Perfect Stranger was initially conceived by Sansom in the early 1970s whilst studying for his B.Mus. He visioned creating music that defied convention, music that challenged both player and listener, not with 'pet shop' sounds but in the complexity of his compositions and arrangements.
Among those original musicians was the late Peter Jacobson. Pete, as he was known on the Newcastle scene and beyond, made a powerful impact on Tyneside jazz before moving down to London. On Unfinished Business Samson has revived his original idea to the extent that now, fifty years on, it has emerged as a classic work that transcends genres. Fittingly, the first movement of his four-part suite, Life and Times (of a Perfect Stranger), Formative Years is dedicated to the memory of Peter Jacobson.
Throughout the album, solos are spread around amidst the complex time signatures and tempo changes. It's a bit like a musical Grand National where every fence is Becher's Brook - yet such is the calibre of musicians involved that nobody falls!
An album that will be remembered - and played - long after other equally ambitious projects have been forgotten. It's simply magnificent!
My big question is what has Chris Sanson been doing during the fifty years Unfinished Business has been gathering dust? Go HERE to find out.
Available on the Spark label (CD/digital) and live at: Progress Theatre, Reading (Oct. 25), Karamel, London N22 (Nov. 1 - album launch), Royal Hotel, Southend (Nov. 6), Puppet Theatre, Norwich (Nov. 30). Lance
Life and Times (of a Perfect Stranger)
Part 1: Formative Years
Part 2: Ankle Deep in Dust
Part 3: Midlife Crisis
Part 4: "It's weird being the same age as old people"
5: Lugubrious Boots
6: Ludwig's Van
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