1. Fax
2. The Nightingale
3. Butterflies
4. Mayday
5. Pterodactyl
6. Atlas
7. Octet
8. Moyse
9. Ottanta
Finn Peters - Flute, alto sax, percussion,
gamelan
Tom Herbert - Bass
Dave Okumu - Guitar
Nick Ramm - Piano, ARP synthesiser
Tom Skinner - Drums, percussion
Matthew Yee-King - Computers
Kadialy Kouyate - Kora (track 1)
Darragh Morgan - Violin (tracks 1, 5)
Benji B, Dave Price - Gamelan (tracks 3, 6)
Jonny Enright - Trombone (track 9)
In the days when they used
to print things like "File under Jazz" on
record sleeves, this album would have raised
some dilemmas. It definitely contains elements
of jazz but there are lots of other styles
and influences apparent in the music. There
are strong hints of various forms of World
Music - especially oriental (note the presence
of the gamelan) but also from South America,
Africa and elsewhere. The gentler parts of
the album recall the ambient "New Age" music
that found fans among people who preferred
dreamy, drifting sounds which didn't startle
the listener. You might say this CD is a hotch-potch
of styles, except that Finn Peters makes it
a convincing mix through the integrity of
his vision and the technical facility of his
musicians.
Finn plays
several different instruments but his flute
is central to most of the tracks, all of which
he composed or co-wrote. The flute creates
a mellow atmosphere, and most of the tunes
are reflective rather than extrovert. The
Nightingale even uses real birdsong in
the background (recalling both Messiaen and
Respighi), merging in with Finn's fluttering
flute. The title-track is based on traditional
Balinese gamelan music. Every track has a
natural feeling about it, despite the presence
of Matthew Yee-King on "Computers" - which
apparently means that he processes the music
through synthesisers and other devices.
Finn's
group provides sympathetic support - notably
guitarist Dave Okumu, whose solo on Octet
is one of the album's highlights. The general
approach of the album is restrained - a welcome
change from those jazzers who think they need
to blast our ears. Only occasionally does
the group burst out noisily, as in Mayday,
where they appear to be enjoying free improvisation.
Altogether this CD is refreshing: synthesising
a variety of musical forms to create unique
moods.
Tony Augarde
CD Reviews
Accidental
AC29CD
