With Riversphere, the saxophonist likens the music to the flow and interconnectedness of rivers and the surrounding environment, and like the natural environment the ensemble provide an ebb and flow that feels wholly organic.
Babel Label BDV25161
Iain Ballamy (tenor & alto saxophones); Rob Luft (guitar); Conor Chaplin (bass); Corrie Dick (drums) with Laura Jurd (trumpet); Charlie Ballamy (trumpet)
In recent years, Iain Ballamy has not been one to push himself into the limelight but instead has continued to work steadily away at his music. New releases are few and far between and scarcity value make Riversphere Vol 1 a much welcome addition his discography.
Ever since emerging in the early eighties as founding member of the anarchic big band Loose Tubes and also as leader of his own quartet Ballamy stood out as a player to watch. Someone rather special who very early on had assimilated his influences and was working on his own very personal sound and concept on how best to present it.
Since then, he has continued this quest that has witnessed him exploring folk, the music of Brazil and straight ahead jazz. He has performed and recorded with a veritable who’s who of jazz including Gil Evans, George Coleman Carla Bley, Bill Bruford, Quercus and Hermeto Pascoal, yet always manages to sound like nobody but himself.
This latest album has been some five years in gestation and explores and blurs the boundaries between composition and improvisation with “five improvisations created to sound as if composed and five compositions created to sound as if they were improvised”. This has been achieved in this astonishing music where even if it is obvious that the group are working with a pre-composed piece such as Ballamy’s ‘Green In Blue’ the music retains a floating feeling that seemingly defies being constrained. Likewise, for ‘Strange Meeting’ by guitarist Bill Frisell where the tenor saxophone breathes life into the lovely melody while being held aloft by some delicate shading on guitar from Rob Luft and gentle rhythmic support from bass and drums.
It is this empathy and understated playing from all that permits the music to breathe, and it is this state of being that brings forth the improvisations that sound as if they are composed with the opening ‘Harmonique’ being a fine case in which the core quartet introduce the trumpet sounds of Laura Jurd and Charlie Ballamy in which Iain sets the tone with his tenor statement over sparse guitar from Luft that positively invites further discourse. This is also true of ‘One For All’ where the horns and guitar coalesce over Conor Chaplin’s insistent bassline and the dialogue is conducted with a polite and attentive manner.
It is also a considerable pleasure to hear Iain playing alto saxophone on no less than half of the titles although his sound his so full on the smaller horn it can often make you doubt you own ears and debate with yourself if it is actually alto or tenor you are hearing. Ballamy’s playing on the improvised ‘Unresolved’ and the composed ‘Olha Maria’ confirm the conundrum as once I have convinced myself I am listening to the fluid and lighter sound of the alto then a note or phrase seemingly contradicts that belief.
With Riversphere, the saxophonist likens the music to the flow and interconnectedness of rivers and the surrounding environment, and like the natural environment the ensemble provide an ebb and flow that feels wholly organic.
