Search - Elton Dean & Mark Hewins :: Bar Torque

	Elton Dean & Mark Hewins Bar Torque Genres: Jazz, Pop Track Listings (3) - Disc #1 Bar Torque Sylvan Merylin's Cave Saxophonist Elton Dean has long been acknowledged as a supreme improviser in many musical contexts, starting with the Soft Machine in the early 1970s, through his large body of work with the cream of the British jazz scene... more » « less
? Larger Image

CD Details

All Artists: Elton Dean & Mark Hewins
Title: Bar Torque
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Moonjune Records
Original Release Date: 1/1/2006
Re-Release Date: 2/21/2006
Genres: Jazz, Pop
Style:
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 692287900120

Synopsis

Album Description

Saxophonist Elton Dean has long been acknowledged as a supreme improviser in many musical contexts, starting with the Soft Machine in the early 1970s, through his large body of work with the cream of the British jazz scene (most notably with pianist Keith Tippett) as well as Carla Bley and most of the musicians associated with the famed 'Canterbury' scene. "Bar Torque" presents an improvised duo session with guitarist Mark Hewins, a longtime collaborator with a unique talent for atmospherics. The music on this release focuses on the most lyrical dimension of Dean's saxophone playing, his melodic outbursts inspired by Hewins' delicate, often abstract, harmonic base. The musical path treaded is unpredictable and utterly original. "Bar Torque" is improvisation at its most touching and universal.

CD Reviews

Gorgeous, atmospheric textures

Sandy Starr | United Kingdom | 03/09/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album, recorded live, consists of a single, uninterrupted improvisation by two British jazz musicians - saxophonist Elton Dean and guitarist Mark Hewins. Such an exercise stands or falls by the quality of the musicians, and fortunately, these two are brilliant.Hewins uses synthesiser effects to create an atmospheric bedrock for Dean's fluid playing, and the two players interact wonderfully. Their improvisation is divided into three tracks, each one marking a shift in the mood of the piece. The first track `Bar Torque' is tentative and exploratory, the second track `Sylvan' is soothing and contemplative, and the third track `Merilyn's Cave' begins mysteriously and builds to a glorious, celebratory conclusion.Don't worry, this isn't just music for jazz snobs - it has a broad appeal. Those who already know Elton Dean from his work with bands like Nucleus will enjoy the album, but it will also appeal to fans of progressive music (Hewins' guitar soundscapes are reminiscent of the soundscapes of King Crimson's Robert Fripp), and it even makes good background/ambient music, if that's your thing."