Recorded in 1971
Canadian bassist John Warren composed the music on Tales of the Algonquin. Like Mike Westbrook (with whom Warren often worked), Graham Collier, Kenny Wheeler, and many other U.K.-based jazz musicians during this time, this is jazz that blurs the line between composition and improvisation. Regardless of the focus on composition, this band features a stellar line-up of soloists, many of the finest in the U.K. Foremost among them is co-leader John Surman.
I think you could easily make a case, if you were so inclined, that John Surman was one of the foremost jazz soloists to emerge from the U.K. during the late-1960s and early-1970s, right up there with giants like John McLaughlin and Dave Holland. Surman's compelling soprano (and especially) his massive-yet-nimble baritone saxophone elevate album after album -- both his own and others' -- including Tales of the Algonquin. When it comes to jazz (and art in general), I try to avoid pronouncements that declare X to be the greatest or Y to be the best. Art is a subjective enterprise; so much depends on factors that cannot be measured by any yardstick. But it's clear that Surman is a very special artist. During this time, his presence on any album practically guaranteed a high level of creativity. That's why he's featured on so many, including several others that we'll explore later in this survey.
More John Surman and John Warren
The duo of Surman & Warren collaborated for a second time, recording the The Brass Project for ECM in 1993. I've never had an opportunity to hear it.
I'm kind of a Surman nut, owning almost everything in his catalog. This one is certainly a high water mark. I love his larger ensemble stuff such as NDR's Jazz Workshop form 1969 as well as the more recent Rainbow Band Sessions from 2011. So many of his ECM albums, from Upon Reflection to his latest, Invisible Threads, are pretty much low-key ECMish affairs, but Saltash Bells from 2013 is stellar, with overlapping saxophone solos that are haunting. Perhaps his most incendiary works are the two trio albums by S.O.S. - with Alan Skidmore and Mike Osborne. With a 50+ year recording career and no bad albums to speak of, he's a giant of British jazz.
ReplyDeleteI have listened multiple times to this album on CD, and still have difficulty enjoying it. The same goes for "When Fortune Smiles" from 1971, which has Surman John McLaughlin and Dave Holland. These are great musicians exploring new territory consistent with the freedom of the early 1970s. Perhaps because I discovered these records 20 years after they were released, I don't experience their link with the times. I love Oxley, Surman and McLaughlin as individual performers. I think that "Extrapolation" with Surman and Tony Oxley is a better representation of the period. With John Surman, I enjoy the "ECMish" rather than incendiary. His extraordinary tone on soprano, baritone, and bass clarinet is beguiling. My choice for the 70s would be "Upon Reflection", which opened his ECM catalog that continues to the present. Glad to see Robert's praise for Saltash Bells. Invisible Threads is my new favorite due in part to the inclusion of vibes.
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