Jazz Articles

Tim Garland: Libra

by John Kelman
March 19, 2009

The line between jazz and classical music is being increasingly blurred--or, in the case of the multidisciplinary Tim Garland, erased entirely. The British reedman began experimenting with fusing the two disciplines on Rising Tide (Sirocco, 2003), where he both wrote for his trio and a string quartet upfront, and scored strings around a solo saxophone improvisation. Garland expanded the concept further on the sweeping If the Sea Replied (Sirocco, 2005), a suite for the Northern Sinfonia Strings and his new ...

Tim Garland: Libra

by Frederick Bernas
January 23, 2009

The adventurous two-disc Libra features saxophonist Tim Garland heavily entrenched in trio territory. He is joined by rising star Gwilym Simcock on piano and versatile percussionist Asaf Sirkis, with guest appearances from zany guitarist Paul Bollenback and London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Expansive, well-structured pieces are the record's mainstay, with a tasteful sprinkling of standards. Known for sideman work with names including Chick Corea, Joe Locke, Bill Bruford, and many of the UK's finest, Garland here speaks an advanced compositional language ...

Tim Garland: Libra

by Chris May
January 20, 2009

Listening to British reed player Tim Garland, it's easy to be reminded of saxophonist Sonny Rollins' remark, decades ago, about Stan Tracey, the Ronnie Scott's house pianist who accompanied Rollins on many of his appearances at the London club. “Does anybody here realise how good he is?" asked Rollins rhetorically. Happily, times have changed and many Brits do realise how good Garland is, but there remains the suspicion that were he an American, half the country would be genuflecting before ...