Graham Reid | | <1 min read
Andy Atwill: Leaps and Bounds
Bassist (electric and acoustic), composer and arranger Atwill pulls together the cream of New Zealand jazz players (including Ron Samsom, Carolina Moon, Kevin Field and Kim Paterson) for this calling card of diversity recorded in London (which explains the presence of Greg Heath), Sydney, the States, Germany and New Zealand over the past five years.
From the self-explanatory titles on Bass Bop and Take The MonkTrane, vibrant Latin-inflected tunes, the ethereal ECM sound of Patchwork Quilt (Heath in Garbarek mode), post-Weather Report manoeuvres (Wears the Melody, How Can I Forget You) and other across-the-spectrum styles, this one keeps you guessing, constantly impressed and -- if it comes as a little less than coherent for all that -- you have to acknowledge the excellent playing by all.
Atwill sometimes lets his inner Jaco show too, and at such times -- and for the consistency of his compositions -- you can see why he would have little trouble getting the other players to join him in this project.
Nominated for the 2010 Jazz Album of the Year at the NZ Music Awards.
Andy Atwill - Aug 10, 2010
Thanks for the review, in short if a job is worth doing it is worth doing well, and I appreciate your kind words.
SaveThere are some misconceptions about the amount of time it takes to do an album.
The simple truth is that while I have participated in albums that have been done over a matter of days that were magic (and some not) as sure as I have been involved in lengthy projects of a similar nature, there is no difference.
The music regardless of style is good or it is not.
I must thank all of the musicians involved in this project. Regardless of how good the compositions may (or may not be), the quality in execution and performance of the music is the responsibility of all people involved.
I am truly grateful as it says in the 16 page booklet to the people who gave it their all in this project and followed a vision that was not their own.
My next project will be different yet again but no less creative, whether it is completed in a week or a year.
The state of the industry reflects very much the reasons why there no longer appears to be mid-range projects.
Most of the albums you hear these days are done either very quickly or over a period of time. The primary reason is insufficient gigs for professional musicians trying to make a living. As such they are forced in many cases to subsidise their income elsewhere. So the project is either targeted for quick finishing, or subsequently, as long as takes within a budget.
My thanks to ODE Records for all of their support and additionally to Greg Heath, Kere Buchanan, Roger and Caroline Manins.
Cheers
AA
Anyone
post a comment