John Taylor

John Surman, Stu Martin, Barre Phillips - The Trio - Conflagration (1971) {Victor–Dawn Records, Mini LP 20bitK2, VICP-62170}
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© 1971, 2002 Victor Japan / Dawn Records | VICP-62170
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Post Bop

John Surman, Stu Martin, Barre Phillips - Conflagration (Rare British jazz 1971 UK 6-track LP on the Dawn label, from Surman's highly regarded and influential Trio group, including the two expatriate American musicians Phillips and Martin, also starring Harold Beckett, Chick Corea, Mike Osborne, Alan Skidmore, John Taylor & more. The trio joined by a variety of other musicians. The songs are challenging in an Ornette Coleman sort of way but never inaccessible. Not a recording for the casual jazz listener - it's more for the adventurous jazz lover.

Way Back When finds Surman on baritone and soprano saxophones, joined by John Taylor on electric piano, Brian Odgers on electric bass, John Marshall on drums and, on two tracks, alto saxophonist Mike Osborne. This one-day session was, in Surman's words, "a sort of 'farewell' jam session," held before Surman moved to continental Europe to join bassist Barre Phillips and drummer Stu Martin for the groundbreaking free jazz unit known as the Trio.

Multi-reedist John Surman returns to his chorister roots and lays bare his compositional prowess with this oratorio commissioned by the Salisbury Festival and premiered in June of 1996. The Salisbury Festival Chorus, founded in 1987 by Howard Moody (of whose compositions the Hilliard Ensemble and Trio Mediaeval have been strong proponents) approaches its Old Testament sources as the composer sets them: that is, with panache, a flair for syncopation, and raw intensity. Add to this pianist John Taylor in an unexpected turn on cathedral organ, and you’ve got a recipe for one of Surman’s most intriguing catalogue entries to date.

Monteverdi's great opera is a celebration of unwavering devotion, conveyed in some of the composers most poignant, heart-breaking music. After two brutal decades of war, the weary Ulysses is washed up on the rocky shore of his home island of Ithaca. There, he discovers the hordes of depraved admirers who have beseiged his faithful wife Penelope in his 20-year absence and launches into battle to win back her love. Monteverdi's opera is a celebration of unwavering devotion, conveyed in some of the composers most poignant, heartbreaking music. Sir John Eliot Gardiner leads an exemplary cast of world-class singers alongside the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists in this live recording from The National Forum of Music in Wrocaw, Poland part of their critically acclaimed Monteverdi 450 tour in 2017.

Over these past 30 years of recording for ECM, I've had the wonderful opportunity to record with musicians from all over the globe; not just American jazz players. It's opened me, as well as the listeners, to a wealth of music and musicians that might not ever have been heard otherwise. Manfred's vision, dedication, and integrity should be applauded, and valued, and I look forward to 30 more years of working with him. God only knows what shape my hair will be in by then! ~ John Abercrombie