Julian
Argüelles: (saxes, clarinets, flutes, keys, perc. programming); Steve Argüelles
(drum loops); Helge Andrea Norbakken (perc.); Martin France: (drums)
Julian Argüelles and his
brother Steve were among the ‘names’ on the wave of new British jazz that I
caught in the eighties. Others included Courtney Pine, Andy Sheppard, Julian
Joseph and various Loose Tubers. He’s always earned points in this house for
coming up north to play whilst his confreres down in London seemed to regard
the M25 as an impenetrable force field which prevented them getting as far as
Watford.
Since his first appearance he has played a range of styles from straight ahead bop to the music of the African exiles. As well as Loose Tubes he was also a member of orchestras led by Carla Bley, Kenny Wheeler and Colin Towns.
This album is billed as a
departure in Argüelles’ use of digital technology, including cutting-edge
musical software. Rather than a rough butting of heads between the old and new,
what we actually get is a way of framing so that the saxophones (especially)
are front and central, dominant so that Argüelles’ strongest feature, (the
strength of his playing) is what you take away from listening to this
recording. He is ably supported on most tracks by drums and percussion from
some fine practitioners of those arts, and, it must be said by contrast to the
electronics, there is nothing more analogue than hitting things in the way that
drummers do.
Any fears that it might
be all techno is alleviated from the earliest notes. On opener Slipstream a faint cowbell summons up
military drumming over which an assertive Argüelles blows duets with himself,
building layers of saxes behind him. This is very human music.
Emel
sees
Argüelles softly soloing on soprano (?) over a droning soundscape with an
insistent tenor that pulses beneath him; Norbakken adds to that human pulse
with hand drums. (Get Down and) Give Me
50! Is a blend of the late Martin France’s furious drumming behind a heavy wash of
horns and Argüelles furiously blowing twisting, winding, knotty lines over the
top. Strangely, despite all the technology to fill in the gaps there is a
noticeable space between the front and back lines where the bassist usually sits.
The
Juggler opens as a piece of Parisian noir with the voices of
two Argüelles out of different speakers duetting, pushing and probing, asking
questions of each other whilst Para Percy
(for Percy Pursglove) is altogether more magisterial, sedate religious music
that explores every corner of the cathedral. Superspreader is one of the highlights with Martin France in a
battle against all the tech that Argüelles can throw at him and there’s a lot
going on with some early keyboard squelches and a huge wall of sound with lines
as entangled as a soloing guitar over which Argüelles blows some pugilistic
tenor. He takes us to the other end of the scale with the elegant, pastoral, Pale Blue Dot, again featuring France but
in a very much more subdued role, shimmering cymbals, rather than battering
rams.
Both Biafra and Hippopotamuses look
back to African roots, perhaps a nod to his 2012 album Let It Be Told. Both are light on their feet, high stepping and
joyful. By way of contrast, Murmuration is a swirling duet of soprano saxes,
taking flight and drawing a picture of swallows in flight, perfectly visible to
the closed eye. Closer, Jayess, features more strong blowing
from Argüelles over an irritating, insistent ringing motif that suggests an AI
creation of a gamelan gong by something that’s never heard a gamelan gong. The
warmth of the multiple saxes helps to overcome the worst of it.
Of course, with this reliance
on technology, as opposed to a supporting band, it may be the solution to many
musicians’ cost of touring issues. Whilst I definitely prefer the sound of a
live band where everyone is firing on all six cylinders and the heat in the
room is overpowering I can see the attraction of only having a suitcase of IT
in the boot of the car along with a tenor, an alto and a flute to take to
wherever you’re playing. Dave Sayer
No comments :
Post a Comment