Crispell/ Peacock/ Motian - ‘Amaryllis’(rec. 2000)

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   Reissued in the Luminessence audiophile-vinyl series at the same time as Annette Peacock’s An Acrobat’s Heart, to which it forms a kind of companion piece, Amaryllis is a trio recording with Gary Peacock on double bass and Paul Motian on drums. The trio had previously recorded the acclaimed Nothing Ever Was, Anyway: Music of Annette Peacock in 1997, three years before Amaryllis, which marked Marilyn Crispell’s debut for the label. A virtuoso of free-jazz piano who, inspired by Cecil Taylor, went on to play with Anthony Braxton for twelve years (“Relax, don’t play so many notes”, Braxton had told her on first meeting), Crispell here displays, as well as her phenomenal technique, a deep, soulful side to her playing. She has said that “with the ECM recordings, I like the idea of playing things so slowly that you are almost suspended in time.”What’s remarkable about Amaryllis is the dreamy, atmospheric feeling that seems to characterise the contents, whoever they are credited to. There are twelve pieces overall: four credited to Motian, three to Peacock, the final piece, ‘Prayer’, written by Mitchell Weiss, and the remaining four by Crispell. But as Crispell’s sleeve note reveals, four of these tunes were not composed in the conventional sense but improvised in response to producer Manfred Eicher’s suggestion that they play some slow, “free” pieces. These songs – which include the title track, ‘Voices’, ‘M.E.’ (named by Motian for Eicher), and ‘Avatar’ (the name of the New York studio they recorded in) – serve to define the often beautiful and stately feel of the album. This is also heard to great effect in Crispell’s ’Silence’, which opens Side 2, and the closing ‘Prayer’.
Other tunes, such as Crispell’s ‘Rounds’, Peacock’s ‘Requiem’ and Motian’s ‘Conception Vessel’, are relative ’standards’ from their respective careers, and there’s plenty of Crispell’s bravura ninety-notes-a-minute pianism if you need it. This reissue, the first ever release for the title on vinyl, can’t help but focus attention on what incomparable musicians both Peacock, who died in 2020, and Motian, who died in 2011, were, separately and together.
from https://ukjazznews.com  

Edited by snobb - 3 hours 22 minutes ago at 11:38am

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snobb Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Forum Admin Group Site Admin Joined: 22 Dec 2010 Location: Vilnius Status: Offline Points: 29702	Post Options Post Reply Quote snobb Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Crispell/ Peacock/ Motian - ‘Amaryllis’(rec. 2000) Posted: 3 hours 23 minutes ago at 11:37am
	Reissued in the Luminessence audiophile-vinyl series at the same time as Annette Peacock’s An Acrobat’s Heart, to which it forms a kind of companion piece, Amaryllis is a trio recording with Gary Peacock on double bass and Paul Motian on drums. The trio had previously recorded the acclaimed Nothing Ever Was, Anyway: Music of Annette Peacock in 1997, three years before Amaryllis, which marked Marilyn Crispell’s debut for the label. A virtuoso of free-jazz piano who, inspired by Cecil Taylor, went on to play with Anthony Braxton for twelve years (“Relax, don’t play so many notes”, Braxton had told her on first meeting), Crispell here displays, as well as her phenomenal technique, a deep, soulful side to her playing. She has said that “with the ECM recordings, I like the idea of playing things so slowly that you are almost suspended in time.” What’s remarkable about Amaryllis is the dreamy, atmospheric feeling that seems to characterise the contents, whoever they are credited to. There are twelve pieces overall: four credited to Motian, three to Peacock, the final piece, ‘Prayer’, written by Mitchell Weiss, and the remaining four by Crispell. But as Crispell’s sleeve note reveals, four of these tunes were not composed in the conventional sense but improvised in response to producer Manfred Eicher’s suggestion that they play some slow, “free” pieces. These songs – which include the title track, ‘Voices’, ‘M.E.’ (named by Motian for Eicher), and ‘Avatar’ (the name of the New York studio they recorded in) – serve to define the often beautiful and stately feel of the album. This is also heard to great effect in Crispell’s ’Silence’, which opens Side 2, and the closing ‘Prayer’. Other tunes, such as Crispell’s ‘Rounds’, Peacock’s ‘Requiem’ and Motian’s ‘Conception Vessel’, are relative ’standards’ from their respective careers, and there’s plenty of Crispell’s bravura ninety-notes-a-minute pianism if you need it. This reissue, the first ever release for the title on vinyl, can’t help but focus attention on what incomparable musicians both Peacock, who died in 2020, and Motian, who died in 2011, were, separately and together. from https://ukjazznews.com Edited by snobb - 3 hours 22 minutes ago at 11:38am