Cadence, August 2002 Jay Collins George Haslam’s SLAM label continues to present topnotch improvised musical talent from within and outside Britain. This particular release is part of SLAM’s "300 Series", Haslam’s catalog numbering scheme for his own recordings. This recording contains solo and collaborative music from a live concert performance in an Oxford music hall featuring Haslam, bassist John Edwards and the iconoclastic saxophonist Evan Parker. The program begins with two Haslam solo performances. On the first track, a baritone saxophone solo, Haslam plays it rather straight, focusing on melodic and thematic motifs. While a significant contrast to Evan Parker’s offerings later in the program, Haslam demonstrates his mastery of the instrument and explores its total dynamic range with a hardy tone. The second performance showcases Haslam’s tarogato proficiency. The Hungarian folk instrument has a woody tone and Haslam’s approach captures its nature by employing a darker and more meditative mood, with a piquant vibrato. On both performances, Haslam displays a wealth of creative ideas, proving that he is one of the most notable musicians on the British creative music scene. Evan Parker’s soprano saxophone playing is always fascinating, if not a significant aural challenge. Parker’s circular breathing style on the solo piece is in full effect here, causing the intersection of two, if not three lines duking it out for domination. This is an exciting performance replete with a flurry of jabbing and mesmerizing notes. Of course, for the uninitiated, be forewarned that this is an intense listening experience. Although seemingly monotonous or overbearing at times, there is much beauty to be found with each listen. After John Edward’s impressive display of technique and the range of sounds he procures from his acoustic bass during his solo performance, Edwards and Parker next engage in a lengthy duo exploration full of muscle, attack and gregarious sounds. This dialogue proves that each is his own man, with Edwards feeding Parker’s tenor the grease for its keys and Parker responding in kind with bubbling intensity and bursts of energy straight from Coltrane’s legacy. Edwards rises to the occasion, meeting every challenge offered by Parker. The highlight of this concert is the final track, featuring the full trio. Parker sticks to soprano and generally demonstrates a more fluid and meditative side to his personality, while Edwards and Haslam provide a solid foundation. After a few minutes, things heat up when Haslam switches to tarogato, resulting in Parker and Haslam’s lyrical, weaving tones coupled with a judicious use of space. This is another enjoyable release from some of the most significant improvisers present on the British creative music scene. Kudos to Haslam for curating another worthwhile SLAM release. WIRE, MARCH 2002 The programming of this concert recording, made in Oxford in September 2000, seems calculated to let tension mount. George Haslam kicks off with a fruity, approachable baritone solo, then consolidates the welcome with his Hungarian horn, the tarogato. Evan Parker pulls a 15 minute circular breathing spectacular out of the bag, conducting a duet (it often seems) with a phantom soprano partner. John Edwards sustains the momentum through his tense, thoughtful double bass solo, then grapples with the surge and recoil of Parker’s snarling tenor. Finally the bassist stands squarely between these two comparably emphatic and markedly dissimilar saxophonists like a referee even-handedly adjudicating the anticipated tussle. It leaves you wanting more.
All About Jazz Carlo Actis Dato George Haslam ritorna di nuovo con la sua bellissima voce al baritono, in un pezzo lungo (quasi dieci minuti) ma mai noioso, mentre nel secondo brano imbraccia il tarogato, una specie di sassofono soprano in legno di origine ungherese. Qui arrivano anche riferimenti e scale che ricordano appunto l"altra" Europa... in Ungheria c'è ancora un'esigua minoranza turca e musulmana intorno alla città di Pecs. Nel terzo brano ascoltiamo quindici minuti di solo sassofono soprano in respirazione circolare di Evan Parker. È la tecnica con cui gli strumenti a fiato sono suonati in tutto il mondo al di là dell'Europa (parlo di tecniche tradizionali ovviamente). È un'altra bella dimostrazione della padronanza assoluta del soprano usato in questo modo che ha Evan Parker; forse quindici minuti sono però un po' troppi... John Edwards al solo contrabbasso: si nota subito il suono molto bello e pieno reso da questa registrazione. Le tecniche non convenzionali ci sono tutte, ma senz'altro è uno che conosce molto bene il suo mestiere! Si conferma alla grande nel duetto seguente con Parker: quasi venti minuti di esplorazioni sonore improvvisate. L'ultimo è un trio decisamente "godibile", appetibile anche per chi non è un esperto di musica free. Il CD è registrato molto bene, cosa che non guasta certamente. Musica "dura e pura" di grande qualità. Valutazione: * * * *
Jazzword, Oct. 2003 Ken Waxman
The Chicagoan’s shortcomings are put into bolder relief when compared to the solo and duo creations of Britons Parker on soprano and tenor saxophones and George Haslam on baritone saxophone and tarogato -- a sort of Hungarian wooden soprano saxophone -- on PARKER-EDWARDS-HASLAM. Bassist John Edwards is the odd man out here.
Largely self-taught, Haslam has worked extensively in Eastern Europe and South America and in many different types of music. He brings a melodious tinge to his solo playing. On baritone his dynamic sense is paramount with the lines mostly smooth and legato. Coming across like a hipper Gerry Mulligan, his rhythm always swings on an even keel. Of course, Mulligan may have been shocked by Haslam’s sometimes irregular vibrato, rhythmic tongue slaps and an ending which moves up from traditional baritone bottom-feeding tones to a bit of overblowing, side slipping and split tones.
Uniquely Magyar, the tarogato has an elastic tone that seems to add a resonant buzz to every note played, More experimental with it than his larger horn, Haslam applies spetrofluctuation, circular breathing and double timing to shake loose new avenues for his improvisations.
Elsewhere, bassist John Edwards, who has also duetted with reedists like Paul Dunmall and John Butcher, is on hand to second Haslam on baritone and Parker on both soprano and tenor on their sax face off on the Slam disc. Unlike the Swiss, the Englishmen limit themselves to straight staccato lines with irregular vibrations, tossing phrases and notes back-and-forth. Chirping, Parker flaunts his circular breathing as Haslam’s baritone pedal point provides the undercurrent. At the same time the soprano saxist makes sure that he relates as much to Edwards’ string tugging as the baritone’s gritty slurs. Later on, the baritonist slides out some idiosyncratic constructions and Parker providing the pepping ostinato that reflects them. With Edwards’ bass bottom suggesting a third saxophone, the two real reedists turn to flutter tonguing and slurs, with Haslam more ornamental in his exhalation. Finally the two confront one another for a robust miasma of pliant reed timbres, circling around and uniting for a medley of honks, in congruent but contrasted high pitches. Unlike Koch and Denzler there’s never any doubt as to which sax is playing or who is playing it.
Beyond Coltrane 2002 by Fred Barrett Of the three new offerings from the freest of the "Britjazz" labels, SLAM, we have two very "difficult" discs and one that is . . . difficult but highly "clickable" (see ideas). Evan Parker is one of the most prominent free-sax players in the UK, and he has a very distinguishable style, one that involves what I like to call conversations with himself. His playing sometimes reminds me of a desperate and strange alien straggling along the streets, engaged in self deprication. You have to hear it to understand. George Haslam, owner of the label, is one of the most interesting bari sax players to go beyond traditional stylings and explore the low range of the free. I haven't listened to any of Tim Berne's bari rumblings, but I want to. This instrument is becoming more and more important to me as a viable force in jazz, going beyond Gerry Mulligan. This disc is about as unplanned, unrehearsed, and free as one can get. The key to enjoying this is to understand the players involved. It really is like hearing them talk about themselves. The song titles reflect what is to be heard: "Solo for Baritone Saxophone" begins the disc, followed by "Solo for Tarogato". Get the picture? Next, Parker talks to himself on "Solo for Soprano Saxophone". I forgot to mention the third player on this disc, double bassist John Edwards. "Solo for Double Bass" reflects his sparse, creepy style. The fifth track is a conversation between Edwards and Parker, and the final track throws all three voices in the mix. Once again, this is an eclectic disc, and many people will not understand it. Do some research on the players, and you'll get some enjoyment out of this. I know a little bit about the musicians, so I enjoy it a little. If I take the time to listen more closely and perhaps learn more about the players, I'll enjoy it even more. This type of music needs some work on your part. From Different Ends of the Jazz Spectrum
PAUL DONELLY Having grown up in a house where Ella and Sarah Vaughan came to represent the jazz pantheon my own independent forays veered more towards the free reaches of the genre. Now I still like to oscillate between extremes and don’t feel that either should in any way be mutually exclusive. So it was interesting to receive these two releases which demonstrate, to some extent, my point. Parker, Haslam and Edwards have chosen a fairly unassuming title for a cd but one that offers some idea of what you’ll find when you play it. Each player is well known for their work in improvised, and other, contexts and here they take some solo space before joining up as duo (Evan Parker/John Edwards) and closing as a trio. It’s interesting to hear their differing approaches. George Haslam is perhaps the most accessible, utilising a robust, slightly r’n’b style on the baritone. He shapes melodic and rhythmic lines that gyrate and hint at bluesy influences. He never overstates his contribution but allows the expansive resonance of the horn to muscle into spaces or hold back in breathy, controlled statements. He moves up through the octaves with his tarogato for a brief outing that showcases the unusual voice of this instrument, which lies somewhere between soprano sax, clarinet and something Charlie Mariano played from time to time, the nagaswaram. Parker, of course, is something else. I’ve enjoyed several of his ‘live’ broadcasts this year and as a soloist he is spell-binding, seeming never to run out of ideas. Here, he sounds like at least two sopranos with a violin thrown in. It is a fine example of his breath-taking technique and provides a contrast to Haslam’s gruff baritone. He word ‘virtuoso’ is often used about his solo performances and this is another one. What I enjoy most is that it never sounds the same twice. I’m less familiar with John Edwards’ playing. But he plucks, scrapes and bows a variety of spiky staccato and resonant strumming from the big fiddle. It’s busy with percussive detail. When he duets with Parker it is sometimes difficult to tell who is doing what as they both produce freakish high notes. But as the piece develops the balance of power shifts slightly toward Parker’s relentlessly authoritative voice. Again Edwards’ role becomes percussive underpinning the soprano’s flurries and torrents of sound. The trio performance which closes the cd is, as you might expect, a tour de force with all three members working in unison to create constantly changing textures. They still leave space for each other to be heard as individual voices, at one point Parker produces a stream of fast, unearthly notes that just override anything else. But mostly this track relies on the collective merging in a telepathic way to produce a dynamic aural assault. This is free music at its most cohesive and coherent best.
