This album must be rated a complete success if for no other reason than that it succeeds totally in what it sets out to do. Audley, Carr, Gibbs and Tracey had written music for the Shakespeare tercentenary which was sympathetic to the subject and imaginative in its own right. The human voices and instrumental sounds were synthesized brilliantly and the results were recorded live at Southwark Cathedral. A degree of mixing took place at a later date but I suspect that only minimal effects were required.
The exotic Sonnet by Gibbs is quite beautiful, Charade is a clever piece that brings new meaning to the alphabet, while Sweet Lady is a typical piece of Tracey impressionism devoted to Ophelia. Will’s Birthday is a four-part suite by Carr and it moves from the rock style Heyday, through a dirge to a nostalgic piece of satire called Fool Talk and back to Heyday.
The voices of the two highly talented ladies tend to dominate the record but Wheeler has a fiery solo on Sonnet and a soulful outing on Alas. Coe’s best solo is his sinuous tenor burst on Heyday while Tracey’s introduction to the Dirge is a powerful piece of piano. Nevertheless, the highlight of the album for me is the brilliant duet between Winstone and Taylor, as Norma documents Ophelia’s progress towards insanity.
Readers expecting an all-out jazz work might be disappointed but this does represent a fine piece of music making and the review would be incomplete if it did not close with a word of praise for the rhythm section.
Discography
Sonnet (18¼ min) – Shall I Compare Thee; Charade For A Band (19¾ min) – Alas Sweet Lady; Will’s Birthday Suite (i); Heyday (22¼ min) – Will’s Birthday Suite (ii); Dirge; Fear No More The Heat O’ The Sun (iii); Fool Talk (iv); Heyday – Reprise (20¾ min)
Kenny Wheeler (tpt/fgl); Tony Coe (reeds); Paul Buckmaster, Colin Walker (amp. cello); Gordon Beck, John Taylor, Stan Tracey (pno/elec-pno); Ron Matthewson (bs); Tony Levin (dm); Trevor Tomkins (perc); Norma Winstone, Pepi Lemer (vcl). Southwark Cathedral, London 27/4/74.
(Argo S ZDA 164/5 £2.50)
