| James Yorkston, Jon Thorne, Suhail Yusuf Khan |
| Everything Sacred (January 15th, 2016) |
James Yorkston, Jon Thorne, Suhail Yusuf Khan — Everything Sacred
Born: February 7, 1988, Delhi, NCR, India
Location: Cellardyke
Album release: January 15th, 2016
Record Label: Domino
Duration:
Tracks:
01 Knochentanz
02 Little Black Buzzer
03 Song for Thirza
04 Vachaspati/Kaavya
05 Everything Sacred
06 Sufi Song
07 Broken Wave
08 Blues Jumped the Goose
Review
By Chris White | first published: 13 Jan 2016 | Score: ★★★½
♠ Movin’ Up Country, the 2002 debut album from James Yorkston and the Athletes, remains one of the best folk records of the century so far. Playful, fluent and with just the right balance of tightly honed songwriting and laid back camp fire conviviality, it established front man Yorkston as a name to watch over the years ahead.
♠ Since then, the Scot has released a steady stream of albums — both solo and with the Athletes or the Big Eyes Family Players — combining his own compositions with interpretations of traditional material. He’s also written a book — It’s Lovely to be Here: The Touring Diaries of a Scottish Gent, a whimsical take on life as a touring musician. Yet throughout this period, there has been an underlying sense of an artist happy to work within his comfort zone, meandering amiably rather than striking out boldly to explore new territory.
♠ It’s therefore a very welcome surprise to hear Everything Sacred, Yorkston’s new collaboration with award winning Delhi sarangi player and classical singer Suhail Yusuf Khan and Jon Thorne, best known as the double bass player with Lamb, the trip–hop and jazz influenced Mancunian duo who enjoyed considerable success in the late 1990s/early 2000s. Thorne has been working with Yorkston for several years and Khan has appeared on stage with him when schedules have allowed, so the trio always hoped to record an album at some stage.
♠ We should be thankful that they got round to it because, for the most part, Everything Sacred is a delight. One of the characteristics of Yorkston’s work has always been its unhurried pace and opening track Knochentanz, clocking in at a sprawling 13 and a half minutes, is certainly not what one would call a short and sharp introduction. That’s to its credit though, as there’s a lot of very interesting stuff going on here. Starting off with just Yorkston’s delicately strummed guitar and Thorne’s languorous bass, they’re then joined by Khan’s beautifully elegant sarangi — the most distinctive, expressive ingredient throughout the record. The tempo builds almost imperceptibly for almost eight shimmering minutes before we are treated to Khan’s soaring vocals for the first time. It’s a wonderful tapestry of sound, with every element intricately woven.
♠ A cover of Ivor Cutler’s Little Black Buzzer fares a little less well. The ornate, atmospheric North Indian musical backdrop still sounds great, but there’s something very incongruous about lyrics like “my bum is cold and my face is white” juxtaposed against such a rich, dramatic setting. Thankfully, the trio are back on track with a serene cover of Lal Waterson’s Song For Thirza, with Yorkston’s mellow voice and acoustic guitar taking centre stage. The meditative, mournful compositions Broken Wave and the title track (written and sang by Thorne) may be a reflection on the tragic passing of Athletes double–bassist Doogie Paul, who died in 2012 aged just 40. On both, the understated sarangi playing and singing by Khan provide a suitably melancholy counterpoint to the heartfelt lyrics. Final track Blue Jumped The Goose is a lovely, instrumental only end to the album, with the three key players accompanying one another on what feels like a slow, blissful glide down an Indian river at sunset.
♠ Rather like Bat For Lashes‘ Natasha Khan’s excellent Sexwitch project last year, Everything Sacred is a great example of a British artist stepping into the ‘world music’ arena and finding a groove that really works. Although occasionally lacking focus (unsurprising, since large chunks were apparently improvised) it is a quietly mesmerising piece of work that breathes new life into Yorkston’s career.
♠ http://www.musicomh.com/
Review
Robin Denselow | Thursday 14 January 2016 18.45 GMT | Score: ★★★★
♠ Yorkston/Thorne/Khan: Everything Sacred review — bravely original Indian–folk–jazz fusion.
♠ The sarangi is a bowed, short–necked Indian instrument whose greatest exponent, Ustad Sabri Khan, performed with Yehudi Menuhin. Now, his grandson Suhail Yusuf Khan continues the sarangi experiment in this Indian–folk–jazz fusion band, with Scottish singer–songwriter and guitarist James Yorkston, and double bass player Jon Thorne. It’s a wildly varied set that starts with a 13–minute improvised, mostly instrumental piece that switches from gently wailing meditation to a furious and frantic workout, scat vocals and then a bluesy finale. Next comes a quirky, Indian–edged treatment of Ivor Cutler’s Little Black Buzzer, which would have amused the Incredible String Band and features Yorkston on Swedish nyckelharpa and additional vocals from Lisa O’Neill. Then there’s a reworking of Lal Waterson’s poignant Song for Thirza, a powerful lament from Thorne, a spiritual song from Khan, and a delicate, guitar–led instrumental. Bravely original and worth checking out. ♠ http://www.theguardian.com/
Website: http://yorkstonthornekhan.com/
Website: http://www.jamesyorkston.co.uk/
Website: http://suhailyusufkhan.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamesyorkston
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamesyorkstonathletic
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suhail.y.khan.9
Suhail:
♠ Suhail, a devoted Sarangi player has been hailed as a child prodigy in the world of music. Suhail comes from a rich musical background and descends from the Moradabad-Rampur and Senia Gharana of MIYAAN TANSEN. He is the grandson of renowned Sarangi legend Padmabhushan and Padmashree awardee USTAD SABRI KHAN and nephew of the Sarangi genius Ustad KAMAL SABRI. An eighth generation Sarangi player carrying on with his rich family tradition.
♠ Inspired by the sound of Sarangi, Suhail started learning this majestic instrument at a tender age of Seven from his Uncle and Grand father under the traditional Guru-Shishya parampara. Gave his first live performance at the age of 11 with his Grand father and Uncle. Since then he has been performing regularaly.
About
♠ Yorkston/Thorne/Khan are an experimental group that includes James Yorkston, one of the most “influential singer/songwriters on the Scottish folk scene”, Suhail Yusuf Khan, award winning sarangi player and classical singer from New Delhi and Jon Thorne, best known as jazz double bass player with electro outfit Lamb. The trio have released their collaborative debut album ‘Everything Sacred’.
♠ This is Scottish–Irish–Indian–English music in the raw, Yorkston’s familiar steel guitar strings pulled, pushed and bent into more unfamiliar acoustic drones, the bass dropping anchors through the floor. Rather than world music per se, this sounds more idiosyncratic, a temporary structure bivouacking by the side of the indie–folk, art music tradition, while its widening horizons extend back to the Sixties heyday of the Incredible String Band, and forward to this singular album’s satellite orbit over the folk music, Indian classical and indie music of today — all these musical ley lines threaded into a new kind of eclectic, domestic setting.
♠ “Playing together as Yorkston / Thorne / Khan, we tackle a wide array of different sounds and songs. Alongside pieces of our own, there’s a fair chunk of improvisation, plus covers of Ivor Cutler’s ‘Little Black Buzzer’ and Lal Waterson’s ‘Song For Thirza’. Jon’s jazz back–ground definitely comes to the fore, as does Suhail’s devotional singing and outstanding sarangi playing. I just do my best to keep up…” — James Yorkston
_____________________________________________________________
| James Yorkston, Jon Thorne, Suhail Yusuf Khan |
| Everything Sacred (January 15th, 2016) |
Born: February 7, 1988, Delhi, NCR, India
Location: Cellardyke
Album release: January 15th, 2016
Record Label: Domino
Duration:
Tracks:
01 Knochentanz
02 Little Black Buzzer
03 Song for Thirza
04 Vachaspati/Kaavya
05 Everything Sacred
06 Sufi Song
07 Broken Wave
08 Blues Jumped the Goose
Review
By Chris White | first published: 13 Jan 2016 | Score: ★★★½
♠ Movin’ Up Country, the 2002 debut album from James Yorkston and the Athletes, remains one of the best folk records of the century so far. Playful, fluent and with just the right balance of tightly honed songwriting and laid back camp fire conviviality, it established front man Yorkston as a name to watch over the years ahead.
♠ Since then, the Scot has released a steady stream of albums — both solo and with the Athletes or the Big Eyes Family Players — combining his own compositions with interpretations of traditional material. He’s also written a book — It’s Lovely to be Here: The Touring Diaries of a Scottish Gent, a whimsical take on life as a touring musician. Yet throughout this period, there has been an underlying sense of an artist happy to work within his comfort zone, meandering amiably rather than striking out boldly to explore new territory.
♠ It’s therefore a very welcome surprise to hear Everything Sacred, Yorkston’s new collaboration with award winning Delhi sarangi player and classical singer Suhail Yusuf Khan and Jon Thorne, best known as the double bass player with Lamb, the trip–hop and jazz influenced Mancunian duo who enjoyed considerable success in the late 1990s/early 2000s. Thorne has been working with Yorkston for several years and Khan has appeared on stage with him when schedules have allowed, so the trio always hoped to record an album at some stage.
♠ We should be thankful that they got round to it because, for the most part, Everything Sacred is a delight. One of the characteristics of Yorkston’s work has always been its unhurried pace and opening track Knochentanz, clocking in at a sprawling 13 and a half minutes, is certainly not what one would call a short and sharp introduction. That’s to its credit though, as there’s a lot of very interesting stuff going on here. Starting off with just Yorkston’s delicately strummed guitar and Thorne’s languorous bass, they’re then joined by Khan’s beautifully elegant sarangi — the most distinctive, expressive ingredient throughout the record. The tempo builds almost imperceptibly for almost eight shimmering minutes before we are treated to Khan’s soaring vocals for the first time. It’s a wonderful tapestry of sound, with every element intricately woven.
♠ A cover of Ivor Cutler’s Little Black Buzzer fares a little less well. The ornate, atmospheric North Indian musical backdrop still sounds great, but there’s something very incongruous about lyrics like “my bum is cold and my face is white” juxtaposed against such a rich, dramatic setting. Thankfully, the trio are back on track with a serene cover of Lal Waterson’s Song For Thirza, with Yorkston’s mellow voice and acoustic guitar taking centre stage. The meditative, mournful compositions Broken Wave and the title track (written and sang by Thorne) may be a reflection on the tragic passing of Athletes double–bassist Doogie Paul, who died in 2012 aged just 40. On both, the understated sarangi playing and singing by Khan provide a suitably melancholy counterpoint to the heartfelt lyrics. Final track Blue Jumped The Goose is a lovely, instrumental only end to the album, with the three key players accompanying one another on what feels like a slow, blissful glide down an Indian river at sunset.
♠ Rather like Bat For Lashes‘ Natasha Khan’s excellent Sexwitch project last year, Everything Sacred is a great example of a British artist stepping into the ‘world music’ arena and finding a groove that really works. Although occasionally lacking focus (unsurprising, since large chunks were apparently improvised) it is a quietly mesmerising piece of work that breathes new life into Yorkston’s career.
♠ http://www.musicomh.com/
Review
Robin Denselow | Thursday 14 January 2016 18.45 GMT | Score: ★★★★
♠ Yorkston/Thorne/Khan: Everything Sacred review — bravely original Indian–folk–jazz fusion.
♠ The sarangi is a bowed, short–necked Indian instrument whose greatest exponent, Ustad Sabri Khan, performed with Yehudi Menuhin. Now, his grandson Suhail Yusuf Khan continues the sarangi experiment in this Indian–folk–jazz fusion band, with Scottish singer–songwriter and guitarist James Yorkston, and double bass player Jon Thorne. It’s a wildly varied set that starts with a 13–minute improvised, mostly instrumental piece that switches from gently wailing meditation to a furious and frantic workout, scat vocals and then a bluesy finale. Next comes a quirky, Indian–edged treatment of Ivor Cutler’s Little Black Buzzer, which would have amused the Incredible String Band and features Yorkston on Swedish nyckelharpa and additional vocals from Lisa O’Neill. Then there’s a reworking of Lal Waterson’s poignant Song for Thirza, a powerful lament from Thorne, a spiritual song from Khan, and a delicate, guitar–led instrumental. Bravely original and worth checking out. ♠ http://www.theguardian.com/
Website: http://yorkstonthornekhan.com/
Website: http://www.jamesyorkston.co.uk/
Website: http://suhailyusufkhan.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamesyorkston
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamesyorkstonathletic
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suhail.y.khan.9
Suhail:
♠ Suhail, a devoted Sarangi player has been hailed as a child prodigy in the world of music. Suhail comes from a rich musical background and descends from the Moradabad-Rampur and Senia Gharana of MIYAAN TANSEN. He is the grandson of renowned Sarangi legend Padmabhushan and Padmashree awardee USTAD SABRI KHAN and nephew of the Sarangi genius Ustad KAMAL SABRI. An eighth generation Sarangi player carrying on with his rich family tradition.
♠ Inspired by the sound of Sarangi, Suhail started learning this majestic instrument at a tender age of Seven from his Uncle and Grand father under the traditional Guru-Shishya parampara. Gave his first live performance at the age of 11 with his Grand father and Uncle. Since then he has been performing regularaly.
About
♠ Yorkston/Thorne/Khan are an experimental group that includes James Yorkston, one of the most “influential singer/songwriters on the Scottish folk scene”, Suhail Yusuf Khan, award winning sarangi player and classical singer from New Delhi and Jon Thorne, best known as jazz double bass player with electro outfit Lamb. The trio have released their collaborative debut album ‘Everything Sacred’.
♠ This is Scottish–Irish–Indian–English music in the raw, Yorkston’s familiar steel guitar strings pulled, pushed and bent into more unfamiliar acoustic drones, the bass dropping anchors through the floor. Rather than world music per se, this sounds more idiosyncratic, a temporary structure bivouacking by the side of the indie–folk, art music tradition, while its widening horizons extend back to the Sixties heyday of the Incredible String Band, and forward to this singular album’s satellite orbit over the folk music, Indian classical and indie music of today — all these musical ley lines threaded into a new kind of eclectic, domestic setting.
♠ “Playing together as Yorkston / Thorne / Khan, we tackle a wide array of different sounds and songs. Alongside pieces of our own, there’s a fair chunk of improvisation, plus covers of Ivor Cutler’s ‘Little Black Buzzer’ and Lal Waterson’s ‘Song For Thirza’. Jon’s jazz back–ground definitely comes to the fore, as does Suhail’s devotional singing and outstanding sarangi playing. I just do my best to keep up…” — James Yorkston
_____________________________________________________________