| Blue Touch Paper — Drawing Breath (2013) |
Blue Touch Paper — Drawing Breath
Location: East End of London, UK
Album release: 18 October (Germany)/14 October (UK), 2013
Record Label: Provocateur Records (PVC 1043)
Duration: 71:49
Tracks:
01 Attention Seeker 4:24
02 Isadora 10:48
03 Heaven 2:24
04 Suddently A Tango 5:32
05 Juggling With Strangers 7:24
06 The Joke 5:41
07 Fair Is Foul 5:03
08 Watch Out 5:33
09 Drawing Breath 5:58
10 Neon Shadows 5:30
11 Yes But No 6:04
12 48 Prefabs And Forks No.60 7:28
Personnel:
•• Colin Towns: keyboards
•• Chris Montague: guitars
•• Edward McLean: bass
•• Benny Greb: drums
•• Stephan Maass: percussion, electronics
•• Mark Lockheart: tenor and soprano saxophones
© Blue Touch Paper, Fri 18 May 2012
REVIEW
John Fordham
•• The Guardian, Thursday 17 October 2013 23.15 BST; Score: *****
<•> Colin Towns, the jazz, film and TV composer and former prog-rock pianist, introduced this Anglo-German sextet last year, playing a typically broad repertoire featuring jazz-orchestral harmonies, glimpses of Zappa, Miles Davis and the Beatles, and a drama composer's pacing. The debut album, Stand Well Back, was good, but its successor is better — with the band (including Polar Bear saxophonist Mark Lockheart and Troyka guitarist Chris Montague) sounding creatively settled, the rhythms more edgily contemporary, and nothing within miles of a flat track out of all 12 here. Towns mixes his ingredients with a poise worthy of Gil Evans, as he does with the flouncing sax/guitar theme, tenor solo and percussion and handclapping sounds on Attention Seeker, with tenor, guitar and piano on the blaring, hooky Isadora, or the lost-in-space soprano sax atmosphere of Miles Davis' In a Silent Way on the finale. There are wild tangos, brooding Iberian folk melodies, churchy choral sounds, tongue-in-cheek rock piano, and an atmosphere of youthful exuberance that shows how much Towns the old-hand visionary and his new recruits are now inspiring each other. (http://www.theguardian.com/)
•> Two years in the making, with more that 60 demo tracks recorded, Drawing Breath is the highly anticipated follow up to Blue Touch Paper s debut album Stand Well Back an album warmly received by the press and the subject of some stunning reviews. Continuing the Blue Touch Paper soundscape, Drawing Breath once again demonstrates an adventurous, visionary and powerful way forward, something we have come to expect from band-leader Colin Towns. Although the trademark cinematic moments, elements of jazz, rock and classical music are present as they were on Stand Well Back , Drawing Breath demonstrates a developing energy within the band, with powerful compositions that continue to push the band forward both technically and creatively.
Website: http://www.bluetouchpaper.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bluetouchpaper1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bluetouchpaper1
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© Colin Towns. U.K. jazz performer with a distinguished history in pop and rock, known for his extensive soundtrack work.
REVIEW
By JOHN KELMAN, Published: November 10, 2013
•> It's difficult enough for an artist or group to deliver their sophomore effort, but it's even more of a challenge when their debut is as strong as Blue Touch Paper's surprising Stand Well Back (Provocateur, 2011). Blue Touch Paper is the brainchild of British keyboardist/composer Colin Towns, who has already garnered plenty of acclaim for his Mask Orchestra and Quintet, as well as his series of big band looks at the music of the Mahavishnu Orchestra on Meeting of the Spirits: A Celebration of The Mahavishnu Orchestra (In + Out, 2006), Miles Davis on Visions of Miles: The Electric Period of Miles Davis (In + Out, 2010), and, curiously, the best of the bunch, his large ensemble arrangements of largely post-Beatles music on John Lennon — In My Own Write (Provocateur, 2011). But in the two years since Stand Well Back, despite Towns remaining the group's sole composer and producer, the inevitable has happened: Blue Touch Paper has become a band.
•> Of course, such things don't happen without the opportunity to get out on the road and gig, and that's exactly what Blue Touch Paper has done, including what was heard to be a festival-defining set at 2012's ELBJazz, in Hamburg, Germany. If Stand Well Back was the shot across the bow, and a promise of even better things to come, then Drawing Breath delivers on that promise, an album that's even more eclectic, electrified and electrifying.
•> When it comes to Towns, few press sheets mention his less-than-humble beginnings as keyboardist for Ian Gillan's band, Gillan, which sparked an interest in composition that, even as early as the mid-'70s, was already stretching beyond the ex-Deep Purple singer's metal predilections and towards film soundtracks like Mia Farrow's Full Circle (1977; also released as The Haunting of Julia). That Towns spent the next couple of decades largely scoring for film and television is something that clearly defines his writing for Blue Touch Paper; much of the music is episodic, though some charts, like the vamp-driven "Neon Shadows," rely more specifically on the group's evolving improvisational acumen to bring them (in this case) to gentle, pulse-driven life.
•> The title track is also groove-centric, but this time with much greater attention to drummer Benny Greb and Stephan Maass, the latter applying some subtle effects to his percussion work as the track leads to a theme from Lockheart that opens up to some of his most vibrant tenor playing of the set, bolstered by Towns' astute choice of keyboard tones, that include sampled women's voices and strings. When Montague picks up the baton for a solo, he demonstrates a virtuosity far greater than anything he's shown to date, as he literally shreds his way through the tune, even as its theme returns and ultimately fades out with the tick-tock of a clock.
•> "Isadora" begins with Towns alone on grand piano, but over the course of its 10 minutes, as Towns introduces the sounds of a bandoneon (sampled) over bassist Edward MacLean's hypnotically simple but absolutely appropriate bass line, it moves through a number of fundamental shifts: a rapid temporal pick-up during Lockheart's tenor solo that leads to a scored middle section of cinematic proportions that also provides some space for Greb and Maass before taking the tempo down again; Towns' acoustic piano entwines with MacLean's freer tendencies, only to conclude with a closing section that combines the Mediterranean vibe of a joyful Italian wedding with some reggae-infused Irie; a soul-drenched solo from Lockheart that, despite the myriad of influences, navigates Towns' less-than-simple changes with ease — as does Towns himself, when he takes a closing solo that hints at a greater encyclopedic mind at work.
•> "Fair is Foul" features three vocalists delivering chosen words from William Shakespeare's Macbeth over Towns' particularly abstract writing — a thundering, backbeat-driven groove gradually emerging only to dissolve into abstraction once again, with Lockheart's soprano engaging in some quirky interplay with Greb and Maass, where electronics also create a swirling dervish of voices, saxophone lines and slowly diminishing percussion.
•> Like Stand Well Back, Drawing Breath combines a myriad of collective interests, ranging from the rock-inflected opener, "Attention Seeker," which also leans clearly towards the more progressive side of the fence, to the gentler "Heaven," a brief, atmospheric duet for Towns (on piano) and Lockheart (on tenor) that, nevertheless, reaches into ambient territory akin to some of Brian Eno's early ambient music with pianist Harold Budd. A bright-tempo'd "Suddenly a Tango" is, in fact, only one to a point, its middle section turning pure Canterbury, with a gritty Montague alternating solo spots with Lockheart, their relentless inventions wrapped throughout in Towns' knotty keyboard arrangements.
•> It's clear that, as often happens, Towns wrote the music of Stand Well Back hoping it would be what it ultimately did become. With that knowledge, Drawing Breath's writing is more clearly and specifically for Towns' band mates. Others might well be able to play the music of Blue Touch Paper and Drawing Breath, but it would simply not be the same, as the group's intrinsic chemistry continues to grow and define Towns' music well beyond anything he actually scored on paper. That Blue Touch Paper has managed to evolve a collective voice over the course of such relatively little time only means that what's yet to come can hardly be anticipated... but wherever it ultimately goes will, no doubt, be well worth following.
•> Drawing Breath capitalizes well on lessons learned from Stand Well Back while, at the same time, demonstrating clear growth — for Towns, as Blue Touch Paper's writer, and for the group itself, whose inimitable collective abandon — even in the context of some of Towns' toughest charts — causes the music to virtually leap off the written page and, just as literally, burst from of the speakers, sounding better and better — and revealing more and more — with each and every spin.
Fortaken: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/
Colin William Towns (born 13 May 1948) is an English composer and keyboardist. •> He was noted as playing in bands formed by ex-Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan, and later worked extensively in composing soundtracks for film, television and commercials. Learning piano as a child, by the age of 13 he was earning money playing at weddings and birthdays in his neighborhood of the East End of London. He went on to play in numerous dance bands, jazz ensembles and also became a session musician.
Website: http://www.colintowns.com/
Label/Bio: http://www.provocateurrecords.co.uk/artist.php?artistID=1&display=biography
_______________________________________________________________
| Blue Touch Paper — Drawing Breath (2013) |
Blue Touch Paper — Drawing Breath
Location: East End of London, UK
Album release: 18 October (Germany)/14 October (UK), 2013
Record Label: Provocateur Records (PVC 1043)
Duration: 71:49
Tracks:
01 Attention Seeker 4:24
02 Isadora 10:48
03 Heaven 2:24
04 Suddently A Tango 5:32
05 Juggling With Strangers 7:24
06 The Joke 5:41
07 Fair Is Foul 5:03
08 Watch Out 5:33
09 Drawing Breath 5:58
10 Neon Shadows 5:30
11 Yes But No 6:04
12 48 Prefabs And Forks No.60 7:28
Personnel:
•• Colin Towns: keyboards
•• Chris Montague: guitars
•• Edward McLean: bass
•• Benny Greb: drums
•• Stephan Maass: percussion, electronics
•• Mark Lockheart: tenor and soprano saxophones
REVIEW
John Fordham
•• The Guardian, Thursday 17 October 2013 23.15 BST; Score: *****
<•> Colin Towns, the jazz, film and TV composer and former prog-rock pianist, introduced this Anglo-German sextet last year, playing a typically broad repertoire featuring jazz-orchestral harmonies, glimpses of Zappa, Miles Davis and the Beatles, and a drama composer's pacing. The debut album, Stand Well Back, was good, but its successor is better — with the band (including Polar Bear saxophonist Mark Lockheart and Troyka guitarist Chris Montague) sounding creatively settled, the rhythms more edgily contemporary, and nothing within miles of a flat track out of all 12 here. Towns mixes his ingredients with a poise worthy of Gil Evans, as he does with the flouncing sax/guitar theme, tenor solo and percussion and handclapping sounds on Attention Seeker, with tenor, guitar and piano on the blaring, hooky Isadora, or the lost-in-space soprano sax atmosphere of Miles Davis' In a Silent Way on the finale. There are wild tangos, brooding Iberian folk melodies, churchy choral sounds, tongue-in-cheek rock piano, and an atmosphere of youthful exuberance that shows how much Towns the old-hand visionary and his new recruits are now inspiring each other. (http://www.theguardian.com/)
•> Two years in the making, with more that 60 demo tracks recorded, Drawing Breath is the highly anticipated follow up to Blue Touch Paper s debut album Stand Well Back an album warmly received by the press and the subject of some stunning reviews. Continuing the Blue Touch Paper soundscape, Drawing Breath once again demonstrates an adventurous, visionary and powerful way forward, something we have come to expect from band-leader Colin Towns. Although the trademark cinematic moments, elements of jazz, rock and classical music are present as they were on Stand Well Back , Drawing Breath demonstrates a developing energy within the band, with powerful compositions that continue to push the band forward both technically and creatively.
Website: http://www.bluetouchpaper.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bluetouchpaper1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bluetouchpaper1
_______________________________________________________________
REVIEW
By JOHN KELMAN, Published: November 10, 2013
•> It's difficult enough for an artist or group to deliver their sophomore effort, but it's even more of a challenge when their debut is as strong as Blue Touch Paper's surprising Stand Well Back (Provocateur, 2011). Blue Touch Paper is the brainchild of British keyboardist/composer Colin Towns, who has already garnered plenty of acclaim for his Mask Orchestra and Quintet, as well as his series of big band looks at the music of the Mahavishnu Orchestra on Meeting of the Spirits: A Celebration of The Mahavishnu Orchestra (In + Out, 2006), Miles Davis on Visions of Miles: The Electric Period of Miles Davis (In + Out, 2010), and, curiously, the best of the bunch, his large ensemble arrangements of largely post-Beatles music on John Lennon — In My Own Write (Provocateur, 2011). But in the two years since Stand Well Back, despite Towns remaining the group's sole composer and producer, the inevitable has happened: Blue Touch Paper has become a band.
•> Of course, such things don't happen without the opportunity to get out on the road and gig, and that's exactly what Blue Touch Paper has done, including what was heard to be a festival-defining set at 2012's ELBJazz, in Hamburg, Germany. If Stand Well Back was the shot across the bow, and a promise of even better things to come, then Drawing Breath delivers on that promise, an album that's even more eclectic, electrified and electrifying.
•> When it comes to Towns, few press sheets mention his less-than-humble beginnings as keyboardist for Ian Gillan's band, Gillan, which sparked an interest in composition that, even as early as the mid-'70s, was already stretching beyond the ex-Deep Purple singer's metal predilections and towards film soundtracks like Mia Farrow's Full Circle (1977; also released as The Haunting of Julia). That Towns spent the next couple of decades largely scoring for film and television is something that clearly defines his writing for Blue Touch Paper; much of the music is episodic, though some charts, like the vamp-driven "Neon Shadows," rely more specifically on the group's evolving improvisational acumen to bring them (in this case) to gentle, pulse-driven life.
•> The title track is also groove-centric, but this time with much greater attention to drummer Benny Greb and Stephan Maass, the latter applying some subtle effects to his percussion work as the track leads to a theme from Lockheart that opens up to some of his most vibrant tenor playing of the set, bolstered by Towns' astute choice of keyboard tones, that include sampled women's voices and strings. When Montague picks up the baton for a solo, he demonstrates a virtuosity far greater than anything he's shown to date, as he literally shreds his way through the tune, even as its theme returns and ultimately fades out with the tick-tock of a clock.
•> "Isadora" begins with Towns alone on grand piano, but over the course of its 10 minutes, as Towns introduces the sounds of a bandoneon (sampled) over bassist Edward MacLean's hypnotically simple but absolutely appropriate bass line, it moves through a number of fundamental shifts: a rapid temporal pick-up during Lockheart's tenor solo that leads to a scored middle section of cinematic proportions that also provides some space for Greb and Maass before taking the tempo down again; Towns' acoustic piano entwines with MacLean's freer tendencies, only to conclude with a closing section that combines the Mediterranean vibe of a joyful Italian wedding with some reggae-infused Irie; a soul-drenched solo from Lockheart that, despite the myriad of influences, navigates Towns' less-than-simple changes with ease — as does Towns himself, when he takes a closing solo that hints at a greater encyclopedic mind at work.
•> "Fair is Foul" features three vocalists delivering chosen words from William Shakespeare's Macbeth over Towns' particularly abstract writing — a thundering, backbeat-driven groove gradually emerging only to dissolve into abstraction once again, with Lockheart's soprano engaging in some quirky interplay with Greb and Maass, where electronics also create a swirling dervish of voices, saxophone lines and slowly diminishing percussion.
•> Like Stand Well Back, Drawing Breath combines a myriad of collective interests, ranging from the rock-inflected opener, "Attention Seeker," which also leans clearly towards the more progressive side of the fence, to the gentler "Heaven," a brief, atmospheric duet for Towns (on piano) and Lockheart (on tenor) that, nevertheless, reaches into ambient territory akin to some of Brian Eno's early ambient music with pianist Harold Budd. A bright-tempo'd "Suddenly a Tango" is, in fact, only one to a point, its middle section turning pure Canterbury, with a gritty Montague alternating solo spots with Lockheart, their relentless inventions wrapped throughout in Towns' knotty keyboard arrangements.
•> It's clear that, as often happens, Towns wrote the music of Stand Well Back hoping it would be what it ultimately did become. With that knowledge, Drawing Breath's writing is more clearly and specifically for Towns' band mates. Others might well be able to play the music of Blue Touch Paper and Drawing Breath, but it would simply not be the same, as the group's intrinsic chemistry continues to grow and define Towns' music well beyond anything he actually scored on paper. That Blue Touch Paper has managed to evolve a collective voice over the course of such relatively little time only means that what's yet to come can hardly be anticipated... but wherever it ultimately goes will, no doubt, be well worth following.
•> Drawing Breath capitalizes well on lessons learned from Stand Well Back while, at the same time, demonstrating clear growth — for Towns, as Blue Touch Paper's writer, and for the group itself, whose inimitable collective abandon — even in the context of some of Towns' toughest charts — causes the music to virtually leap off the written page and, just as literally, burst from of the speakers, sounding better and better — and revealing more and more — with each and every spin.
Fortaken: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/
Colin William Towns (born 13 May 1948) is an English composer and keyboardist. •> He was noted as playing in bands formed by ex-Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan, and later worked extensively in composing soundtracks for film, television and commercials. Learning piano as a child, by the age of 13 he was earning money playing at weddings and birthdays in his neighborhood of the East End of London. He went on to play in numerous dance bands, jazz ensembles and also became a session musician.
Website: http://www.colintowns.com/
Label/Bio: http://www.provocateurrecords.co.uk/artist.php?artistID=1&display=biography
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