The tone of wonder
| The tone of wonder | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live album by Henry Grimes | ||||
|
Publication |
||||
| Label (s) | Uncool Edition | |||
|
Format (s) |
CD |
|||
|
Title (number) |
2 |
|||
|
running time |
71:32 |
|||
| occupation |
|
|||
|
Cornelia Müller |
||||
|
Studio (s) |
Lo Spazio, Poschiavo, Switzerland |
|||
|
||||
The Tone of Wonder is a solo album by Henry Grimes . The recordings, made on May 17, 2013, were released in 2014 on Uncool Edition, the label of the Uncool music festival in Poschiavo , Canton of Graubünden .
background
This studio concert was recorded in May 2013 at Lo Spazio in Poschiavo, where Henry Grimes was artist in residence . You experience the musician solo with two improvised pieces of 41 and 29 minutes in length, with Grimes playing solo on the acoustic bass with a short interlude on his violin, originally his first instrument, before switching to the double bass, which he made in the early 1950s studied at the Juilliard School .
According to Peter Urpeth bass solo recordings are "not new", but remain rare, with the general consensus that the first solo bass recording in jazz and in improvised music 1968 Journal Violone of Barre Phillips was. Solo recordings of all kinds, especially in improvised music, raised many questions about the nature of improvisation, says Urpeth and asks hypothetically:
- “What is improvisation, if the only source of ideas is that of the only player? What influences its progress and: how can this differ from any other term in composition? Is improvisation just a kind of minimization - exploring a single element or aspect of the various materials normally open to ensemble improvisation, or exploring the physical and sonic potential of the instrument and the technique of its performer? "
Album title
The title of the album comes from the opening stanza of a poem by Henry Grimes, one of two that are printed on the folded card sleeve of the CD. The poem Third Tense begins with:
|
The prancing of sensation |
Prancing sensations |
Track list
- Henry Grimes: The Tone of Wonder (Uncool Edition # 2)
- Cyclic Passions 41:42
- Soul Recall 29:50
reception
The album received consistently positive feedback; Geoff Winston wrote in his obituary for Henry Grimes (who died in April 2020) that Tone of Wonder continued his incredible technical ingenuity and unshakable vision for which he set a milestone with his extraordinary 2009 double CD entitled Solo .
According to Geoff Winston, who reviewed the album when it was released on the London Jazz News , The Tone of Wonder is “an extraordinary album. Being fully immersed in these solo explorations by bassist / violinist Henry Grimes is the best way to “appreciate its range, depth, and beauty. Grimes' intoxicatingly intuitive and intensely contemplative journey reflected something of the spirit of his own life journey, on which his career has been revived and enhanced since 2002 after a long period of “hibernation”.
Every nuance is captured, from the deepest rolling resonances to the complex architectural layers achieved by Grimes, Winston continued. This sometimes gives the impression that he is playing two instruments at the same time. “It's more like studies, like studies”. It's about improvisation, but not jazz in the traditional sense. Winston recognizes the hidden presence of Johann Sebastian Bach and “the grandeur of his solo cello suites ” in the musician's performances . There would also be something of the passion of the Spanish guitar and a flicker of phrasing in Middle Eastern music, "but first and foremost, it's Grimes' rich musical language, uncategorizable and very personal, combined with his technical dexterity that gives an insight into gives the spark that illuminates his unimpeded creativity. "
Peter Urpeth said that there was balance throughout Henry Grimes' creativity:
“A stasis that does not come from aesthetic silence or finality or from old certainties, but from the ability of the musician and poet to constantly and spontaneously adapt and develop his art. It is this ability to be efficient and assertive in the now, but also an improviser in all other places in terms of time and harmony, which made Henry Grimes a sought-after bassist for so many breakthrough ensembles in the late 1950s and 1960s. "
According to the author, Grimes' improvisations are full of clarity, richness, and measure of resources. A lot of time is spent on the bowed bass when the flow of lines creates an almost etude-like structure that is reminiscent of a part of Bach or Benjamin Britten's solo cello suites, rich in innumerable melody fragments, short rhythmic inventions and a real sense of counterpoint and ensemble playing. The entire project has a kind of immensity, from its improvisations to its high quality recording, which is almost overwhelming in its delivery.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Geoff Winston: CD REVIEW: Henry Grimes - The Tone of Wonder. London Jazz News, June 1, 2015, accessed April 20, 2020 .
- ↑ a b Peter Urpeth: Henry Grimes - The tone of Wonder. Jazz reviews.net, May 6, 2019, accessed April 19, 2020 .
- ^ Henry Grimes: The Tone of Wonder at Discogs