Pearls Before Swine: ECM's Azimuth Albums

[Tenor Freak]

And so I begin another of my occasional series on groups of recordings I particularly enjoy. Perhaps you may like them too...then again perhaps not.

I own four Azimuth LPs from ECM - the first four they released, in order:

Azimuth (ECM 1099)
The Touchstone (ECM 1130)
Départ (ECM 1163)
Azimuth '85 (ECM 1298)

Everyone here will know the members of the trio: John Taylor (piano, organ, synthesiser), Norma Winstone (voice, lyrics) and Kenny Wheeler (trumpet, fluegelhorn). On Départ guitarist Ralph Towner joins them to form a quartet. I'll say now that Azimuth is one of my favourite ECM formations - they're not trying to emulate American artists but do draw on European influences mostly. They don't swing. The music is minimalist in places (particularly on the first LP). All three (four) are excellent musicians.

The centre of the group is John Taylor's piano. A typical Azimuth piece may start with a solo piano intro, then joined in by one of the others, then both, as the music is built up in layers. In a group with no rhythm "section" there's heavy use of vamps, mostly on the ivories but sometimes electronic. They also take advantage of studio multi-tracking to build up whole sections of voice or trumpets, and on some tracks the piano and synth or organ are played simultaneously.

The harmonies are complex, the textures are rich, the overarching atmosphere one of melancholia, perhaps nostalgia. That may be an ECM cliché but I would argue that this group carries it off with great success - there's a pervading feeling of loss but no pointless noodling. One reason is Norma Winstone's singing, and her lyrics. In the liner notes to the three CD boxset which includes the first three LPs, Steve Lake compares them to haiku; they're certainly poetic, and remind me a bit of the work of the late Seamus Heaney. Some of them are the saddest I can recall - particularly on the title track of Départ:

Feel the freshening wind
Vapour trails leave a long goodbye
One more backward glance and they're gone
Then you see no-one

Or this from The Tunnel

Travelling forever in the dark
Darkness into blackness
There and back, it's always black
Flying along on a rhythm track

So, beginning in reverse order, here's an example from Azimuth '85 - the amazing "Breathtaking":

[charles t]

Thank you, Bruce. Now I know why I bought some Azimuth way back then...

My all-time Brit foray into what has been codified as: 'jazz-rock - with many many thanks to J. S. Bach & Dick Heckstall-Smith.

[Tenor Freak]

Don't mention it, Chas.

Next up: 1980's Depart. They drafted in Ralph Towner for this session; I guess it was at Eicher's behest. Much of the guitar work on this LP is rhythmic, and Towner jabs away at many points on the album. I'm not sure if his contributions add much to the proceedings but they are tasteful.

JT plays organ and piano here

[Tenor Freak]

The Touchstone from 1978 was Azimuth's follow-up LP which saw JT featuring the organ. On this composition, he combines with Kenny Wheeler's trumpet to echo baroque church music. But J.S. Bach never used harmonies like this (more's the pity). I love what Kenny does here, soaring trumpet with a pure tone. Most of "Eulogy", the opening track, is based on a 12/14-bar piano vamp, and again built up in layers with voice and brass.

[Tenor Freak]

And so to the debut LP which is probably my favourite of the lot. In addition to the acoustic instruments JT uses a synthesiser and sequencer to create textures and a backdrop for improvisation. I requested one track from this LP on JRR last year - "O" which is superb. Another favourite is the set closer, the wonderful "Jacob" which is probably the best composition on the album. Again it starts with JT on solo piano and in reflective mood - so far, so ECM. Then Norma Winstone sings an overdubbed, ethereal choir before Kenny plays fluegel horn. His playing here is very poignant, I think: it is the essence of Autumn. Then there is the core of the piece, a brief song Norma sings solo with just piano accompaniment and then Kenny restates his theme, and the trio play the extended coda over which we have the main fluegel solo. The coda is eight bars, most of which hangs around in diminished/altered chord territory before resolving in the last two bars to major: the tension-and-release on this is brilliant.

[Tenor Freak]

Bonus track from the first LP - an unusual piece as it is a trumpet fanfare, but nowhere near as bombastic as you may think, and ends on a bit of uncertainty:

It reminds me a bit of Mr. Benn somehow (KW played on the music for that too)

[Serial_Apologist]

There's a tradition of pastoralism in jazz that may seem in contradiction - I've often wondered about this, (thread-deserving???), and think Azimuth very much reflects it, as does a lot of music of the Kenny Wheeler/John Taylor/John Surman "school", with an added bit of post 60s Psychedelia early Weather Report, ("Milky Way") rather than Riley/Reich Minimalism maybe. I also think English Pastoralism is in there too - JT is, or was, very keen on Peter Warlock songs, especially "The Curlew", according to Norma; I hear the autumn bleakness of later Frank Bridge in those bitonal harmonies too.

Yes, it wasn't just the improv lads and lasses that "emancipated British jazz from second-class emulation of the Americans".

[Ian Thumwood]

Yes, it wasn't just the improv lads and lasses that "emancipated British jazz from second-class emulation of the Americans".

Yes, but I think jazz has perhaps now gone too far the other way with musicians wearing "non-American influence" as a badge of honour with the result that labels like ACT churn out a lot of instantly forgettable non-jazz. I would say that ECM initially got the balance just about right in the early days but I must say that as much as I have been a fan of the likes of John Taylor in the past, I would now much sooner listen to the likes of Jason Moran, Vijay Iyer or Craig Taborn who have connected with jazz's heritage yet it a way that is totally fresh and vital. Checking out other musicians like some of the players of Delmark's roster or even people like Dave Douglas, David Binney , etc demonstrates that the need to so earnestly take on board a European esthetic is no longer relevant. Whilst the 70's and first half of the 80's might have left jazz in the duldrums with the consequence that a label like ECM could promote an image of being at the forefront of jazz, I think this is no nowhere near the case. Ofcourse, when you realise at the time the likes of Azimuth were recording musicians like John Carter were getting seriously over-looked. I quite like Wheeler, Winstone and Taylor and their approach to jazz, but I would categorically dispute the notion that jazz needed to be "emancipated" from the American model. There has never been one American model and even if you would have to be totally deaf not to hear the pastoral influence in British jazz such as this, I'm not convinced that the European quest to divorce itself from American jazz was ultimately a good move. It may have resulted in some great jazz from the UK but ultimately it has led to groups such as EST or pianists such as Tigran which, for me atleast, isn't what jazz is about. As I get older, I find my tastes have radically changed and whilst I might have applauded the newer jazz from Europe in the past, the further it departs from the black, American model, the more it now seems like a betrayal.

[Serial_Apologist]

As I get older, I find my tastes have radically changed and whilst I might have applauded the newer jazz from Europe in the past, the further it departs from the black, American model, the more it now seems like a betrayal.

I rather suspected you'd post something of this kind, Ian.

A betrayal of what, or of whom? The most important contribution to music made by Americans? To me the fact that jazz had evolved by the 50s to the point where it had universalised the most important form of music making in existence, as a consequence in an important part of its identity of taking on other influences (including Euroclassical modernism among other things) on its own terms, was and remains a plus.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

I rather suspected you'd post something of this kind, Ian.

A betrayal of what, or of whom? The most important contribution to music made by Americans? To me the fact that jazz had evolved by the 50s to the point where it had universalised the most important form of music making in existence, as a consequence in an important part of its identity of taking on other influences (including Euroclassical modernism among other things) on its own terms, was and remains a plus.

For once I am with Ian. Although how much black american jazz still has cultural resonance with black america is highly debatable. Still, more authentic than noodling soprano sea shanties in the hushed ECM mausoleum.

BN.

[Ian Thumwood]

S-A

Let me put this sraight. I'm writing this as a fan of these three musicians. The issue is at what point have you taken on sufficient non-jazz influences for the music to no longer be jazz? I suppose the biggest element within jazz that makes it important as rhythm and although this is an extremely important component of Classical music especially with someone like Chopin, the nature of it is fundementally different from jazz. The Azimuth approach does have it's merit and I like what they do. In lesser hand, I feel you could take this approach so far until it bears no relationship to jazz. Even musicians working 20 years beforehand ight struggle to recognise Azimuth as jazz. I sometimes wonder what a musician like King Oliver would make of this as he wouldn't recognise anything on ECM as jazz but I'm sure he would get musicians like Jason Moran, Lester Bowie.

I suppose what partly influences me in my opinion is some comments I heard the pianist Tigran make during a workshot of his I attended last year. In fairness I would have to put my cards down as saying that I took an instant dislike to him as he was clearly in love with himself and lacked what you could call "social skills." However, he made some points about bringing the influences of his Eastern European country in to his approach (fair enough) and them disparaged the idea of playing bop. I could understand this if it meant trying to play like Horace Silver in 2012 but it became clear that he was talking about post-bop too. Too me, the implication was that he could get nothing from the black, American origins of the music. I agree with Bluesnik that these element have been deluted today (just how influenced is, say, David Binney , who cites Paul Desmond as a key inspiration?) but the suggestion was that it was valid to bring your own experiences to the table and also discard any others irrespective as to whether they might have actually defined jazz at one point. My argument would be just how far is it to take the music of Azimuth to the kind of approach of Tigran? The implication is that "i don't need the input from Jazz's "black, American" origins as my "personal " influence is more important. For me, I also find this approach disrespectful and perhaps a bit racist but atleast the pendulum has now started to swing the other direction with American musicians taking the initiative.

Sorry if I have hijacked your thread, Bruce.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

S-A

Let me put this sraight. I'm writing this as a fan of these three musicians. The issue is at what point have you taken on sufficient non-jazz influences for the music to no longer be jazz? I suppose the biggest element within jazz that makes it important as rhythm and although this is an extremely important component of Classical music especially with someone like Chopin, the nature of it is fundementally different from jazz. The Azimuth approach does have it's merit and I like what they do. In lesser hand, I feel you could take this approach so far until it bears no relationship to jazz. Even musicians working 20 years beforehand ight struggle to recognise Azimuth as jazz. I sometimes wonder what a musician like King Oliver would make of this as he wouldn't recognise anything on ECM as jazz but I'm sure he would get musicians like Jason Moran, Lester Bowie.

I suppose what partly influences me in my opinion is some comments I heard the pianist Tigran make during a workshot of his I attended last year. In fairness I would have to put my cards down as saying that I took an instant dislike to him as he was clearly in love with himself and lacked what you could call "social skills." However, he made some points about bringing the influences of his Eastern European country in to his approach (fair enough) and them disparaged the idea of playing bop. I could understand this if it meant trying to play like Horace Silver in 2012 but it became clear that he was talking about post-bop too. Too me, the implication was that he could get nothing from the black, American origins of the music. I agree with Bluesnik that these element have been deluted today (just how influenced is, say, David Binney , who cites Paul Desmond as a key inspiration?) but the suggestion was that it was valid to bring your own experiences to the table and also discard any others irrespective as to whether they might have actually defined jazz at one point. My argument would be just how far is it to take the music of Azimuth to the kind of approach of Tigran? The implication is that "i don't need the input from Jazz's "black, American" origins as my "personal " influence is more important. For me, I also find this approach disrespectful and perhaps a bit racist but atleast the pendulum has now started to swing the other direction with American musicians taking the initiative.

Sorry if I have hijacked your thread, Bruce.

One of the things that attracted me to jazz was that it was NOT pastoral. It was most certainly an urban music. Even the country blues has a urban sensibility. The Train and the River is as pastoral as I want to get. Next stop Whimsey Halt.

This is not the party I joined and I will be resigning at the next election.

BN. MP for Mobley North.

[Quarky]

One of the things that attracted me to jazz was that it was NOT pastoral. It was most certainly an urban music. Even the country blues has a urban sensibility. The Train and the River is as pastoral as I want to get. Next stop Whimsey Halt.

This is not the party I joined and I will be resigning at the next election.

BN. MP for Mobley North.

Point of order for Rt Hon Bluesnik.

"Pastoral" covers a multitude of sins, including Stravinsky's Rite of Spring - anything relating to natural world as I understand it.

Intuitively aligned with Ian, but:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hcqs5z0yEl4

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Point of order for Rt Hon Bluesnik.

"Pastoral" covers a multitude of sins, including Stravinsky's Rite of Spring - anything relating to natural world as I understand it.

Intuitively aligned with Ian, but:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hcqs5z0yEl4

PASTORAL. (Romantised) rural life. Oxford dictionary

And as Igor said on his deathbed," I should have called it The Rite of Springsville and booked Philly Joe on drums."

BN.

[grippie]

Papa was a Pastoral Rolling Stone