AZIMUTH — The Touchstone (review)

AZIMUTH — The Touchstone album cover Album · 1978 · Post-Fusion Contemporary Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
Sean Trane
Second album from this trio/project encompassing hubby & wife Norma Winstone and John Taylor (vocals and keys respectively) along with Canadian, but long-time Brit-scene activist Ken Wheeler on trumpet. Recorded the following year of the debut, you’ll get essentially the same soundscapes already heard before. Indeed their jazzy new-age musical universe certainly didn’t undergo a big bang or encounter a black hole. Just plain ol’ & safe space cruising between already-explored galaxies, certainly not venturing much outside the beaten paths. Taylor’s rather entertaining piano and calm compositions, coupled with Wheeler’s always flattering trumpet are the main assets in a rather uneventful balladry sprawled over some six tracks (three aside). Norma’s generally wordless vocals are closer to aerial incantations and provide a typical signature for Azimuth. Of course to avoid too much repetition, Taylor switches to organ or synths, but this usually results in an even-slower pace. Generally Touchstone is a tad gentler on the ears than its predecessor as Norma doesn’t engage in some pips and squeals that border the dissonant. Although this type of new-agey jazz is not my cup of tea, the soundscapes available on this album are still soothing enough, and might even be a cure to your insomnias. A typical ECM product, not much to add, really!
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