This concert succeeded superbly ... an opportunity to
celebrate the achievements of a true British jazz
original.
Chris
Parker, The Times
Three Simple Pieces,
Part Three,
featuring Art Themen
Manuscript of the music
used
Colours from
Shapes, Colours, Energy
Manuscript of the music
used
Featuring The Jazz Ensemble directed by Graham Collier
Back row, left to right
Geoff Warren (as ss afl)
Simon Finch (tp fh)
Roger Dean (p kb)
Andy Clyndert (b) John Marshall (d)
Art Themen (ts ss bsx)
Oren Marshall (tuba).
Front row, left to right
Steve Waterman (tp fh)
Karlheinz Miklin (ss ts afl fl)
Ed Sarath (fh)
Ed Speight (g)
Steve Main (as ss bs)
Hugh Fraser (tb).
Recording History
Recorded live at the Oris, London Jazz Festival, November 1997 as a 60th birthday celebration for Graham Collier
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Tom Leader of LCL Digital
First issued as a double CD by ASC, 1999
Rereleased by Jazzprint, 2003
Reassigned to jazzcontinuum, 2009
The Tracks
Three Simple Pieces are what the name implies. They were composed for my 60th birthday concert in February 1997 at the Royal Academy of Music. Parts One and Three were recorded in 2000 by The Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra on Winter Oranges. How Graham's own band and the DRJO approached the same music can be heard on the audios above and on the Winter Oranges page.
Shapes, Colours, Energy, commissioned by The Arts Council of England, was first performed in July 1995 at the Banff Jazz School high in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. It was inspired by the Canadian Rockies and the shapes and colours one sees in them every day. There is also an implied energy which is also very apparent in the jazz school itself.
The Miró Tile refers to a Miró memento tile bought in Spain in 1996, on my desk to remind me that I should do my thing and be recognisable for that, rather than pursuing imitative work for commercial gain.
The Third Colour. was commissioned for these performances by the London International Jazz Festival Ltd., with funds provided by the Arts Council of England. The art critic Clement Greenberg speaks of "line" as the third colour that exists between two other areas. This aptly describes my aim to find the third colour between what is written and what is improvised.
(From the original liner notes.)
An alternate version of The Third Colour was released as part of the directing 14 Jackson Pollocks double CD. Revealing Alternatives, an essay on the jazzcontinuum site, compares and contrasts the two recorded versions.
Some Reviews
The composer has always been an original voice on the world jazz scene, and the four contrasting pieces on the discs reveal different facets of his musical character, including his imaginative and individual use of instrumental colour, unusual and striking harmonies, and considerable rhythmic variety.
Ken Matheson, Jazzwise
As in all the best ensembles, the line between improvisation and organisation is invisible, soloists moving seamlessly in and out of the mix... The strong structures obviously inspired the soloists, who without exception turn in excellent performances ... immensely pleasurable listening.
Simon Adams, Jazz Journal International
This neatly encapsulates Collier's great compositional strengths: his masterly exploitation of contrast, both dynamic and textural; the assurance with which he moves between impressionistic free-ish passages and rambunctiously rhythmic ensemble romps; and the fine balance he maintains between composed and improvised elements.
Chris Parker, The Times
The Third Colour, represents Collier’s aims to find ‘the third color between what is written and what is improvised’, and arguably, this may be the best encapsulation of Collier’s style.
Jay Collins, onefinalnote.com
The most characteristic thing about Collier’s music is not the themes, but rather the feeling of growth which goes streaming through it. The way in which he creates a unity, in its plenitude of expressions, where hovering, free rhythmic passages stands both in contrast to, and mingle with, sharply drawn motives, while a number of soloists are making their marks with individual contributions.
Boris Rabinowitsch, Politiken, Copenhagen
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