Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Charlie Munro: Eastern Horizons

Charlie Munro: Eastern Horizons

By Hrayr Attarian
April 26, 2009
View read count

The statement that jazz music has universal appeal is a well-worn cliché, but like most, a very true one. This is no more evident than in Eastern Horizons, a long out-of-print classic from Australian cellist and multi-reed player Charlie Munro, now available on CD. Recorded in 1967, it is considered to be a landmark of Australian jazz, which is basically a blend of jazz and quintessential American music played by non-Americans, and Eastern music played by Westerners. Such a description might suggest otherwise, Eastern Horizon is anything but a cheesy record.

Although not for purists, Munro—supported by a bottom-heavy bass sound with trombone and percussion—succeeds in producing a compelling work of art where Eastern time signatures, jazz improvisations and Western classical harmonies meld seamlessly. The music is sometimes modal in structure, and occasionally freer in style, but never loses its mellifluousness.

This record has been compared to Pharoah Sanders' Karma (Impulse!, 1969) and Alice Coltrane's Indo-centric recordings. Apart from the fact that all of these recordings draw inspiration from Eastern music, there are very few similarities between them. While Sanders and Coltrane induce the feeling of meditating in a quiet, incense-perfumed temple, Eastern Horizons is more like traveling to, or viewing a film about, exotic locations.

The musical interaction amongst the quartet members eschews the traditional labor division of frontline and rhythm section for a more egalitarian distribution of solos and flights of musical ideas. Munro exhibits equal virtuosity on both reeds and cello, while the others also excel on their respective instruments. The sound of the CD has been impeccably remastered with new notes and photos added to the original booklet liner notes and handsomely reproduced cover art.

An intriguing record with an exotic sound from a part of the world not well known for its jazz, Eastern Horizons rewards and delights with repeated listens.

Track Listing

Islamic Suite; Arch's Groove; Malahari Raga; David; Japanese Love Song; Minimum; When I Look At You; Raised Eyebrows.

Personnel

Charlie Munro

woodwinds

Charlie Munro: bass clarinet, soprano sax, alto sax, tenor sax, flute, cello; Bob McIvor: trombone; Neville Whitehead: bass; Mark Bowden: drums, vibraharp, marimba.

Album information

Title: Eastern Horizons | Year Released: 2009 | Record Label: Votary

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Take Five With James Sudakow
< Previous

Take Five with John Beaty of The Bea...
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make 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.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves 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.