Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Alexander Hawkins Feat. Evan Parker + Riot Ensemble: Tog...

8

Alexander Hawkins Feat. Evan Parker + Riot Ensemble: Togetherness Music (For Sixteen Musicians)

By

Sign in to view read count
Alexander Hawkins Feat. Evan Parker + Riot Ensemble: Togetherness Music (For Sixteen Musicians)
It is obvious from the outset that this is a significant recording. Evan Parker launches into his trademark soprano saxophone circular breathing, setting the stage for things to come. An exemplar of all things free improvisation, his virtuosity never fails to amaze. Although Parker is the marquee soloist here, the composer and organizer of this session, Alexander Hawkins, created the six movements of this suite to pioneer an intersection between free improvisation and contemporary chamber music. Certainly not an easy task, but with Parker, with whom he has collaborated for over a decade, everything is possible. We can cite their duo, Leaps In Leicester (Clean Feed, 2016) and Parker's Sant'Anna Arresi Quintet Filu 'E Ferru (2015) as examples of the chemistry the two share. Hawkins' touchstones here are Anthony Braxton's Ghost Trance Music, Butch Morris' Conductions, Roscoe Mitchell's contemporary ensemble recordings, and Parker's Electro-Acoustic Ensemble ECM recordings. Togetherness Music is, though, a different beast altogether. Hawkins pairs improvising artists like Parker, Rachel Musson and Mark Sanders with electronic sound artist Matthew Wright and The Riot Ensemble, a contemporary music quintet. The outcome is not quite fusion nor coexistence, it is more like an amalgam, the equivalent of alchemy & transmutation, turning lead into musical gold.

Hawkins achieves this effect by proffering his concepts with the help of conductor Aaron Holloway-Nahum, who cues both the noted and improvising musicians. The second movement contrasts the first with an improvised duo between percussionist Mark Sanders and trumpeter Percy Pursglove, plus minimal electronic effects. The pair wrangle energized sounds until The Riot Ensemble enters with pacifying (written) music. The juxtaposition of the two integrates without conflict. As the performance progresses, this merger between scored music and improvisation grows more sympathetic. "Ensemble Equals Together" branches from chamber music into improvisation, as Parker's saxophone returns. Hawkins himself takes on a piano solo ,"Leaving The Classroom Of A Beloved Teacher," set against the marching cartoon-like pulse of the string quintet, which eventually gives way to a flurry and hubbub of various improvisers. The final movement, "Optimism Of The Will," may be the best encapsulation of Hawkins' concept; the music germinates from Wright's electronic seeds plus Neil Charles' bass and Sander's percussion, adding trumpet, piano, saxophone and the remaining sixteen musicians into the vortex of sound to create both a current and countercurrent of sound.

Track Listing

Indistinguishable from Magic; Sea No Shore; Ensemble Equals Together; Leaving the Classroom of a Beloved Teacher; Ecstatic Baobabs; Optimism of the Will.

Personnel

Additional Instrumentation

Aaron Holloway-Nahum: conductor; James Arben: bass clarinet.

Album information

Title: Togetherness Music (For Sixteen Musicians) | Year Released: 2021 | Record Label: Intakt 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

Sensual
Rachel Z
Over and Over
Tony Monaco Trio
Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

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