Zero Sum World
| Zero Sum World | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Ant Law | ||||
|
Publication |
||||
| Label (s) | Whirlwind Recordings | |||
|
Format (s) |
CD |
|||
|
Title (number) |
11 |
|||
|
running time |
70:00 |
|||
| occupation | ||||
|
Ant Law, Michael Janisch |
||||
|
Studio (s) |
Sand House Studios |
|||
|
||||
Zero Sum World is the second album by guitarist Ant Law . The 2014 recordings were released by Whirlwind Recordings in February 2015 .
Music of the album
Scottish guitarist Ant Law recorded his second album in a quintet with woodwind player Michael Chillingworth , pianist Ivo Neame , bassist Tom Farmer and drummer James Maddren . The title track "Zero Sum World" begins Michael Chillingworth's solo; its saxophone lines eventually overlap with the chordal tuning created by Law and Ivo Neame. To the more intense bass and drums of Farmer and Maddren, guitar and saxophone play unison lines as well as their own improvisations. After the short “Prelude”, a solo by the guitarist, Law is emphasized more in “Waltz”, a composition that is determined by a memorable riff and Law's muted coloration and a characteristic piano solo Ivo Neames. “Mishra Jathi”, based on a seven-bar rhythm , driven by the rhythm section of bass, piano and drums, creates an “effective amalgam of instrumental textures and solos”.
The initial dreaminess of “Asymptotes” gives way to a brisk, descending bass motif ; the buoyancy of the following “Parallel People” is shaped by Chillingworth's chromatic playing on the alto saxophone , which leads the band's maelstrom. In “Triviophobia”, the soft but lively tone of Ant Law's guitar is reminiscent of Wes Montgomery ; the following, complex “leafcutter” is determined by “polyrhythmic quirkiness” and the “symbiosis”, which resembles a children's song , is determined by the twisted dexterity and sonority of Chillingworth's bass clarinet . The nine-minute, statuesque “monument” is dedicated to the guitarist Ben Monder ; here references to the music of the band Genesis in its early phase can be heard, combined with mischievous free improvisation and jazz phrases that are reminiscent of solo releases by Kit Downes . “Sections of this piece suggest a freer, more experimental path, but never at the expense of loyalty to the listener. The slogans are atmosphere and texture , and not let's say the attack of a Peter Brötzmann ”( All About Jazz ). The final track “Blues” is determined by the effective cantilever playing of double bass and guitar as well as Ive Neame's piano solo, followed by a sustained fadeout in the BB King style.
Track list
- Ant Law: Zero Sum World (Whirlwind Recordings - WR4663)
- Zero Sum World - 6:36
- Prelude - 1:10
- Waltz - 7:47
- Mishra Jathi - 7:07
- Asymptotes - 4:13
- Parallel People - 5:15
- Triviophobia - 8:20
- Leafcutter - 5:40
- Symbiosis 14:21:34 - 6:45
- Monument - 9:19
- Blues - 7:54
- All compositions are by Ant Law.
reception
Ant Law's second album received consistently positive reviews; Danny Ilett said in Music Radar (2015) that Zero Sum World confirms his position as one of the most original voices of the jazz guitar of his generation. Andreas Schiffmann wrote in Musik Reviews (2015) Ant Law's second release under his own name is a “holistic jazz album with unusual timbres and compositional structures [..], whereby improvisation naturally also plays a role.” His quintet understands it “equally, to make dense arrangements sound transparent ", as in the case of the title track, and" to help tidy textures to be perceived as abundant, of which the bass and drums play a large part "(as in Parallel People ). With this "absolutely consensual, but by no means streamlined genre album", Ant Law is one of the most independent mouthpieces of the European jazz scene and, despite the classic quintet formation, swims free of all conventions, without disrupting the tradition-conscious basis.
Cormac Larkin said in the Irish Times (2015), “Former physics teacher Ant Law was interested in what could be called the quantum mechanics of music. Schom in the title of the album a reference to the mathematical idea that you gain something if you lose something; his pieces equally explored the nebulous, nuanced world of polyrhythms and developed harmonies. To achieve this, Law even tuned his guitar differently from most other players of this instrument; and even if Law had written a book on the subject, this production was neither dry nor academic. Law's compositions were on the fine line between complicated and catchy; his teammates, above all the pianist Ivo Neame, are the kind of musicians who take on the fuzzy logic of improvisation excellently. "
According to the music critic Adrian Palland (2015), Ant Law's second album brings together "something like the dream team of contemporary British jazz" to realize his compositions. In preparation for this, he developed ideas about the use of the fingerboard and such subtle harmonic variations. Ant Law's " magical eye " artistry (which Palland uses as his description of the enlightened, three-dimensional experience of exploring Law's music more deeply) is a joy to listen to over and over again; Palland concludes that it is worth developing your listening skills in order to fully understand the rich musicality of this quintet.
.jpg)
Nick Lea wrote in Jazz Views (2015) that Law's compositions revealed a certain depth with a variety of textures and shifting rhythmic patterns, along with Ant Law's pioneering method of tuning a guitar called Perfect Fourths . For the most part, Law's compositional material has a rhythmic or melodic hookline that is instantly captivating. As a soloist, the author emphasizes the contributions of Chillingworth on the bass clarinet in “Mishra Jathi” and the pianist Ivo Neame in “Asymptotes”. In contrast to this, “Parallel People” lives from the driving force of the drummer James Maddren. The defining characteristic is Law's lyrical sensitivity - both in his playing and in the pieces written for his quintet, which is seamlessly connected to the context of the material. Ant Law managed to keep the attention awake in the 70 minute long album, and perhaps save the best for last, with the penultimate track "Monument", which is dominated by a moody bass clarinet and dark, inaccessible lines of guitar and piano shadowing the melodic course of the piece. At the end of the album, Tom Farmer's bass playing gives the familiar form of the blues a new twist. The author concludes that the album is an all-round successful set and highly recommended.
Phil Barnes said in All About Jazz (2015) that the initial idea for Zero Sum Game came from game theory ; Ant Law designed the album in such a way that the balance of the pieces moves between the muted and dissonant improvisations (for example in “Parallel People”) and simpler improvisations based on a single instrument such as in “Prelude / Waltz”. Law has (even with his own vocal system) the ability to create unique harmonies. moreover, he has the rare ability to keep his playing in control, and in such a way he helps to reinforce the whole piece. Just as great is his band, who handle everything that Law expects them to do well. Ivo Neame's piano playing in “Blues”, which is a highlight of the album, is worth highlighting for the author, as is Neames' partly remarkable contribution to “Waltz”, in which his solo balances between self-control and references to something beyond it.
“At the end of the day, the way the musicians feel connected and just fit together is the aspect that is remembered the longest. This is the hallmark of a great collective; the mix of individual instrumentation and contributions makes the group sound greater than the sum of its individual parts, which Law inadvertently refutes his theory. Nevertheless, this small compromise does not matter, given the seventy entertaining and recommendable minutes of music ”.
Sebastian Scotney also praised the band's comprehensive musical security, their ability to react to one another and the level of positive energy in London Jazz News (2015). The members of Ant Law's band usually played in different contexts, but in this context they managed to bring his varied and fascinating compositions to life. Law's pieces often have an appealing, calm lyricism, but this feeling is linked to an enthusiasm for asymmetry , as the example of "Triviophobia" shows. "The challenge for the players is to keep the contours of the piece attractive while enjoying the unpredictable and irregular and also allowing the piece to develop organically." Scotney highlights the role of Ant Law's long-time partner Tom Farmer and James Maddren, who also worked on his first album. “Farmer delivers a wide range of timbres, from muffled strumming reminiscent of Charlie Haden to fully reverberant string passages, and in a solo there was the compelling impression of a Japanese koto . Maddren is as always attentive and lively, but just as capable - as in a piece like "Monument" - to suddenly exceed with wonderful detonations, which gives the band a recognizable thrust. "For pianist Ivo Neame this is a very different context compared to the the more extroverted tightness of Phronesis , “and he clearly enjoys the challenges of playing music in a quieter, more alert and secretive mood. In his solos he always showed an additional competence for the freedom of the moment, by being able to direct the listener to unexpected places. "A constant pleasure are the textures that come up when he returns in the role of team Players , as well as the balance in his voicings and his always elegant supportive game. Mike Chillingworths (compared to Julian Siegel on the previous album) rather ethereal sound is fascinating.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Adrian Palland: 'Zero Sum World' - Ant Law. Adrian Palland Site, March 24, 2015, accessed February 24, 2018 .
- ↑ Danny Ilett: Ant Law talks jazz guitar, SRV and Zero Sum World. Music Radar, May 30, 2015, accessed February 24, 2018 .
- ^ Andreas Schiffmann: Ant Law: Zero Sum World . Music Reviews, March 10, 2015, accessed February 24, 2018 .
- ^ Cormac Larkin: Ant Law: Zero Sum World - Album Review. Irish Times, March 6, 2015, accessed February 24, 2018 .
- ^ 'Zero Sum World' - Ant Law. Jazz Views, June 26, 2015, accessed March 20, 2015 .
- ^ A b Phil Barnes: Ant Law: Ant Law: Zero Sum World. All About Jazz, March 25, 2015, accessed February 24, 2018 .
- ^ Sebastian Scotney: Ant Law: Zero Sum World . London Jazz News, February 20, 2017, accessed February 24, 2018 .