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Martin Archer: Story Tellers
by Duncan Heining
We used to call records like this 'concept albums.' The whole idea soon became a term of derision thanks to Rick Wakeman and others. Nevertheless, let's stick with it for a moment. Martin Archer's Story Tellers is constructed as a series of interlocking vignettes, linked both by certain recurring themes, narrative threads and the attribution of certain functional roles to each of these six musicians. In that sense, you have here what can usefully be seen and heard as a ...
Continue ReadingArcher / Mwamba / Bennett / Fairclough: Sunshine! Quartet
by Glenn Astarita
You never know what path British reedman, multi-instrumentalist Martin Archer will traverse. Whether he's leading orchestral units, freely improvised trios, avant-rock and electronics tinged fare or his recordings with legendary rock and jazz vocalist Julie Tippetts, the artist underscores his experimental implementations with the element of surprise. On this quartet date with his fellow countrymen, Archer occasionally interweaves an abstract Birth of the Cool type vibe with forceful mini-motifs, sublime melodies and hearty improvisational sectors. Moreover, each musician contributes one ...
Continue ReadingMartin Archer's Engine Room Favourites: Bad Tidings From Slackwater Drag
by Glenn Astarita
British multi-reedman Martin Archer is a cunning maverick who exploits the seemingly limitless expanse of progressive jazz, electronica and improvisation, evidenced by his hearty discography, performing as a solo artist or when collaborating with many of his peers. Moreover, this large ensemble's second album is influenced by the Chicago, IL based, Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), founded in 1965 by pianist, composer and supreme improviser, Muhal Richard Abrams. AACM yielded modern era icons such as ...
Continue ReadingMartin Archer: Blue Meat, Black Diesel & Engine Room Favourites
by Glenn Astarita
One never knows what direction British multi-reedman Martin Archer will impart as he surges forward in a stealthy world of avant-jazz, electronics, or discombobulated jazz-rock. Hands down, he's one of the more creative musical souls on mother earth. Each new album marks a distinct journey. His fresh outlook and cornucopia of disparate concepts, executed with large and small ensembles--along with several albums collaborating with legendary British vocalist Julie Tippetts--represent a succession of distinguished agendas. Here, Archer's bountiful resourcefulness once again ...
Continue ReadingMartin Archer: Making A Difference, Doing Things Differently
by Duncan Heining
Martin Archer is a one-man music industry. Saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, band-leader and label owner--Archer has made a virtue of doing things differently. From early beginnings in music forty years ago, he has built his label Discus into a catalog that is as fine in quality as it is eclectic in taste and content. Based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire and far from London Jazz Central HQ, his career trajectory offers novel solutions to the problems facing the creative artist, from ...
Continue ReadingRadio Massacre International: Time & Motion
by AAJ Italy Staff
Torna il suono ibrido dei Radio Massacre International. Time & Motion è un doppio album uscito per la Cuneiform Records che aggiunge un tassello in più alla lunga storia del trio britannico dedito a improvvisazioni musicali fra a cavallo fra elettronica d'antan, jazz e rock. Dopo aver dato alle stampe oltre una trentina di album, fra lavori in studio, live e raccolte, la band con Time & Motion dimostra senza troppi imbarazzi che la prolificità con cui ha fin qui ...
Continue ReadingJulie Tippetts / Martin Archer: Ghosts Of Gold
by Glenn Astarita
British vocalist Julie Tippetts' teaming with eminent jazz-rock keyboardist Brian Auger dates back to the late 1960s, featuring her minor-classic covers of works by Bob Dylan and Donovan, among other little gems. Moving forward, she's become a prominent exponent of the European experimental circuit, largely enveloped within her homeland's free-jazz scene. With Ghosts Of Gold, she aligns with the always adventurous, avant-garde and free form artiste Martin Archer, here performing on an arsenal of keys, guitars, percussion instruments, woodwinds and ...
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