City Of Poets

Description

A French/American jazz exchange project (in association with the French-American Cultural Exchange and Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation), its overarching melodic frameworks are based on Simmons' literary themes of pilgrimage and the life stories of his prominent characters - hence these varied 'tales' from The Priest, The Soldier, The Poet, The Scholar, The Detective and The Consul, as well as mysterious four-armed, semi-organic creature The Shrike.

Writing for quintet - completed by colleagues Donny McCaslin (tenor saxophone), Michael Janisch (double bass) and Clarence Penn (drums) - Palmer and Hanriot chose to restrict themselves to Messiaen's seven modes, each of which are defined by differently shifting degrees/intervals (though always symmetrical and each sharing the same beginning and ending reference point). Once the melodic structure was in place, Palmer explains, the harmonic and rhythmic content for each of the seven tracks arrived quite easily: "It was quite an exercise in creative periphery, the art of taking in literary work and creating musical work simultaneously."

This recording, captured before a receptive, live audience at London's Pizza Express Jazz Club, expresses all the intended fervor and vigor of this original music and the excitement and freedom emanating from the quintet's sparky invention. To put a musical slant on the words of English philosopher Bertrand Russell, quoted in Dan Simmons' Hyperion: "Language serves not only to express thought but to make possible thoughts which could not exist without it."

Personnel: Cédric Hanriot (piano), Jason Palmer (trumpet), Donny McCaslin (tenor saxophone), Michael Janisch (double & electric bass), Clarence Penn (drums)

Description

A French/American jazz exchange project (in association with the French-American Cultural Exchange and Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation), its overarching melodic frameworks are based on Simmons' literary themes of pilgrimage and the life stories of his prominent characters - hence these varied 'tales' from The Priest, The Soldier, The Poet, The Scholar, The Detective and The Consul, as well as mysterious four-armed, semi-organic creature The Shrike.

Writing for quintet - completed by colleagues Donny McCaslin (tenor saxophone), Michael Janisch (double bass) and Clarence Penn (drums) - Palmer and Hanriot chose to restrict themselves to Messiaen's seven modes, each of which are defined by differently shifting degrees/intervals (though always symmetrical and each sharing the same beginning and ending reference point). Once the melodic structure was in place, Palmer explains, the harmonic and rhythmic content for each of the seven tracks arrived quite easily: "It was quite an exercise in creative periphery, the art of taking in literary work and creating musical work simultaneously."

This recording, captured before a receptive, live audience at London's Pizza Express Jazz Club, expresses all the intended fervor and vigor of this original music and the excitement and freedom emanating from the quintet's sparky invention. To put a musical slant on the words of English philosopher Bertrand Russell, quoted in Dan Simmons' Hyperion: "Language serves not only to express thought but to make possible thoughts which could not exist without it."

Personnel: Cedric Hanriot (piano), Jason Palmer (trumpet), Donny McCaslin (tenor saxophone), Michael Janisch (double & electric bass), Clarence Penn (drums)

Press:

"City of Poets is rich, fresh and vibrant and the standard of the playing exceptional... This is music that simultaneously manages to be both highly intelligent and highly exciting." - **** ½ The Jazz Mann

"The live sound production is of a high quality and resonates with the live atmosphere." - **** Jazzwise

"Excellent compositions, outstanding solos and a band of internationally renowned musicians performing on absolutely top form." - **** All About Jazz