo nervoso, lo squarcio libertario di certe ...
Continue ReadingJohn Surman: The Spaces in Between
by Budd Kopman
The sumptuous and moving The Spaces in Between represents eight years of growth--not only for multi-reedman/composer John Surman, but also the string quartet Trans4mation, as it originally appeared on Coruscating (ECM, 1999). Bassist Chris Laurence is the link between the two worlds of jazz and classical music, having worked with Surman for more than thirty years, but who has also played in the classical field, working with many musicians, among them the players that came together as ...
Continue ReadingJohn Surman: The Spaces in Between
by John Kelman
One challenge facing many musicians is the documentation of widespread musical interests. More often than not, artists engage in projects that are heard in performance, perhaps on a radio broadcast, but then never again. Sometimes ongoing projects are documented, but only once, as is the case with British woodwind multi-instrumentalist John Surman's superb Stranger Than Fiction (ECM, 1994)--the only commercial recording featuring his longstanding quartet of pianist John Taylor, bassist Chris Laurence and drummer John Marshall.
Making it good news ...
Continue ReadingJohn Surman: The Spaces in Between
by AAJ Italy Staff
Per questa sua ultima fatica discografica, John Surman sceglie una formazione cameristica: il fido Chris Laurence al contrabbasso, ed un quartetto d'archi. Una configurazione strumentale già sperimentata qualche anno addietro in Coruscating (registrato sempre per l'ECM nel 1999), e che permette al sassofonista inglese di dare spazio alla sua vena meno jazzistica, quella più “classica” ed intimista. Quella, per intenderci, che ha sempre caratterizzato certe sue sperimentazioni in solo con l'ausilio dell'elettronica. In scaletta, troviamo prevalentemente brani già pubblicati e ...
Continue ReadingJohn Surman: How Many Clouds Can You See?
by John Kelman
While woodwind multi-instrumentalist John Surman's eponymous debut was a strange mixture of everything from free improvisation to calypso, his second date, 1970's How Many Clouds Can You See?, is a much more focused affair. Surman clearly references one of his roots, John Coltrane, albeit on an instrument that the legendary saxophonist never played.
Surman plays bass clarinet and soprano saxophone, but the baritone has always been his main axe. Here he uses it to put a personal spin on music ...
Continue ReadingJohn Surman / John Warren: Tales of the Algonquin
by Marc Medwin
Much was in the air in early-'70s British music, where various configurations explored the fringes of tradition while maintaining allegiance to fixed forms. Tales of the Algonquin exemplifies the times perfectly. One complaint: the audio is only passable. (But if this transfer was taken from an LP, the stunted sound is understandable.)In any case, John Warren's music more than compensates for any sonic flaws. “With Terry's Help slides and swells in, regal but anticipatory, soon kicking into a ...
Continue ReadingJohn Surman/John Warren: Tales of the Algonquin
by John Kelman
As in most European countries, jazz in Britain prior to the '60s was largely a copycat of its American counterparts. But with the emergence of artists like trumpeters Harry Beckett and Kenny Wheeler, bassists Graham Collier and Harry Miller, and saxophonists Stan Sulzmann and Alan Skidmore, a very specific yet remarkably diverse complexion began to emerge. From his emergence in the mid-'60s to 1971, baritone/soprano saxophonist John Surman appeared on nearly forty recordings, including some that would ultimately ...
Continue Reading
