Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Neil Ardley: Kaleidoscope Of Rainbows Live '75
Neil Ardley: Kaleidoscope Of Rainbows Live '75
ByArdley conceived the piece as the final part of a trilogy which began with the albums Greek Variations (Decca, 1970) and A Symphony Of Amaranths (Regal Zonophone, 1972). It takes a small element of musicin this case a five note Balinese scaleand expands it into a large construction. In his liner notes for the studio recording, Ardley wrote that he was intent on "integrating the warmth and individual feeling of improvised music with the formal beauty of composition to the benefit of both." Ardley was, of course, aware of other musicians' work and that is, perhaps, reflected on both Kaleidoscope albums' occasional intersections with Miles Davis' In A Silent Way (Columbia, 1969) and Bitches Brew (Columbia, 1970) and Terry Riley's In C (Columbia, 1968) and A Rainbow In Curved Air (Columbia, 1969). But Ardley's genius is his own and it is not compromised by such resonances.
The band is built around trumpeter Ian Carr's NucleusCarr, electric guitarist Kenny Shaw, electric pianist and synthesist Geoff Castle, drummer Roger Sellers, saxophonist Bob Bertles and bass guitarist Roger Suttonaugmented by saxophonists Brian Smith, Tony Coe and Barbara Thompson, electric pianist and synthesist Dave MacRae, cellist Paul Buckmaster and percussionist Trevor Tomkins. The 1976 album listed the soloists but, sadly, the new release omits them. With four saxophonists and two electric pianists, it would be good to know who is featured on which tune. Thompson's soprano saxophone solo on "Rainbow 4" on the studio album is one of the loveliest jazz solos you will ever hear on any instrument. That almost once in a lifetime experience is never quite equalled on the live album, but there are entrancing solos on trumpet (Carr), clarinet (Coe), electric guitar (Shaw), electric piano, flute and tenor saxophone.
Kaleidoscope Of Rainbows presented a seven-piece suite topped and tailed by a prologue and an epilogue. Kaleidoscope Of Rainbows Live '75 presents a nine-piece suite, with an intro, a prologue, an epilogue and an outro, and also with five interludes. Some of the "Rainbow"s are considerably longer than the studio versions, partly to accommodate extended solos. The live "Rainbow 1," for instance, lasts almost seventeen minutes (and includes deliciously rough-hewn trumpet and tenor saxophone outings), while the studio version is just over ten minutes. Two of the interludes are quite weighty pieces, particularly the trippy, going-on-eight-minutes "Interlude 2," which is a showcase for the electric pianists.
The Queen Elizabeth Hall itself almost certainly played a role in the concert's success. When full or nearly fullas it was for Kaleidoscope Of Rainbows Live '75the 900 seat auditorium is big and buzzy enough to make you feel like you are at an event of some magnitude, but small enough to foster a close connection with what is happening onstage. The applause at the end of the performance is ecstatic and prolonged and suggests that the energy level running between musicians and audience was considerable. Magic.
Track Listing
CD1: Intro; Prologue/Rainbow 1; Interlude 1; Rainbow 2; Interlude 2; Rainbow 3 (incomplete). CD2: Rainbow 4; Rainbow 5/Rainbow 6; Interlude 3; Interlude 4; Rainbow 7; Rainbow 8; Interlude 5; Rainbow 9; Epilogue; Outro.
Personnel
Neil Ardley
composer / conductorIan Carr
trumpetBob Bertles
saxophone, tenorTony Coe
saxophone, tenorBrian Smith
drumsBarbara Thompson
saxophone, tenorPaul Buckmaster
celloKenny Shaw
guitar, electricGeoff Castle
keyboardsDave MacRae
keyboardsRoger Sutton
bass, electricRoger Sellers
drumsTrevor Tomkins
percussionAdditional Instrumentation
Ian Carr: trumpet, electric trumpet, flugelhorn; Bob Bertles: tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone; Tony Coe: tenor saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet; Brian Smith: tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute; Barbara Thompson: tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute; Paul Buckmaster: cello; Ken Shaw: electric guitar; Geoff Castle: electric piano, synthesizer; Dave MacRae: electric piano, synthesizer; Roger Sutton: bass guitar; Roger Sellers: drums, percussion; Trevor Tomkins: percussion; Neil Ardley: director.
Album information
Title: Kaleidoscope Of Rainbows Live '75 | Year Released: 2021 | Record Label: Jazz In Britain
< Previous
A Fresh Perspective
Comments
About Neil Ardley
Instrument: Composer / conductor
Related Articles | Concerts | Albums | Photos | Similar To