Movements in Colour Andy Sheppard Artist

A new set by British saxophonist and composer {|Andy Sheppard|} is always a welcome proposal, but his 13th album, and 14th release overall, also happens to be his debut for {|ECM|}. The association is a long one, indirectly, since {|Sheppard|} record... Read more

A new set by British saxophonist and composer {|Andy Sheppard|} is always a welcome proposal, but his 13th album, and 14th release overall, also happens to be his debut for {|ECM|}. The association is a long one, indirectly, since {|Sheppard|} recorded a dozen albums with {|Carla Bley|}'s band on {|WATT|}, which is manufactured and distributed by {|ECM|}. The music on {|Movements in Colour|} is an ambitious, but utterly lyrical blend of Latin, Middle Eastern, and post-bop, and it is realized by musicians such as jazz guitarist {|John Parricelli|} (who plays acoustically here) and tabla player {|Kuljit Bhamra|} -- members of {|Sheppard|}'s regular quartet -- guitarist and electronic musician {|Eivind Aarset|}, and double bassist {|Arild Andersen|}, who also plays some electronics. The set opens with {|La Tristesse du Roi,|} and some sparse, gently out playing by {|Sheppard|} on his tenor before he states a spacious, modal theme that is gently boarded by the other players -- first {|Aarset|} and {|Andersen|}'s electronics before the rest of the band enter with double bass, more quietly swirling electronics, and finally, {|Parricelli|}'s acoustic guitar and the tabla, which quickly becomes a centerpiece of the tune. The movement of the tabla also denotes the long work's (nearly 15 minutes) sections and prefaces the solo breaks with a slightly changing rhythm. {|Parricelli|}'s is particularly beautiful. {|Bing|} begins with percussion and double bass creating a frenetic pace before {|Aarset|}'s treated guitars, electronics, and {|Sheppard|}'s saxophone state the melody that is colored elegantly by {|Parricelli|}. It too is uptempo, with Latin groove and plenty of give and take, feeling much more like a modern jazz tune -- it is exotic, but not mysterious -- as it simply moves through different moods and textures to arrive at a specific destination. {|Nave Nave Moe|} is a gorgeous midtempo ballad featuring {|Sheppard|}'s expertise on the soprano. The interplay between the{|Parricelli|}'s 12-string and {|Aarset|}'s electric is lovingly accented by the rhythm section playing in a sprightly but still-laid back groove. The brief {|Ballarina,|} and the closer {|International Blue,|} are largely atmospheric pieces, more impressionistic than formal but still compelling. Ultimately, {|Movements in Colour|} is a wonderfully breezy, airy, but very sophisticated recording that places an unusual instrument (the tabla) at the center of a jazz group that defies expectations and delivers something new yet familiar; this set is both well-conceived, and more importantly, well-executed. ~ Thom Jurek Less