The Jazz Project - Album 80: John Surman/John Warren - "Tales Of The Algonquin"

             To further my understanding of Jazz, I'm listening through Jazzwise Magazine's "The 100 Jazz Albums That Shook The World". Each album is presented with my stream-of-consciousness thoughts for each track, my general thoughts of the album as a whole, and any relevant information I can capture about the album. Also included is my drink of choice while taking the album in. Thank you for joining me on my journey to [partial] Jazz enlightenment.

Album 80
John Surman/John Warren - Tales Of The Algonquin

Drinking: Water

Photo credit: https://macdndev.azureedge.net/genesis-temp/5/b/3/4/2/c/5b342c8daee911a627bd26af52b3655bdd9188ae.jpg

1. "With Terry's Help": This song opens with woodwinds over chaotic drums in a large fanfare. It's dissonant but listenable. After a brief pause, we enter a Hard Bop feeling section. The music feels angular, but it flows and the instruments riff together nicely. It also sounds a bit like the beginning of a weird game show or sitcom. At 1:26 a soprano sax solo starts. It's shrill and biting but full of passion. This musician certainly has chops! A piano cuts in around 2:45 with some cutting chords underneath the soloing saxophone. Around 3:19 the solo is handed off to baritone sax. I prefer this solo, but I also tend to like the lower registers, and baritone instruments excite me more. This solo continues over more Hard Bop-like riffs and chord changes. As I've listened to it, it has grown on me. 
   
   
2. "The Dandelion": A much more delicate intro with soprano saxophone over a plucked bass. Other brass and horns playing softly in the background. Shortly into it, the track picks up a bit more rhythm as the drums jump in, but it doesn't push the melody along, it just gives this ballad some structure. A piano solo takes over, and it feels and sounds so good. Working its way around chords and licks, it feels honest and delightful. Reminds me of Herbie Hancock, but just a little bit. There's this looseness to the band, but they can maintain this feeling without feeling like they aren't playing together. It's like they're trying to make sure everyone has space to work with if something strikes them at the moment. I imagine this is an incredibly fun band to play in. The sax solo about three minutes in doesn't excite me, it feels like they are merely running scales for a portion of it, and it doesn't do much for me. Thankfully it doesn't live in that moment much before going on into a new direction. It ends much like it started, delicate and calm. 
   
   
3. We'll Make It": The intro is some standard jazz licks, and it's welcomed. The band feels much tighter in this piece, but it still gives off this looseness that allows anyone to throw something into the ring. The duet riffs are executed with precision. While it doesn't feel like it's bringing anything new to the table, it is certainly fun to listen to. This track leans into the big band sound that's available. The baritone sax solo yet again is excellent! I wonder what it was like to listen to this album come together in a studio, I bet it was a magical experience. 
   
   
4. "Picture Tree": This song starts with big chords and then segues right into a duet melody before going back to a big chord, and then again into a duet. This transfers on into a trumpet solo that plays over some excellent jazz drums and a walking bass solo. It feels like a moment of out the Miles Davis playbook without sounding like Miles Davis, which to this writer is quite impressive. The band loop in and out of moments the trumpet makes available to create a full sound. While the melodies aren't my favorite, I'm quite impressed by this band's ability to land all the moves. Another ripping saxophone solo towards the middle of this song. This one is blistering as it tears its way through the entire register of the instrument. At brief moments in time, the solo seems to get lost in the shred but it quickly finds its place again. Near the end, the music dials down into a more somber moment and the bass takes a solo. A good solo, but after that sax solo, it's hard to take anything else in.
   
   
5. "Tales Of The Algonquin: The Purple Swan": As we enter the second side of the album we begin the suite titled "Tales Of The Algonquin". This piece begins with this delicate moment piano, and a bowed bass. Flutes and sax play over these oddly bowed bass pieces and this inquiring yet mysterious piano chords. It's an odd moment, yet very intriguing. It creates an image of a small watering hole deep in a forest, and the forest and the inhabitants are talking among themselves. 
   
   
6. Tales Of The Algonquin: Shingebis And The North Wind": This piece opens with piano and drums, and it's much less experimental. The percussion gives it this bounce to it. Brass and winds join in with these hopeful sounding chords. The bass adding a nice counterpoint to the feeling. Brass fill in more gaps as a muted trumpet starts soloing over the rest. This vamping rhythm section keeps the piece grounded. The percussion going wild in the back is wild stuff, giving the music an exotic feel. It doesn't draw any images to my mind, but I'm enjoying living in this moment. All the pieces can keep this vamp from feeling rehashed and boring, but fresh and lively. Honestly, it's quite a feat. The percussion fees like it's trying to take over the piece, which adds this interesting complexity to the piece. It also sounds like the bass is slowly giving over to the chaos of the percussion too. Other brass starts riffing over the music underneath the muted solo. Two-thirds of the way through we lose the original moment and start listening to this climbing chord progression that grows in volume and intensity while the muted trumpet tries to hold its own against the growing cacophony. The music then slowly dies down as the piece draws to a close. The muted trumpet solo finds its voice as everything slows to a crawl and the piece whispers out. 
   
   
7. "Tales Of The Algonquin: The Adventures Of Manabush": This song begins with a sliding and angular bass solo. After exploring this atypical bass sound it finds this riff that it latches onto and vamps on as the percussion joins in. Once the drums find its place the bass takes off on this wicked walking bass-line while brass and saxophones enter the fray. The brass and winds enter in such a manner it feels like either a call and response routine or a battle for the stage. Then a baritone sax solo kicks in and clears the stage for its ripping nature. This musician has chops. While the solo continues most of the band falls away and the bass and drums try to hold their own against the onslaught of this solo. As the solo comes to a close, the bass and drums do as well. The brass and winds find their space again for a brief moment before the bass and baritone burble back up. It's cacophonous, and it feels like conflict or a battle. The bass dials up the speed as the baritone takes front and center once more. As the solo comes rocketing towards the end of the track the rest of the band jumps back in and plays these big chords while the saxophone wails under it all. While it creates these interesting moments, this piece left me feeling underwhelmed.
   
   
8. "Tales Of The Algonquin: The White Water Lily": Drums open this piece, and the rest of the band slowly join in with these somber and quiet chords. The brass and winds play this delicate melody as the percussion gets a little wild underneath. Musically it creates a sense of quiet wonder. Like something magical has just happened, and it's taking a moment to absorb the truth of the moment. Short, but sweet.
   
   
9. "Tales Of The Algonquin: Wihio The Wanderer": The final track opens up with a Hard Bop moment, with the walking bass over drums, and the rhythm instruments playing these loud chords and a soloist working the space between everything. It feels familiar, yet wholly original to this group. However, this moment slowly descends into chaos as the piano, bass, and drums lose all melody. The baritone sax holds its own over this devolving rhythm section. It creates these angular and anxiety creating moments. What it makes me realize is how talented this band is. They can hold their sound as a big band group, as a hard jazz combo, and also as a free-jazz collective, and they do it without letting go of their identity as a band. As the song draws to a close, some brass starts playing a traditional melody over the chaos, grounding the piece a little bit. The song fades out as the chaos continues. 
   

Overall Thoughts: This piece interested me in ways I can't quite describe. Some parts were familiar to me, and others were alien and hard to come to grips with. Some reading informs me that this British jazz group balanced a big band tradition and mixing it with free playing and modern ideas of layering. I think with more experience in the various style of jazz this album utilizes that I might have an even more enjoyable experience with this record. The moments where I can hear the intention and I can pick out the melodies really spoke to me, but I lose the moment when it descends into chaos. Still, I think it's an incredible album.

Info: This album was released in 1971 via the Deram label. It was produced by Peter Eden. It features John Warren on baritone, flute, and he composed and arranged this record, Alan Jackson on drums, design, and percussion, Mick Osborn on alto saxophone and clarinet, Stan Sulzmann on alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, and flute, John Surman on baritone saxophone and soprano saxophone, Barre Phillips on bass, Harry Miller on bass, Stu Martin on drums and percussion, John Taylor on piano, Alan Skidmore on tenor saxophone, flute, and alto flute, Danny Almark on trombone, Eddie Harvey on trombone, Malcolm Griffiths on trombone, Harry Beckett on trumpet and flugelhorn, Kenny Wheeler on trumpet and flugelhorn, and Martin Drover on trumpet and flugelhorn. 

If you liked this album you can pick it up here!