Felicity's Ultimatum

Martin Archer, Graham Clark, Stephen Grew & Johnny Hunter

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Cat No: DISCUS60CD

Release Date: 19 May 2017

Label: Discus Music

Packaging Type: Digipak

No of Units: 1

Barcode: 5051078953625

Genres: Jazz Contemporary

Description
"On 'Felicity's Ultimatum', a different blend of instruments produces a different set of musical patterns. On first listen to this, I wasn't aware that the quartet lacked a bass, so compelling was the rhythmic drive across the 10 pieces. Here, Archer works with the violin of Graham Clark (a member of Archer's 'Engine Room Favourites' small big band, as well as Gong and the Magick Brothers), the piano of Stephen Grew, and Johnny Hunter (also of Engine Room Favourites) on drums. On several tracks, saxophones and violin work together as one pair, and drums and piano as another. What I enjoyed was the ways in which Grew and Hunter were often exploring the shadows around the main themes in wonderfully rich detail. It is interesting to note that Hunter, as well as a skilful improv-jazz drummer, is also involved in dub reggae and this might have come into some of the ways that he found space between the different instruments for his drum patterns. What is delightful about the way that the quartet works here is the way in which there never seems to be any hesitation as to when to play or what to play. There is sense of instinctive collaboration in the ways that each piece develops. Bearing in mind that this set was planned, practised and recorded in a single session, there is a lot to admire in the ways that the players are able to create music. What is even more impressive is that the pieces are of such quality and are so memorable. One of my favourite pieces on this CD was 'Amanda's Drum', track 1, which begins with a sort of saxophone fanfare over jagged piano and skittering drums before dropping into a violin piece that carried the elegiac air of a sonata. The piece felt so well structured that it was difficult to get any sense of the performance being 'free'. But, what you get on this CD is the way that Archer (as he's often done in the past) is able to work with musicians to blur the boundaries between the composed, the improvised, the random and silent spaces in between each of these." - Chris Baber, Jazz Views

Martin Archer - alto, sopranino and baritone saxophones

Graham Clark - violin

Stephen Grew - piano

Johnny Hunter - drums
Tracklisting