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No, Really, What’s the Story?
3 Dec2007
NORWEGIAN STEEL/SEPTIMUS
CLOUDLESS SKY
John Surman
Morning Glory
Island : 1973
JS, soprano sax, bass clarinet; Malcolm Griffiths, trombone; Terje Rypdal, guitar; John Taylor, piano; Chris Laurence, bass; John Marshall, drums.
John Surman strikes us as the quintessential British jazz musician, or something pretty close. Informed and inculcated by the best U.K. players of the 60s, Surman draws on everything from British folk forms to esoteric electronics. And he’s compiled an astonishingly rich and ecumenical range of recordings.
This one, Morning Glory, was the number 5 album in the Melody Maker 1974 British jazz poll — behind Isotope, Soft Machine, Osborne & Tracey, and Mike Gibbs. It follows Surman’s solo synth-n-sax effort Westering Home with an egalitarian outing that finds him in a casually exploratory mood. Cook and Morton called it “one of the classics of its day,” while also wondering aloud about what Surman might think of it now.
“Norwegian Steel/Septimus” starts quietly, with Laurence tip-toeing his way through a minefield. A conversation slowly starts up around him. When everyone begins to hold forth with more vehemence, Rypdal throws a blanket of noise over the group, clearing some space for a prickly solo, accompanied only by Marshall. Both Laurence and Marshall, longtime collaborators of Surman’s, are in incredibly fine form throughout the album; an underrated rhythm section. What we presume is the “Septimus” part of the song kicks in at around 6:30. A coordinated herky-jerk vaguely reminiscent of some mid-70s Braxton, it stomps its way to the finale, Rypdal screaming over the top. Presumably, it nevertheless provided no inspiration for this.
“Cloudless Sky” is about as peaceful as the title suggests. Surman’s circular soprano wail opens the song (and the album), hailing the dawn. Or maybe just his buddy Evan Parker. Shifting gears, the tune winds up in a modal mood, with a vibe straight off Herbie Hancock’s Speak Like a Child.
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YOU TELL US: Surman is under-known, at least Stateside. Does the British jazz musician get a fair shake in the U.S.? Is there still a continental divide in jazz? If there is, does it matter anymore?
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ATTENTION ALL NEW YORKERS: Vijay Iyer is programming this month at everyone’s favorite free jazz club, The Stone. Check the full schedule to scope out the exceptional offerings — and be sure check out some of the shows themselves.
- In: John Surman
5 Responses to No, Really, What’s the Story?
Svennevenn
December 4th, 2007 at 4:55 pm
About time Surman becomes a star! (Fat chance). I love this album and a lot of his other stuff too. He’s living in Norway still (I hope), with wife (jazz vocalist) Karin Krog
John in England
December 4th, 2007 at 8:46 pm
i am sorry to say that this site has now become non-useable via my dial-up connection — major graphics overload, and the music is timing out earlier and earlier. And everything was fine until a few weeks ago.
ledrew
December 4th, 2007 at 11:23 pm
We’re sorry to hear that, JiE. You have been a key player here lately, and we’d miss your voice were you to stop coming by. Are others having (new) problems related to d/l times, or related?
If you’re still in a Surman mood, you might try your luck over here:
http://cyberinsekt.livejournal.com/113721.html
— a track we almost put up in lieu of those above.
John in England
December 5th, 2007 at 11:33 am
Thanks for the pointer to that link — I used it to see whether there might be a problem at my end, but that does not seem to be the case. The downsizing of your graphic meant that I got an improved download speed from D:O using the same connection, but your first track still timed out after 18 megabytes. On the music — it all tends to reinforce my feeling that Surman was at his most exciting in the 1970s. I have been distinctly underwhelmed by his more recent output.
Jon Turney
December 9th, 2007 at 6:49 am
Dunno about Surman’s rep in the USA, but there’s something in the “quintessential British jazz musician” tag, I think. To do with the West country, pastoral leanings as well as English choral church music.
I’m one who believes Surman’s career has been enhanced by his relationship with Manfred Eicher – which goes back almost as far as his partnership with JdeJohnette. People who rate the early, often free(er) stuff sometimes tend to be down on the “ECM sound”. But being in Eicher’s stable has promoted fascinating and fruitful musical associations like those with Mick Goodrick, Miroslav Vitous, Paul Bley or Anouer Brahem (a terrific trio recording with Dave Holland), as well as allowing him to develop his own projects, often with the people he plays with on Morning Glory.
Best recent additions to his impressive discography? The live recording with DeJohnette Invisible Nature is pretty rip-roaring stuff, and the wonderful sounding set with the London Brass- and DeJohnette again – Free and Equal goes right back to those choral voicings, but in a jazz way.
All of which said, I’d love to update my almost worn out vinyl copy of Morning Glory with a CD reissue. Surely about time? Thanks for the other link, too.