Skip to main content

Ensemble C: Live at Jazz Cafe Posk

International Women's Day 2025 was pretty much all about the special episode of Harmonious World featuring pianist and composer Claire Cope, followed by the launch of Claire's album 'Every Journey' with her Ensemble C.



Every Journey is a truly stunning album and the launch event at Jazz Cafe Posk gave a packed audience the chance to enjoy a few of the tracks.

Beginning the evening with the album's title track allowed Ensemble C to show the dynamic range and instrument combinations that make Every Journey such a special collection of work. Cope has a unique ability in grouping instruments in this 11-piece ensemble to create a vast array of colour. Dynamically, there were some very impressive passages that built imperceptibly from a relative silence to filling the whole venue. Creating such an exceptional sound from these 11 instruments has taken skill, with Cope acknowledging the inspiration from musical forebears such as Kenny Wheeler and Maria Schneider.

When I discussed the album with Claire for Harmonious World, she talked about the creative process, and the end result is simply extraordinary. These musicians are all at the height of their prowess and there wer some brilliant improvisation moments, especially from Rob Cope (baritone sax), Freddie Gavita (trumpet) and Matt Carmichael (tenor sax).

Using the voice as an instrument takes a different approach, and it's one that works with the combination of Claire's composition and Brigitte Beraha's renditions. Sometimes, there are lyrics, but more often the voice is part of the ensemble, at times floating above it or simply and intricately interacting with piano or guitar so they almost seem as one.

The rhythm section includes the remarkable Gavin Barras (double bass) and Jon Ormston (drums0, augmented by Jack McCarthy (percussion) and the stunning guitar of Ant Law. Together, these musicians join Cope's piano in providing more than a stable undercurrent - they weave in and out of the melodies and harmonies of the front line.

Sleeve notes for Every Journey are provided by Gwilym Simcock and he expresses succinctly the genius with which Cope incorporates the concept of a musical journey and combines individual brilliance with thee 'Big Picture'. He says: "With this album, Claire has achieved a perfect combination of these two elements - to wonderful effect ... it's always good news when you come away feeling uplifted and energised by the music you've listened to."

Listening to the album as a whole, speaking to Claire and then enjoying this live rendition of it has been an absolute joy and it feels like a special talent has been unleashed on the musical world.
Labels:
Location: 238-246 King St, London W6 0RF, UK

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Maria Schneider: Live at The Barbican

Tonight’s performance in the main hall at London’s Barbican Centre confirmed Maria Schneider ’s position as one of the finest composers of our generation. Working with the sublime Oslo Jazz Ensemble (formerly Denada), Schneider presented a selection of tunes from her ‘Data Lords’ double album from 2020 and the result was simply extraordinary. Photo credit @Hilary Seabrook With a host of Grammy awards and a Pulitzer Prize nomination for Data Lords , Schneider has proved her right to stand on the Barbican stage in front of one of the finest ensembles in the world. Her music allows every member to shine, individually and collectively. Sax players who double on clarinet, bass clarinet, flute and alto flute, trumpets and flugelhorns, an accordion and multiple percussion pieces wielded by the drummer collectively provide a range of timbres, textures and dynamics that thrilled this audience. The Data Lords  compositions celebrate everything that is wonderful about nature, as well as all ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Darius Brubeck Quartet: Live at Jazz Cafe Posk

My first visit to Jazz Cafe Posk in London's Hammersmith coincided with the 60th anniversary of Posk - The Polish Social and Cultural Association - and the first performance in the club by pianist and composer Darius Brubeck. Photo credit @ Hilary Seabrook Darius was 10 when he joined his father on a historic tour of Poland. The Dave Brubeck Quartet toured Poland from 6 to 18 March 1958, just three years after the communist regime's ban on jazz was lifted. Without a doubt, this was the biggest jazz event in post-war Poland, with the archetypal and hugely successful outfit of Dave Brubeck (piano), Paul Desmond (alto sax), Eugene Wright (bass) and Joe Morello (drums). Sixty years later, in  2018, Darius took his own quartet - the same one he brought to Posk in May 2024 - to Poland for a significant tour, recorded and released as the Live in Poland album. Several of the tracks from this album were in the set at Posk and this quartet displayed in depth the benefits of playing to...
Post a Comment
Read more

Big Wade - 'Piano Man' out now

Big Wade and Black Swan Theory collectively blends funk, soul, jazz and everything that fills the cracks between those genres: his new album -  Piano Man - on all major streaming platforms ahead of the Piano Man Tour 2024 , which has dates across the US. Piano Man  brings a selection of original and covers, including a stunning version of Autumn Leaves , which reinvents the song as the funky, electronic Autumn . Big Wade's voice takes the song's melody and improvises around and around, with backing vocals and a deliberately sparse arrangement underpinning the song. Similarly, on Children of the Ghetto , the lead and backing vocals blend in with the soulful musicians of Black Swan Theory. Electronics are used with dexterity, often expanding the vocal lines, as in the ethereal and ghostly opening of Don't Let Me Go . However, the tools never dominate - simply adding depth and layers to the funk. Never more than when Big Wade enters a new world in Interludes , including vocals...
Post a Comment
Read more