Alex Hutton Trio - Legentis

Alex Hutton TrioLegentisЖанр: Contemporary Jazz, Piano
Год издания: 2012
Издатель (лейбл): F-IRE Recorded Music Ltd.
Аудиокодек: FLAC (*.flac)
Тип рипа: tracks
Битрейт аудио: (lossy + lossless)
Продолжительность: 49:14
: нет
: (я)
Треклист:
1. J.J.
2. The Legentis Script
3. Clouds
4. Then There Were Four
5. Hymn II (We The People)
6. Farewell 296
7. Wonder Why
8. Crying Wolf
9. A Norsk Tale (piano solo)

Исполнители

Alex Hutton - piano
Yuri Goloubov - bass
Asaf Sirkis - drums
Heidi Vogel - vocal (1, 3)
Jim Rattigan - French horn (2, 8)
Keith Thompson - flute, English horn (2, 5)

Лог Audiochecker

Reviews + photos

All About Jazz

There has been a flurry of activity around screen composers this spring 2012, all of it good. Warner Jazz has released an anthology of movie theme music written by Nino Rota, Collector Nino Rota; British pianist John Taylor is poised to release a tribute to the film and TV composer Carlo Rustichelli, Giulia's Thursdays (Cam Jazz); University of Illinois Press has published John Caps' Henry Mancini: Reinventing Film Music.
All these items have an Italian connection, albeit, in Mancini's case, with Little Italy in Cleveland, Ohio. Alex Hutton's Legentis is more north European in provenance and ambience, despite the Latin title. The British pianist cites Elmer Bernstein and John Williams among the inspirations of the album. Much of those composers' work has been conceived for big orchestras; it is a wonder, then, that Hutton has been able so successfully to conjure up its spirit, and even more remarkably, its impact, with a trio comprising acoustic piano, double bass and drums. Yet this emotionally charged music absolutely captures the spectacle of big-budget Hollywood film scores.
It is Hutton's third album, following Cross That Bridge (33 Jazz, 2006) and Songs From The Seven Hills (33 Jazz, 2008), both also recorded with trios. The first was made with bassist Mike Janisch and drummer Simon Lea, the second with Janisch and drummer Enzo Zirilli. They are excellent discs, lyrical and sinewy, but Legentis is Hutton's most ambitious recording to date, and he assembled a pitch perfect trio for it.
Asaf Sirkis is capable of limpid delicacy and precision, as his work with saxophonist Tim Garland, pianist Gwilym Simcock and guitarist Nicolas Meier has demonstrated; when power and passion are called for, as they frequently have been in his recordings with saxophonist Gilad Atzmon, the drummer's precision stays in place, despite the whirlwind of high impact stick work he generates. It is similarly high octane terrain that Sirkis is most often asked to inhabit here. Yuri Goloubev, who studied at Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory and was the youngest bassist in history to be given the title Honored Artist of Russia, awarded by President Putin, did not start focusing on jazz until he moved abroad in 2005. A frequent collaborator with Sirkis, Goloubev recently released the highly recommended Titanic On A Bike (Caligola, 2011). He matches Sirkis beat for beat in the adrenalin stakes, while never losing the thread of Hutton's impressionistic, rapid-fire improvisations.
The emotional heat created by the trio is lowered on three tracks—the melancholic Clouds, elegiac Farewell and piano-only A Norsk Tale, which is inspired not by Hollywood but by Edvard Greig's Lyric Pieces for solo piano. But most of the time, the music is dramatic and powerfully built, while carefully avoiding cheap melodrama or bombast. J.J. and The Legentis Script are positively anthemic, Then There Were Four reminiscent of the Esbjörn Svensson Trio at its best, and Wonder Why rocks out in 7/8 time.
The group is augmented on four of the album's nine tracks. Heidi Vogel's wordless vocals add further atmosphere to J.J. and The Legentis Script, on the second of which she is joined by French hornist Jim Rattigan and flautist Keith Thompson. Rattigan is also heard on Hymn Two, and Thompson on Crying Wolf. The three guests add color, but are not central to the plot.
Brilliant. Pass the popcorn, please. ~ Chris May

LondonJazz

Anyone who’s heard pianist/composer Alex Hutton’s previous album, Songs from the Seven Hills (33Jazz), will already be aware of his ability to imbue his pieces with what might be termed muscular lyricism: an evocative, occasionally dreamy quality underpinned by fierce power.
This power resides not only in his own vigorous playing, but also in the contributions of his rhythm sections; Mike Janisch and Enzo Zirilli have been replaced by Russian bassist Yuri Goloubev and drummer Asaf Sirkis on this recording, but the characteristic Hutton mix of grace and strength (unsurprising once his avowed openness to the music of both the Stranglers and Vaughan Williams is acknowledged) remains undimmed.
Hutton chose Sirkis for both his musicality and ‘rocky approach’; Goloubev was selected for his classical background, which enabled him to ‘rise to the challenge of new music without any preconceived jazz history limitations’. From the off, the slow-building tumult that is ‘JJ’, both players perform just as Hutton expected, Sirkis all tumbling, but always precise, robustness, Goloubev all sinewy propulsiveness, so that Hutton’s composition (aptly described by him as ‘anthemic or heroic’) sets the bar high for what follows: a rich programme of skilfully varied pieces evoking everything from cloudscapes to cultural heritage and culminating in a solo piano meditation.
Hutton himself brings an almost Tyneresque energy to the louder moments on this album, and his compositions are characterised by an immediacy and vibrancy that gives them an almost filmic quality; overall this is another fine album from an accomplished and highly individual talent.

Liner Notes

1. J.J.
Begins as a calm Chopin-esque piece with a daydream-like quality.
Simple rhythmic piano chords change the mood, joined by a rocky drums and bass that cement the new direction. A melancholy vocal line offers a countermelody and a shade of mystery. The circular theme picks up momentum before folding into a folk like release.
A bass solo sets the mood with majestic marching vision. A colourful bedrock of arpeggios allow the band to build, the vocal line at the helm, before giving way to the release, this time up a gear to prepare for the drum feature. The drums then take off into a storm as the rhythm of the piano plays anchor to this spirited journey. From light exhilaration through sheer excitement the theme builds further taking on a more menacing role, bringing visions of an out of control merry-go-round. Jumping off to a perfect landing however, the piece leaves us with the original waltz-like theme, and resolves content and resolute.
2. The Legentis Script
Inspired by arrangement ideas of Vince Mendoza, John Williams and Elmer Bernstein)
The opening anthem display all the colours (read; characters), interwoven and jostling for prominence before giving way to a fanfare from the French horn. This resolves into the main melody, a strong melodic offering, unfolding like a logical argument. A powerful Piano solo gives way to a lighter section. Here there’s great use of Flugal horn and Flute and influences of film score arranging. Arranging, that allows the sections to flow by, effortlessly creating momentum. Now the drum section develops, drum ideas swirl overhead as the bass and piano hold the groove. Into the home straight, all the characters in the plot now reappear and augment the familiar theme. The French horn offers a ounterpoint as the vocals joins in, the flute not far behind. The momentum shows no sign of diminishing as the drums find the spaces around the fugal lines. The Finish line is crowded but exhilarating to witness.
3. Clouds
A distant bell like piano fades in and is taken over by a simple melancholy folk melody. The bass and drums enter to a steady like groove. The main theme moves over elegant romantic chords. Leaving space for band interplay, there’s a depth to this piece not heard on the faster tunes. The solos here are a treasure trove of effortless lyricism. The interplay is rewarding and the drums in particular provide colorful and rhythmic