When a CD sized package with an Irish postmark drops through my letterbox I don't need to call in Sherlock O'Holmes to deduce that it's from Livia Records and that it may well contain previously unreleased or rediscovered recordings by guitar legend the late Louis Stewart, pianist Jim Doherty, flautist Brian Dunning and one or other or both of the brothers Buckley.
Although the album has only one Buckley (Richie) the others and more were present when it was recorded live at the Cork Jazz Festival in October 1982.
It was a special occasion - the centenary of the birth of one of Ireland's greatest literary figures, James Joyce. Extracts from Joyce's most famous work Ulysses, are selectively narrated by Eamon Morrissey over Stewart's jazz suite, written especially for the concert.
The six movements of the suite portray characters and locations from the story with Stewart's themes and Joyce's words along with killer solos by all eight musicians combine to make this an unsurpassable mix of jazz and the spoken word.
Needless to say Louis Stewart was at the absolute top of his game. His playing and his writing a masterclass in both. Buckley and Dunning stretch their instruments to the extreme (but not beyond) whilst McCarthy's alto solo on W.B. Murphy, the peripheral insurance salesman, is a thing of beauty. The applause at the end of the movement was loud and long. Within the confines of the BSH ops room I too was silently whooping and hollering.
As well as the Irish contingent Stewart imported Americans Rosengarden and LaSpina whom he knew from his visits to New York.
Next step is to read the book (condensed version).
As an afterthought, how lucky I was to have heard Louis Stewart live at the Corner House in Heaton circa 1980 and how much I regret that JC's vision of a duet gig with Louis and Mark Williams never came to fruition. Lance
Bronze by Gold; Gerty McDowell; Night Town; Stephen; W.B. Murphy; Molly (60:02)
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