There is some marvellous music on this album and there is also some bass clarinet. It does feel like an album of sketches and, at 38 minutes it is far too short. I would imagine that a live setting would put some extra air under the tunes and allow for extended versions that could really work out the real strengths of what’s on offer on the album. Some tracks (such as Together and the title piece, Gemini) feel like they have just started to settle into their flow when the curtain comes down.
The pieces range from the
rolling rhythm and blues groove of Punch
to the more pastoral Water, whilst The Dance is something altogether more
frantic and Balkan; Up is post-bop with a touch of middle European swing, Across is a waltz led by Noble on the
piano and Rain is a haunting free jazz sci-fi soundtrack, intense but separate and
the closer, Generations is wistful
and melancholic. It’s almost as if this were an audition collection and Cope
was exhibiting a number of styles so that we know he can do anything. Perhaps a
‘Less is more’ approach would have served him better.
Despite the variety and
the search for a single voice I can’t fault the standard of the playing. This
is a tight outfit with nary a cigarette paper between them on the brisker
pieces; solos and accompaniments repeatedly combine to great effect and whilst
all get opportunities to shine, it is Cope that stands out. He mentions his classical
training in the sleeve notes and that background remains a strong influence in
the structure of some of the tunes, however, he solos like a jazz man and one
could ask “Why does Rob Cope play like that?” and the answer would be “Because
he can!”
Gemini
is
released on January 12 with an album launch at the
Vortex in that Big Fancy London. I can’t find any other dates. The album is
available from most outlets.
There’s not much about
Rob Cope on that interweb thing, but THIS is
a link to a Jazzwise piece that incorporates some information about the band
and album from Ubuntu and a video. Cope is also a film maker and the video for Across (a mini Avatar) can be accessed by clicking on the photo in the Jazzwise
article. Dave Sayer
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