Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Alex Hutton Trio: Magna Carta Suite

1

Alex Hutton Trio: Magna Carta Suite

By

Sign in to view read count
Alex Hutton Trio: Magna Carta Suite
Eight hundred years after the creation of the Magna Carta—the Great Charter that signalled a shift in power from the English monarchy to the English aristocracy—pianist Alex Hutton and his trio draw inspiration from that shift in power distribution to create the Magna Carta Suite.

Hutton's trio is based in the UK but has an international flavor—Israeli-born drummer Asaf Sirkis and bassist Yuri Goloubev, from Moscow, complete the lineup. Hutton's suite may be short, just 39 minutes, but it combines the musical flavors of Old and New Worlds: folk, classical and jazz forms are all readily identifiable. Guest appearances by Liz Palmer on baroque flute and Liesbeth Allart on cor anglais expand the group's tonal palette to the music's benefit.

The suite doesn't focus solely on the goings-on at Runnymede in 1215. Hutton delves into earlier, and later, times. "Old Yew" is calm, stately, slow moving—as befits a tribute to a 2,000 year old tree. Palmer's subtle baroque flute adds a slight wistfulness to the melody, which Goloubev plays beautifully arco style. "Old Yew (Reprise)" is a punchier arrangement of the tune, due almost entirely to the presence of Sirkis' percussive attack. "As Sunlight Passes (Old Yew)" is the reprise with Neil Sparkes' spoken words. While Sirkis' drums added drama to the original theme, Sparkes' vocal draws the piece towards melodrama. The same thing happens to the piano/spoken word duet "Thoughts Bear Heirs To Memory"—a subtler vocal would have complemented Hutton's, lyrical, folk-tinged piano.

"June 15 1215" and "The Barons" are the tunes most redolent of English folk influence, "Gutenberg Press" probably the number that draws most directly from jazz. "Gunpowder And Compass" is the most overtly classical, based on a theme from JS Bach's "Fugue In C Minor." "King John's Hunting Lodge" and its reprise feature Allart's cor anglais—on the reprise Goloubev switches once more to arco bass, joining Allart's instrument in the suite's most moving interlude.

Track Listing

Old Yew; King John's Hunting Lodge; The Barons; June 15th 1215; Gutenburg Press; Gunpowder And Compass; Self Made Man; The Fog Of War; King John's Hunting Lodge (Reprise); Old Yew (Reprise); Thoughts Bear Heirs To Memory; As Sunlight Passes (Old Yew).

Personnel

Alex Hutton: piano; Yuri Goloubev: bass; Asaf Sirkis: drums; Neil Sparkes: vocals (11, 12); Liz Palmer: baroque flute (1, 10, 12); Liesbeth Allart: cor anglais (2, 9).

Album information

Title: Magna Carta Suite | Year Released: 2015 | Record Label: F-IRE Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create 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.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve 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.

More

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.