REVIEW: Arild Andersen/Scottish National Jazz Orchestra’s “Celebration”
Celebration (ECM) is a renewed faith in not only the concept of a live album, but reaffirmation of the greatness of jazz, as if that is ever needed by those to feel and believe in the music. Under the direction of Tommy Smith, Arild Andersen and the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra create and perform the kind of music that has a distinct beginning, middle and end, beautifully played, arranged, and performed. Perhaps it is a European asthetic that helps give this album a distinct sound, one that has been a trademark of ECM’s for many years. Then again, Andersen has been with ECM since the beginning, so in many ways, he IS a major factor behind that distinct sound. To hear him in a live setting play the double-bass is just beautiful, creating an aura that one can expect from hearing the works of Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, or Stan Kenson. There’s a cinematic quality to this album where the listener is allowed to create mind movies, airy and dream-like but one is completely aware of their surrounding while taking themselves into a musical “elsewhere”. Who knows where the individual mind will take you. This is just a remarkable piece of work.
BEST OF 2012: My Favorite Albums Of The Year | This Is Book's Music posted: 21 Dec at 12:02 am
[...] Arild Andersen/Scottish National Jazz Orchestra-Celebration (ECM) The Assemble Head In Sunburst Sound-Manzanita (Tee Pee) The Bastards Of Fate-Who’s a Fuzzy Buddy (This Will Be Our Summer) Bigg Jus-Machines That Make Civilizations Run (Mush) Bjork-bastards (One Little Indian) The Black Seeds-Dust And Dirt (Easy Star) Bone Dance-s/t (Meloto) Georg Breinschmid-Fire (Baumann/Preiser) Bvdub-The First Day (Home Normal) The Caretaker-Patience (After Sebald) (History Always Favours The Winners) Jeremiah Cymerman-Purification/Dissolution (5049) Jacob Deaton-Tribulation (self-released) Diamond Terrifier-Kill The Self That Wants To Kill Yourself (Diamond Spy) Arrington de Dionyso’s Malaikat dan Singa-Trance Punk Manifestos Vol. III (self-released) Dynoride-What You Wanted (Gentle Edward) El-P-Cancer For Cure (Fat Possum) Entelleckt-Larry YOLO (self-released) [...]