Clod Ensemble + Nu Civilisation Orchestra At Barbican Theatre

Clod Ensemble + Nu Civilisation Orchestra
Barbican Theatre
The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady
London
September 19, 2024

We will never know exactly what Charles Mingus meant by the title of his suite The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady (Impulse!, 1963). Indeed, Mingus himself may not have known, though righteous anger was evidentially part of the music, as it was with so much of his work. Mingus declined to articulate any signposts in his 2,500-word sleeve note, other than to say, "I wrote the music for dancing and listening. It is true music with much and many of my meanings."

Mingus' psychiatrist, Edmund Pollock, who was hired at Mingus' request to write a second, somewhat shorter liner note, was careful not to attribute a precise meaning to the album's title. But Pollock surely got close when he said, "There can be no question that [Mingus] is the Black Saint who suffers for his sins and those of mankind as he reflects his deeply religious philosophy... He is also cognizant of a power-dominated and segregated society's impact upon the underdog, the underprivileged and the minority."

It may be that in writing the suite as the score for a dance-work, Mingus was deliberately avoiding having to attempt to capture its meaning in words. Mingus knew that a non-verbal artform such as dance or instrumental music is often more expressive than words, and certainly more profoundly expressive, which is why he only rarely used lyrics in his own music (and when he did, as in the devastatingly effective "Fables Of Faubus," which he first recorded as an instrumental, he used onomatopoeias as well as words found in a dictionary). It may be, too, that this is why Mingus gave the suite's six movements non- descriptive titles, starting with "Track A Solo Dancer" and ending with "Mode F Group And Solo Dance" (with variations in between), along with sometimes enigmatic subtitles, such as "Hearts' Beat And Shades In Physical Embrace," printed in small type below them.

Sometimes The Words Of The Prophet Have Meanings Beyond Even The Prophet's Comprehension

Was Mingus' The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady addressing something personal or political? Again, we will never know, not exactly. But Mingus, in common with so many other Black and mixed race people in the 1960s, and still today in 2024, was in no doubt that the personal is political.

Truth is never one dimensional. History never goes in a straight line. Sometimes the words of the prophet have meanings beyond even the prophet's comprehension. And Mingus knew what he was doing when he composed The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady for non-narrative, non-linear dance.

Which brings us to Clod Ensemble + Nu Civilisation Orchestra's production of the suite. It was first presented at London's Shoreditch Town Hall during the 2023 London Jazz Festival. The 2024 Barbican presentation was a banger. Clod Ensemble, one of Britain's most venturesome contemporary dance companies, was founded in London in 1995 by choreographer Suzy Willson and composer Paul Clark. The relationship between movement and music is at the heart of its work. The shapeshifting Nu Civilisation Orchestra, arguably Britain's most exalted jazz orchestra, was founded in 2008 by its artistic director, Gary Crosby, co-founder of the earthshakingly influential jazz-outreach-project Tomorrow's Warriors and, like Mingus, a bassist. Nu Civilisation Orchestra last appeared at the Barbican Centre in June 2024, performing the early work of Brazilian composer Arthur Verocai, who conducted, in a stunning concert (reviewed here).

For the immersive Barbican show, which was designed to break down the divide between performers and spectators, Barbican Theatre's 1000+ capacity auditorium was reduced to around 300 by screens, transforming the space into a cabaret venue with a bandstand, a large dancefloor in front of it, and a semicircle of seats and tables—and a bar—beyond that.

Willson's Choreographic Style Is Not From Planet Earth. But Jazz Likes Weird

The show ran just short of two hours. The first half presented three pieces—Romarna Campbell's "Let's Lime," Nu Civilisation's music director, Peter Edwards' lush and Duke Ellington-esque "Slow Dance" and Paul Clark's "Cripps Yard." Then there was an interval, followed by the second half, "The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady," played in full (transcribed by Edwards from Mingus' album). During the first half, Clod Ensemble's nineteen dancers (including ten from Rambert Dance Company's school), loosely choreographed, took to the floor, periodically encouraging audience members to join them (plenty did). The mix of professional dancers and audience members was a feature of the second half, too, although most of the time it was Clod Ensemble who now filled the floor, performing Willson's choreography.

Willson's choreographic style is singular and not altogether from planet Earth. Sometimes it strikes classical ballet attitudes, at other times something more novel and extraterrestrial is going on. The flamenco sequences were definitely off-planet. It was flamenco alright, Jane, but not as we know it. Weird. But jazz likes weird. Willson says she did not attempt slavishly to follow the number and sequence of dancers indicated in each of Mingus' six track titles. Instead, she kept returning to the question, "How does the music move?"

Nu Civilisation's eleven-piece lineup matched that on Mingus' album, and was anchored by Crosby and the great American-born, London-based drummer Rod Youngs (Bennie Maupin, Lee Konitz, Gil Scott-Heron, Hugh Masekela). Lead trumpeter Kurt Mayling, trombonist Anoushka Nanguy, baritone saxophonist Aleksandra Topczewska and alto saxophonist Donovan Haffner delivered the original solos with aplomb. But the entire band was on song. (See below for full personnel details.)

In short, the evening was a blast, and something magical.

Nu Civilisation Orchestra

Gary Crosby: bass; Peter Edwards: piano; Aleksandra Topczewska: baritone saxophone, flute; Anoushka Nanguy: trombone; David Kayode: tenor saxophone; Donovan Haffner: alto saxophone; Ed Riches: guitar; Hanna Mbuya: bass trombone, tuba; Joseph Oti: trumpet; Kurt Mayling: lead trumpet; Rod Youngs: drums; Tom Sheen: bass (first half).

Clod Ensemble

Arran Green; Claire Cunningham; Faye Stoeser; Fukiko Takase; Kenny Wing Too Ho; Maycie-Ann St-Louis; Rachele Rapisardi; Valerie Ebuwa; Zoe Bywater. Rambert Students: Ruby Runham (pictured above); Ada Campagnolo; Ashur Cali; Lottie Hawkins; Bella Silverman; Dylan Phillips; Hannah Carey; Leo Rice-Wallen; Olivia Cheung; Radha Singh.

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