Stan
Sulzmann – piccolo, flute, alto flute, clarinet, saxophones; John Taylor –
piano, synthesiser
(Review
by Hugh C)
It
was during my conversation with Nikki Iles at the Late Night Jazz gig at Hexham
Abbey Festival that my attention was drawn to the existence of this CD. My interest was sparked and I sought out a
copy. The CD was actually recorded in
1990 at Sentinel Studios in Cornwall and has (for reasons unspecified) just
been released this year.
Stan
Sulzmann and John Taylor were invited in 1990 to Cornwall by the studio to
spend a few days recording and experimenting with new material and sounds. At that time Sulzmann owned a Roland D50
synthesiser, which he lent to John Taylor. JT proceeded to completely reprogram the synthesiser and personalise it
to his own requirements. The duo were
able to experiment using the synthesiser in improvised duets, as well as
performing their compositions with John Taylor on piano. Some of the new pieces were conceived on
site. This CD shows a side of John
Taylor which became unfamiliar in his later years, where he concentrated solely
on his first love, his Steinway piano.
Pure
and Simple is just that – a jazz duet between soprano sax and acoustic
piano. Slow Loris again sees
Taylor at the piano, largely solo, but with a short contribution by Sulzmann on
tenor sax towards the end. Stango features
piano and tenor and, as you might expect, transports you to Buenos Aires (not
far from Cornwall really!). In Stango
we begin to feel the influences of music other than “jazz”. The next track Free Ballad takes us to
a ghostly world of synthesised sounds.
This is the first of three tracks on the CD with joint compositional
attribution – perhaps one of those conceived on at the time of recording. Despite the word Free in the title, it
remains definitely melodic, and to my ear definitely Ballad.
Extracts
(also co-composed) jolts this complacency with repetitive stabbing
synthesiser and saxophone turning to abstract riffs and effects. CD Smith (flute and piano) takes us in
the direction of European contemporary music and reflects the artists'
influences such as Messiaen, Prokofiev and Hindemith. Country/Raindrops (co-composed) is (what
I would call free), with seemingly (to the untutored ear) random sounds from
reeds, flute and synthesiser – I do however get the raindrops component.
Cartoon/Room
for Improvement (flutes/synthesiser) is in a similar vein to the
previous track initially, but turns into a jaunty ditty with fine flute and
piccolo playing by Sulzmann; piano is added later. Straight Man has a Messiaenic quality,
with spectral extended chords on synth and melodic overlay by Sulzmann's
clarinet. 'Q' is a quick fire
duel between piano and saxophone which settles into more of a duet over
time. Ocean Deep (piano/saxophone)
returns to more of a conventional jazz idiom.
Spider features piano and flute and could perhaps be a sensual
combination that draws you into its web.
The final track, Heart, takes us back to where we began – piano
and saxophone. The track deliberately
leaves us with a question as it slowly fades to nothing at 5.15
This
CD (26 years in gestation) was mastered and edited in 2016 and released earlier
this year. It shows a side of both
Taylor and Sulzmann which is probably not familiar to the majority of
listeners. In a London Jazz News podcast,
Sulzmann suggests reasons as to why John Taylor may have returned to the piano
following his adventures into electronics. Sulzmann himself also now
concentrates on the saxophone, and has sold his piccolo and clarinet.
Insightful
review? Perhaps, but a lot of the
insight comes from the mouth/pen of Mr Sulzmann himself.
Hugh
C
Double
Exposure is released on Inversion Records (INV002CD) and is available
through Interspear Music, Jazz CDs and Amazon.
The
London Jazz News podcast of an interview with Stan Sulzmann is available to download here.
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