Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Julie Tippetts / Martin Archer: Ghosts Of Gold

Julie Tippetts / Martin Archer: Ghosts Of Gold

By Glenn Astarita
September 27, 2009
View read count

Julie Tippetts / Martin Archer: Ghosts Of Gold

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 other implements of the trade.

Archer composed the music between 2007 and 2008, followed by Tippetts poetic text overlays. In a loose sense, the program might be akin to a collection of bizarre fairytales treated with abstract musical treatments. Nonetheless, the album defies rigid classification, which is a good thing. Archer's quaint electronics, bells and a rhythmic heartbeat provide a fluid backdrop for Tippetts spoken word and offbeat scat maneuvers on "Moonshine," while in other regions of scope and sound, the duo ventures into space-rock territory amid ethereal overtones, dappled with the vocalist's bluesy verse and avant, thumb piano progressions.

Uncannily entertaining and intriguing, Archer adds a cinematic flavor to these pieces via his layered synth motifs and otherworldly treatments, but executes a free jazz sax-drenched vibe atop Tippetts' recitals during "Parchment Dust." The duo generates a consortium of polytonal sound-sculpting passages, coated with mood-evoking sentiment and endearing, dreamlike escapades. Continuous sparks of ingenuity serve as the underlying force throughout.

Track Listing

Moonshine; The Bear that Walks at Night; Metamorphic Rocking; Run Another Road; The Winging; The Brink; Parchment Dust; Rainsong; Daydreams & Candel-ligt; Tightrope; The Summons/Brittle Brinstone; The Ghostly Apparition.

Personnel

Martin Archer

saxophone

Julie Tippetts: voice, thumb pianos, seed pod shaker, balinese xylophone; Martin Archer: laptop, sopranino, alto and baritone saxophones, Bb and bass clarinets, recorders, keyboards, harmonium, violin, guitar, bass, drums, percussion.

Album information

Title: Ghosts Of Gold | Year Released: 2009 | Record Label: Discus-Music

PREVIOUS / NEXT

The Winding Shell
< Previous

Summertime Jazz: Still Alive and Swi...
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.