TITLE: 'SONGS FROM ANOTHER BLUE PLANET'
Cat. No SLAMCD 285
ARTISTS: ANTONIO QUIJANO QUARTET
Antonio Quijano bass; Paul Dunmall soprano & tenor saxophones, clarinet, chanter; Philip Gibbs guitar; Marco Anderson, piano. Plus Jonathan Scott, djembe on track 6.
Tracks:
1, INTRODUCING … AND NOT FORGETTING 6:42
2, STAGGERING 7:52
3, YODALELE 3:41
4, QUE PASADO ANTEMANO 6:36
5, EL TANGO DERRITE 7:39
6, CARIBBEING 4:47
7, ORIGEN SEA QUE FINAL? 1:33
8, MONKEY STUFF 6:24
9, RECUEDAS DE LAS MEMORIAS PERDIDAS 8:25
10, THE CREEPING F… 7:42
11, CULEBRA NEGRA 2:15
12, SINGING FROM AN ASTEROID 5:47
13, CARAVANA EXTRANJERA 9:07
Tracks 3,5,9,11,12,and 13 were recorded at the University of Bristol Music Studios as Trio (Paul, Phil and Marco) on 27th July 2009
Tracks 1,2,4,6,7,8,10 were recorded at UBMS (as above) on 10th Nov 2009 as Quartet (with Antonio)
Antonio overdubbed his bass parts onto the Trio tracks at Andersonshelta Studios, Bristol on 12th Nov 2009
Mixed by YoYo @ Andersonshelta Digital Recording Facility Dec 2009 to April 2010
All songs written and performed by Anderson, Dunmall, Gibbs, Quijano
At times, this set of first-take improvisations, recorded in Bristol in
November 2009, sounds like an escape from MoonJune Records' catalogue: the
music made by electric bassist Antonio Quijano, electronic drums
player/pianist Marco Anderson, reeds player Paul Dunmall and
electric guitarist Philip Gibbs is basically 'free jazz/rock'
rather than 'free jazz', owing as much to Soft Machine, electric Miles and
perhaps even the more outré productions of Weather Report as to, say,
Mujician or Dreamtime. Quijano plays a rich variety of bass foundations
(by turns funky stutters, sonorous Jaco-tinged soaring, growling power) to
anchor the characteristically inventive Dunmall, who fires off a series of
gripping, passionate solos on soprano, tenor, clarinet and bagpipe
chanter; Gibbs, who is spiky, howling or scrabbling as demanded by each
collective improvisation; and Anderson, who pounds out a series of heavy
electronic beats under it all. If this makes the whole thing sound a mite
relentless, though, it's misleading: there are quieter moments, even the
odd folk-ish skirl or spacy meditative passage, so overall, the album
provides a vibrant and absorbing set of spontaneous creations from four
supremely accomplished improvisers.
Chris Parker http://londonjazz.blogspot.com//
Bassist Anthonio Quijano heads an outfit of which the most familiar name to Cadence readers will undoubtedly be Paul Dunmall. What's electronic on this release are the electric drums, played with a hearty advanced funk feel and without any of those dated mannerisms of the late ‘80s on: cheesy hand claps, etc. At times there also seems to be some digital manipulation in play. And the bass and/or guitar occasionally seem to be subject to some manner of electronic alteration in addition, to a greater or lesser degree, as the spirit moves the folks.
Essentially this is expanded Free-form Rock with the accent on dialog between the four principals. Dunmall sounds terrific on soprano, wailing on top of the guitar-centric rhythmic outness, the thickly rolling bass and the variable throb of the post-DeJohnette variation Rock drumming. Quijano can get some very rapid-fire lines going.
"Yo Dale" moves away from the Funk-Rock of the first couple of tracks for an electronic tabla-chanter-electronics (digital delay?) om-ni-chronic trip.
Then there follows "Que Pasada," giving space to some interesting bass a la post-Jaco and nicely phrased clarinet with some spacy guitar chords and a lighter, freely articulated pulse. "El Tango" makes use of electronic loops as a centering point around which are added some pointillistic pulsing and soprano post-Shorter toppings.
What strikes me when listening to this is how the lessons learned from electric Miles, Weather Report, and Mwandishi have been internalized and we now have a new generation of musical ensembles such as this one which build a Free structure on top of what has been done. The counterpoint is sharper, more rapid-fire and more sound-variably diverse in parts. Some of that development no doubt has to do with the rise of MIDI and other electronic technology, and software that allows for the creation of a wider, quicker reacting set of sounds. The other factor is that musician-improvisers who work in this realm have a heightened musical consciousness of what can go together. Their ears have collectively grown.
I won't go further into a blow-by-blow on this one. Seventy-eight minutes of music. . . if you care to know more details you'll get the CD. Suffice to say that Dunmall's sax and Quijano's bass are quite central to the success of this session, though it is an ensemble effort. A fine showpiece for what free-flowing electric/acoustic Rock and world-tinged avant garde music can be these days. Recommended if that appeals to you. Stay away if it doesn't. Grego Applegate Edwards oct - nov - dec 2011 cadence
ANTONIO QUIJANO QUARTET With PAUL DUNMALL/PHILIP GIBBS/MARCO ANDERSON - Songs From Another Blue Planet (Slam 285; UK) Antonio Quijano on electric bass, Paul Dunmall on soprano & tenor saxes, clarinet & bagpipe chanter, Philip Gibbs on electric guitar and Marco Anderson on tamboros electricos (drum machine). Most of you who read our weekly newsletter know the work of British reeds wiz Paul Dunmall and the great but under-recognized jazz guitar of Philip Gibbs. This quartet session was organized (Antonio) & produced (Marco) by the two rhythm section men, neither of whom I knew before this, although Mr. Anderson can be found on at least one Leo CD (# 479). It is pretty rare to hear Mr. Dunmall play with an electric bassist and a someone who plays drum machine. Oddly enough, this music is still pretty adventurous and pushes Dunmall & Gibbs into some odd areas. "Staggering" has a sly, somewhat funky groove with spiraling, serpent soprano from Dunmall and smokin' Hendrix-like fuzz/wah-wah guitar from Phil Gibbs, a sound I've never heard from him before. On "Yodalele", Dunmall plays his bagpipe chanter (double-reed) while Anderson plays some effective sampled tablas with a layer of hypnotic loops underneath. On each piece, the instrumentation and/or vibe changes so that we get to hear many different versions of the same quartet of creative men. Antonio Quijana is an impressive bassist, playing some quick and adventurous fretless lines and consistently working well with Anderson's ever-changing drum machine playing, as well as interacting with the saxes and/or guitar at a high level of craftiness. At some 78+ minutes, this is quite a long CD, yet the more I heard, the more I dug everything that this quartet has come up with. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery,July 2011
George Haslam, sassofonista e produttore dellaSlam Productionsin Inghilterra piace presentare qualche nuovo musicista e pubblicare incisioni piuttosto originali. Ecco quindi il bassista argentinoAntonio Quijanoche sta a misurarsi con tre musicisti inglesi firmando un disco dedicato al pianeta blu. La metà dei brani sono stati eseguiti in trio, cui poiQuijadoha sovrapposto la sua parte al basso elettrico, il resto direttamente in quartetto.Paul Dunmallai sax tenore e soprano ed al clarinetto,Philip Gibbsalla chitarra eMarco Andersonalla batteria sono gli altri partecipanti al progetto, su "Caribbeing" c´èJonathan Scottal djembe. Il pianeta blu è bello e vario, e così la musica proposta, che va per improvvisazioni spontanee in cui il funky si incontra con il free insieme ad altre forme di musica, restando ovunque al massimo dell´ispirazione creativa. A momenti sembra di ascoltare un free-jazz rock in cui il basso rappresenta la forza propulsiva di tutta la session e la chitarra ha momenti incendiari allaJimi Hendrix.Paul Dunmallè sempre sotto una carica adrenalica, ma ha anche la possibilità in qualche brano – "Recuerdas De La Memoria Perdida" – di lasciare intravedere il suo lato più lirico e pensoso. Haslam ha davvero fiuto come produttore e questo disco gli dà ragione:Antonio Quijadoè un musicista dalle tante idee sul basso elettrico ed ha sfornato un disco che rappresenta un bel contributo ad una fusion molto poco ortodossa. Vittorio Lo Conte http://www.musiczoom.it/?p=3686
TRANSLATION:
George Haslam, saxophonist and producer of Slam Productionsin England would like to introduce some new quirky musician and published engravings.So here is the Argentinean bassistAntonio Quijano,who is to be measured against three English musicians by signing a record dedicated to the blue planet.Half of the songs were performed in a trio, which thenQuijadahas superimposed its part in the bass, the rest directly to the quartet.Paul Dunmallto the tenor and soprano sax and clarinet,Philip Gibbson guitar andMark Andersonon drums are the other participants in the project of "Caribbeing" isJonathan Scottto the djembe.The blue planet is beautiful and varied, and so the music proposal, which goes for spontaneous improvisation where funky meets the free along with other forms of music, staying anywhere more than creative inspiration.At times it seems to listen to a free-jazz-rock in which the bass is the driving force of the whole session and the guitar at times incendiaryJimi Hendrix.Dunmall Paulis always in a position adrenal, but also the possibility in some songs - "Memory Recuerdas De La Perdida" - leaving a glimpse at its most lyrical and thoughtful.Haslam has really smell this record as a producer and he was right:Antonio Quijadais a musician from the many ideas on the electric bass and has produced a record that represents a nice contribution to a highly unorthodox fusion.
ANTONIO QUIJANO QUARTET / Songs from Another Blue Planet (Slam Productions)
Le bassiste électrique Antonio Quijano présente un quartet incluant le saxo Paul Dunmall (de Mujician), le guitariste électrique Philip Gibbs et le batteur Marco Anderson. Deux sessions de jazz fusion improvisé, dont l'une à laquelle Antonio n'a pas pu assisté, mais a ajouté une partie de basse par la suite, en une prise. Ce disque brasse beaucoup, dans un style free-jazz-rock qui m'a souvent laissé sur ma faim ailleurs (je pense à quelques disques sous étiquette Moonjune et au 21st Century Bop de Marco Anderson chez Slam), mais ici, la recette tient. Il faut dire que Quijano est un bassiste fluide et imaginatif. Cela dit, je préfère Dunmall lorsqu'il est moins rangé.
Electric bassist Antonio Quijano presents a quartet featuring reedsman Paul Dunmall (of Mujician), electric guitarist Philip Gibbs, and drummer Marco Anderson. Two improvised fusion jazz sessions, one of which Antonio was unable to attend – he added in his bass parts later, in one-take overdubs. This records moves a lot of air, in a free-jazz-rock style that has often left me unsatisfied elsewhere (I'm thinking of a few titles on Moonjune Records and Anderson's own21st Century Bopon Slam), but here, the recipe holds up. Qujiano is a fluid and creative bassist, and that helps. However, Dunmall sounds too "straight" here.
François Couture http://blog.monsieurdelire.com/2011/08/2011-08-04-antonio-quijano-quartet.html
Classical Quartet in geometry but very particular when it comes to music produced, this led by bassist Antonio Quijano, with veteran Paul Dunmall the reeds, to give that touch of "historic" which is not bad (Anderson himself, moreover, is not a greenhorn ).
The launch of the CD shows off un'estroversione that, in fact, ends up a bit 'in order to mislead the listener, led to believe that you are faced with a hard cast (or around there), but performed well.It does not take long to realize that the English quartet has much more variety instead of arrows to his bow.
Since the second song, in fact, the appearance of certain excesses guitar begins to suggest, and the three episodes that follow (perhaps aided by the passage of the bagpipes by soprano Dunmall already "Yodalele") then say it clearly.In "Que Pasado Antemius" after a solo in truth a little 'heavy with Quijano, are still elusive clarinet Dunmall and elliptical, thoughtful guitar Gibbs to reinforce the axiom and reiterated in the next life and happily divided "El Tango food," which reappears on soprano sax.
A more visceral unambiguous information, to follow the tenoristico "Caribbeing," and then proceeds along paths that seem to confirm hours, now disavow, the initial impression.It goes without saying that these episodes are more challenging, for example, "Memorias de las Perdidas Requerdos" and "Culedra black," both a clearly Hispanic (as well as, obviously, the same sources Quijano), in the second case with return of the pipes and infiltration of the soft Moorish accents.
A disc certainly worthy of note, then, that the cover, invaluable (as virtually unreadable: yellow on blue ...!), only makes even more tasty.
Alberto Bazzurro http://italia.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=6946
ORIGINAL ITALIAN
Quartetto classico nelle geometrie ma assai particolare in quanto a musica prodotta, questo guidato dal bassista Antonio Quijano, col veterano Paul Dunmall alle ance, a dare quel tocco "storico" che non guasta (lo stesso Anderson, del resto, non è certo uno sbarbatello).
L'avvio del CD sfoggia un'estroversione che, di fatto, finisce un po' per fuorviare l'ascoltatore, indotto a credere di trovarsi di fronte a un disco fusion (o lì intorno), pur ottimamente condotto. Non ci vuole molto a capire che il quartetto inglese dispone invece di ben più numerose frecce al proprio arco.
Fin dal secondo brano, in effetti, l'affacciarsi di certe intemperanze chitarristiche inizia a suggerircelo, e i tre episodi che seguono (magari anche complice il passaggio di Dunmall dal soprano alla cornamusa già in "Yodalele") lo affermano poi con tutta evidenza. In "Que pasado antemano," dopo un assolo in verità un po' greve di Quijano, sono l'elusivo clarinetto ancora di Dunmall e l'ellittica, cogitabonda chitarra di Gibbs a rinforzare l'assioma, ribadendolo nel successivo, vitale e felicemente articolato, "El tango derrite," in cui riappare il sax soprano.
Una visceralità più univoca informa, a seguire, il tenoristico "Caribbeing," e si procede quindi lungo tracciati che ora sembrano riaffermare, ora sconfessare, quell'impressione iniziale. Va da sé che sono questi ultimi gli episodi più stimolanti, per esempio "Requerdos de las memorias perdidas" e "Culedra negra," entrambi di chiara matrice ispanica (come del resto, palesemente, le stesse origini di Quijano), nel secondo caso col ritorno della cornamusa e l'infiltrarsi di morbidi accenti arabeggianti.
Un disco senz'altro degno di nota, quindi, che la copertina, impagabile (per quanto praticamente illeggibile: giallo su azzurrino...!), non fa che rendere ancor più gustoso.
diAlberto Bazzurro http://italia.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=6946