John Surman - Words Unspoken

February 22, 2024

Label: ECM Records, 2024

Personnel - John Surman: soprano and baritone saxophone, bass clarinet; Rob Luft: guitar; Rob Waring: vibraphone; Thomas Stronen: drums.

English multi-reedist John Surman makes a captivating return with this quartet album, Words Unspoken, featuring bandmates guitarist Rob Luft, vibraphonist Rob Waring, and Norwegian drummer Thomas Stronen. The title aptly reflects the group’s approach to music, and the words intuition and illumination come to mind whenever the pragmatic harmonic circularity of Surman’s modal pieces is on display as well as the outstanding improvisational prowess of all band members.

There’s an ancient allure in this music that compels listeners to search as they navigate vivid sonic landscapes, both real and imaginary. The timbral hues are varied, and “Pebble Dance” sets the stage with its intriguing blend of vibraphone dexterity, ambient guitar chords, and delicately brushed drums, establishing a hypnotic groove in 5/4 tempo. Surman shines brightly in a magnificent soprano saxophone solo, showcasing freedom, speed, and agility. The touching title track, “Words Unspoken”, discloses a more introspective side, as Surman delivers emotive baritone saxophone melodies against a backdrop of gently spinning celestial particles.

“Flower in Aspic” kicks off with reverb-drenched guitar, echoing with grace while having all musicians sharing an intrinsic connection with stability and resolution. “Around the Edges” exudes a mysterious aura, inviting us to unlock a forgotten dimension. The folksy “Onich Ceilidh” dances with exhilarating waltzing movements, having Stronen’s understated clutter enhancing the irresistible textural spell of the rhythm section.

Both “Belay That” and “Hawksmoor”, melodically anchored by Surman’s bass clarinet, offer a departure from the prevalent modal mood. The former denotes magnetic jazzy and bluesy inclinations, while the latter shows off a playful theme marked by staccato accents and a swinging cultivation underneath.

The album’s perfect blend of sounds manifests Surman’s consummate musicality and artistic vision. Words Unspoken is another winning album in a catalog full of them.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Pebble Dance ► 02 - Words Unspoken ► 08 - Belay That

Lucian Ban / John Surman / Mat Maneri - Transylvanian Folk Songs

May 11, 2020

Label: Sunnyside Records, 2020

Personnel - Lucian Ban: piano; John Surman: baritone and soprano saxophones, bass clarinet; Mat Maneri: viola.

The new explorative trio co-led by Romanian pianist Lucian Ban, American violist Mat Maneri and British multi-reedist John Surman focuses on interpretations of Romanian folk tunes recorded and transcribed by Hungarian pianist/composer Béla Bartók in the early 1900’s. The latter, a pioneer ethnomusicologist, travelled the Romanian countryside for eight years to collect peasant songs, some of which appear here with special arrangements by the trio. Ban and Maneri's musical affinities with Bartok's work compelled them to point out Surman as the third member of the ensemble due to his strong folk background and erudite sound development.

“The Dowry Song” is a wonderful piece that develops with unflinching purpose. With Ban providing a solid base in 5/4 time, Maneri inserts some percussive substance by gently plucking the strings, while the unmistakable, astonishing sound of Surman on baritone gets on top of everything. Before the crescendo that anticipates the finale, saxophone and viola embark on melodic parallels underpinned by a dramatic piano accompaniment that becomes tonally richer whenever Ban hits the lower registers.

“Up There” features Surman on bass clarinet, an instrument from which he draws mesmeric melodies with a magic touch. Maneri contributes to this asymmetric sculptural exploration with an appealingly tenuous asperity, benefitting from Ban’s textural creativity. The pianist improvises on this number over an ostinato equally shared by sax and viola.

The dynamic “Violin Song” exudes the freedom of an avant-folk experiment. There’s muted piano pedals and bold harmonies, fast elliptical soprano trajectories alternating with carefully paced folk melodies, angular viola cries, and heartfelt unisons capable of creating a strong emotional effect on the listener.

From this point on, the trio concentrates more on profound, introvert, sometimes mournful meditations such as “The Return”, “What a Great Night This Is, a Messenger Was Born”, “Carol” and “Bitter Love Song”, an icy yet translucent exercise where a frank dialogue between bass clarinet and viola occurs briefly with an absence of harmony.

The coherently calibrated layering of these three instruments never ceases, and considerably more light can be found on “The Mighty Sun”, a motivic classical tone poem, and on the closing piece, “Transylvanian Dance”, a Garbarek-esque folktale with repeating rhythmic cadences and dexterous chordal work.

Following a structured course of action, Transylvanian Folk Songs manages to be at once freewheeling and languidly pastoral.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - The Dowry Song ► 03 - Violin Song ► 08 - Bitter Love Song

John Surman - Invisible Threads

January 17, 2018

Label: ECM, 2018

Lineup - John Surman: soprano and baritone saxophones, bass clarinet; Nelson Ayres: piano; Rob Waring: vibraphone and marimba.

British multi-reedist John Surman continues to touch hearts, sounding miraculously good on his new ECM outing, Invisible Threads. His intercontinental new trio features Brazilian pianist Nelson Ayres and American vibraphonist Rob Waring, who occasionally switches to marimba on a few tracks. The pair often provides the underpinnings for stellar improvised lines developed by the saxophonist, who shows great presence. However, they are not limited to that function, also soloing within the reflective spirit that this music requires and providing extra flexibility through texture.

The shimmering contemplation of “At First Sight”, the opening track, conveys a sublime pleasure that stems from listening to radiant soprano sounds floating on top of melancholic harmonic fluxes. Despite unhurried, the chord progressions are naturally less lingering when compared with the minimal synth changes in the form of loops made by Surman on his previous solo records. That sense of flowing motion is reinforced on “Autumn Nocturne”, an amiable classical tune fueled by crystalline folk delineations and where the threesome finds space to create spontaneously.

“Within the Clouds” starts with penetrating phrases emanated from the bass clarinet, which quickly takes me out of the solid ground to a sky freckled with stars. The beautiful buzzing sounds created by Surman over an enchanting aura of piano and vibraphone help us reach that ecstatic momentum that precipitates us into the fluffy, misty textures of a cloud. The trio describes this concentration of suspended particles with perplexing infatuation and admiration. The peaceful folk dance “Byndweed” passes that strange sensation it could also be turned into a pop song, differing from “The Admiral” and “Pitanga Pitomba”, which I imagine describing a coastal landscape, from South America to Africa, with the marimba conferring them an exotic taste. The former incorporates a rubato introductory section with interlaced bass clarinet and marimba, before acquiring a soft ternary flow. The latter brings exciting variations in intensity, mood, and tempo.

The flair for ternary cadences continues with Ayres' “Summer Song”, an amusingly playful waltz with a classic Brazilian touch, reminiscing some of Chico Buarque’s compositions. Also the final track, “Invisible Threads”, is a jazz waltz with characteristics of an American jazz standard. It displays a precise melodic theme plus the delicate branching patterns of Surman’s baritone. The immense sounds of this instrument got me into another trance on “Concentric Circles”, where the placidness becomes slightly moody without ever entirely abandoning that initial state. It’s a great work by the lower vertices of the triangle, gracefully spreading crepuscular radiances of energy from below.

Expect rich, velvety textures with timbral abundance in an album that sometimes feels balmy and spacious, and other times, active and kindled.