The Squid's Ear
Writing about improvised, contemporary, experimental and unusual music,
following the activities of Squidco...
  •  •  •     Join Our Mailing List!



The Squid's Ear




Heard In

Reviews of artist releases:
cd's, books, magazines, &c.


  Musson / Moore / Brice / Prevost 
  Under the Sun
  (Matchless) 


  
   review by John Eyles
  2023-01-24
Musson / Moore / Brice / Prevost: Under the Sun (Matchless)

Recorded live in concert, on September 8th 2021, at Iklectik in London, Under the Sun features a quartet of esteemed players from the London scene, Olie Brice on double bass, N.O. Moore on electric guitar, Rachel Musson on tenor saxophone, and Eddie Prévost on drums. Although this quartet is not a well-established group (it doesn't have a name), in the complex Venn diagram of who plays with whom there are many connections between these four musicians. For example, Brice and Musson play together in several Alex Ward groups, while Brice, Moore and Prévost have recorded together in various groups. More importantly, each of the four is high up the list when a player of their instrument is sought in London.

The music comprises two extended pieces which, at just under sixty-nine minutes, fill the CD. Straight away, the opening track, "Stealing the Final Arrow", makes it clear that this group plays jazz while straddling its boundary with improv. Altogether, though, it is probably best to savour this music without any thoughts of labels or factionalism. The album's first few minutes support this view; opening with a fluid, controlled pizzicato intro from Brice, we are then into an extended sax solo from Musson; across its four minutes she fluently combines phrases which hint at influences from Lester Young to Ayler and beyond, all neatly combined in her own inimitable way.

Mercifully, the quartet largely avoids the clichéd head-solos-reprise jazz format but the talent of each player is repeatedly on display. In Prévost's case that means he is showcased as a first-rate jazz drummer who has been compared to America's finest, in stark contrast to the cymbal-bowing percussionist who is a member of AMM and founded the renowned London improvisation workshop. Talking of which, Moore — also a stalwart and occasional leader of the workshop — repeatedly demonstrates why he has become one of the more in-demand guitarists in London; even when he is not in the spotlight, his subtle interjections and punctuation contribute immeasurably to the overall sound of the quartet. While the second track, "Scaring the Sun-Eaters Away — alluding to ancient Chinese sun myths", is longer at over forty-five minutes and is taken more slowly, it displays the same strengths as the first — a good balance between jazz and improv, excellent playing from each player, with the playing of all four weaved together in an exquisite whole. Not to be missed.







Comments and Feedback:



More Recent Reviews, Articles, and Interviews @ The Squid's Ear...


The Squid's Ear presents
reviews about releases
sold at Squidco.com
written by
independent writers.

Squidco

Recent Selections @ Squidco:


Derek Bailey/
John Stevens:
The Duke of
Wellington
(Confront)



Paul Dunmall:
Away With
Troubles And Anxieties!
(Discus)



Shifa (
Musson/
Thomas/
Sanders):
Ecliptic
(Discus)



Natsuki Tamura/
Satoko Fujii:
Ki
(Libra)



Borah Bergman/
Anthony Braxton/
Peter Brotzmann:
Eight By Three
(Mixtery)



Hedvig Mollestad Trio:
Bees In
The Bonnet
(Rune Grammofon)



Acid Mothers Temple &
The Melting Paraiso
UFO:
Black Mountain
ide
(Rolling Heads)



Evan Parker/
Bill Nace:
Branches (
Live at Cafe OTO)[VINYL]
(Open Mouth)



Alexander Hawkins/
Taylor Ho Bynum:
A Near Permanent State
Of Wonder
(RogueArt)



Joseph Holbrooke (
w/ Derek Bailey/
Gavin Bryars/
Tony Oxley):
Last Live 2001 -
In Memoriam
Derek Bailey
And
Tony Oxley
[2 CDs]
(Tzadik)



Zeena Parkins:
Modesty Of
The Magic Thing
(Tzadik)



Dave Douglas (
Douglas/
Ridout/
Adewumi/
Brennan/
Pass/
Royston):
Alloy
(Greenleaf Music)



Ivo Pereleman/
Nate Wooley/
Matt Moran/
Mark Helias/
Tom Rainey:
A Modicum
Of the Blues
(Fundacja Sluchaj!)



Angles 11:
Tell Them
It's The Sound Of Freedom
(Fundacja Sluchaj!)



Sifter (
w/ Lisa Mezzacappa):
Flake/
Fracture
(Queen Bee Records)



Jean-Marc Foussat:
Abbatage
(Fou Records)



Chester Hawkins:
Apsis
(Intangible Arts)



Karl Evangelista's Apura +
Andrew Cyrille:
Bukas
(577 Records)



Frode Gjerstad/
Alexander von Schlippenbach/
Dag Magnus Narvesen:
Seven Tracks
(Relative Pitch)



Kaze (
Fujii/
Tamura/
Orins/
Pruvost) with/ Koichi Makigami:
Shishiodoshi
(Circum-Libra)







Squidco
Click here to
advertise with
The Squid's Ear






The Squid's Ear pays its writers.
Interested in becoming a reviewer?




The Squid's Ear is the companion magazine to the online music shop Squidco !


  Copyright © Squidco. All rights reserved. Trademarks. (12994)