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Tony Orrell
Pat Thomas, Dominic Lash, Tony Orrell: Lifeline
by John Sharpe
New bottles, same wine? On Lifeline, Pat Thomas, Dominic Lash and Tony Orrell, who operate under the moniker Bley School with acoustic instruments, convene in the studio with electronics. The trio's defining traits--deep listening, volatility and reflexive interaction--persist, but now unfold through circuitry rather than strings and skins. Furthermore, in place of the covers favored in their parallel incarnation, they dispense with lead sheets and leap into the unknown. As a result agency blurs in sometimes opaque collages of ricocheting ...
Continue ReadingBley School: Where?
by John Sharpe
Punningly recalling beloved British children's TV programme Play School, the name Bley School neatly encapsulates what is afoot on this album, representing an open-minded and irreverent fondness for tunes, especially those associated with the groundbreaking Canadian pianist Paul Bley. Responsible for this is the threesome of pianist Pat Thomas, bassist Dominic Lash and drummer Tony Orrell. Captured live at north London's Cafe Oto in 2022, Where? constitutes the band's second album following its eponymous 2019 debut also issued by Brooklyn's ...
Continue ReadingKevin Figes: You Are Here
by Jack Kenny
This is an intriguing album. It could have been titled “musicians in search of an identity." The album details Kevin Figes' history. His choice of pieces spells it out: Keith Tippett's work means so much to Figes. It is good to have a hero and to play his music; some of the long melodic lines and unisons are very effective. Tippett's “Echoes" is an example. This group of musicians is given space, embedded in the writing and arrangements. ...
Continue ReadingPaul Dunmall / Paul Rogers / Tony Orrell: That's My Life
by John Sharpe
Contrary to the title, That's My Life is not a career retrospective for iconoclastic British reedman Paul Dunmall. In fact it hails from the archives, a live date from Bristol recorded way back in 1989. On being asked about this set in a radio program in 2023 honoring his upcoming 70th birthday, Dunmall commented that it sounded like a different person compared to how he played now, albeit one who was still quite accomplished, but who used a lot more ...
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