Moss
Freed (composer, bandleader, guitar); Ruth Goller (acoustic/electric bass); Alice
Zawadzki (vocals/violin); Shabaka Hutchings (tenor sax/bass clarinet); Marek
Dorcik (drums)
The writers: Naomi
Alderman (The Bubble); Colum McCann (Anniversary); James Miller (What Do You See When You Close Your Eyes);
Lawrence Norfolk (Caravans); Joe
Dunthorne (Freud And Jung In The Tunnel
Of Love); Hanan al-Shaykh (The Angel)
(Review
by Ann Alex.)
This started out as a CD
of original compositions which developed into a whole project which involves an
attractive booklet with writing by distinguished modern authors and skilled
evocative artwork by Aaron Munday. To
get the most enjoyment out of this work, it would be a good idea to set aside 2
hours to read the stories and poem, besides listening to the music. Or why not do as I did, and listen to the
music and readings at the same time?
LondonJazzNews was lucky enough to be at the launch on March 6,
which involved a live performance – see www.mossfreed.com
for an account of that, where you can also hear the writing read out by the authors. Another listener that I consulted, who is an
ardent jazz fan, said that he actually enjoyed reading the booklet more than
the music, so it seems that you pays your money and you takes your choice!
The music is highly
impressionistic and lies somewhere between jazz and contemporary folk, with
lots of wordless sweet-voiced singing, skilled musicianship, (goes without
saying). The music doesn’t describe the
stories exactly but is near enough to make sense of the two together. You'll find lots of long sweeps of sound,
percussive beats repeated by the voice, ethereal sounds, sometimes an
intriguing ‘free’ jazz feel, an organised cacophony, with a few jazz solos as
such. Hard to describe, you must hear it
for yourself.
The
Bubble is
an amusing tale of a woman with a bubble inside herself and the music is full
of bouncy rhythm. The author reads in a
refreshing down to earth voice, none of that special ‘poetical’ voice adopted
by some readers of poems. Anniversary
is a more serious tale of a woman in church, and What Do You See When You Close Your Eyes is about a woman trying to
get to sleep, but really much more than that. Caravans concerns pub quizzes and friendship, and I had difficulty
in understanding the poem about Freud and Jung.
The Angel was definitely my
favourite piece of writing, a heartwarming but unsentimental story about a
heroin addict, with a surprise ending, well matched by the music.
An enjoyable
multi-faceted experience, a CD which should probably be listened to more than
once.
Released on the Babel
Label, catalogue number BDV131114
Ann
Alex
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