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Format Details:
Release Date: 12 September 2025
Label: Discus Music
Packaging Type: Digipak
No of Units: 2
Barcode: 5051078022321
Genres: Jazz
Description
The music of East Of Eden mastermind and free jazz veteran saxophonist Ron Caines, arranged for solo piano, string quartet and piano quintet by Laura Cole.
Laura Cole has been a member of the Ron Caines / Martin Archer AXIS since the groups inception, appearing on many of that group's recordings. This recording grew out of the sessions for the last AXIS recording "Practical Dreamers", for which two solo piano tracks of new Caines compositions were recorded, but not used. From this point the idea grew for Laura to make a whole solo piano album of Ron's compositions, and while that was being recorded the idea grew further to include a second album of string quartet versions of some of the tunes.
Ron sums up his own writing and this project in general: "I never started out to be a "composer". I was 16 when I wanted to form a jazz group, so I bought a clarinet. Of course it was the 1950s, and it was all New Orleans. I took it along to the Art College. Sitting in a jam session next to Q Williams who turned out to be Acker Bilk's pianist - jazz royalty! I was much better at painting than music, but eventually I began playing bebop with Dave Arbus on trumpet. We recruited Geoff Nicholson on guitar, and sensing there were greater possibilities to be found in exploring rock music at that time, East Of Eden was born. I started to write because we needed some psychedelic rock tunes for our first album, and I carried on writing from there, getting more experience as I heard more jazz and free music - eventually ending up in Keith Tippett's groups. I've never stopped writing tunes, and luckily quite a lot of them have ended up on Discus Music releases, even though I never quite made it into jazz or rock royalty myself. But Laura is the real composer here, her work has used my tunes as starting points to create something brand new. I have great appreciation of the musicians on this recording, and of course admiration for Laura's writing. I'd love to write music like this myself, but I'd need another lifetime to do it!"
Laura Cole: piano
Eember Quartet:
Gemma Bass: violin
Seth Bennett: double bass
Aby Vulliamy: viola
Semay Wu: cello
Tracklisting
Army Of Briars
Keith Tippett & Matthew Bourne
Laura Jurd & Paul Dunmall
Theo May's Odd Unit
Charlotte Keeffe
Ron Caines / Martin Archer Axis
Keith & Julie Tippett - Couple In Spirit
Laura Cole
Laura Cole
