The Squid's Ear Magazine


Dunmall, Paul / Percy Pursglove / Olie Brice / Jeff Williams: Palindromes (West Hill Records)

Capturing their 2nd gig together, double bassist Olie Brice and trumpeter Percy Pursglove invited two prominent improvisers who had never played together before — drummer Jeff Williams and tenor saxophonist Paul Dunmall — to join them for a 2020 concert at Cafe Oto in London, presented into two palindromic-ally named and profound improvisations: "Tattarratta" 1 & 2.
 

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Personnel:



Paul Dunmall-tenor saxophone

Percy Pursglove-trumpet

Olie Brice-double bass

Jeff Williams-drums


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Label: West Hill Records
Catalog ID: WHR002
Squidco Product Code: 30028

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2021
Country: UK
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold
Recorded live at Cafe Oto, in London, UK, on February 4th, 2020, by James Dunn.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"The first gig this quartet played together was at the Ideas of Noise Festival in Stourbridge, on the very rare occasion of a palindrome date - 02/02/2020. Our second gig, the one on this recording, continued the theme with a palindrome as a venue - OTO. Percy and I had discussed for a while our shared desire to do something with Paul and Jeff, two giants of the music who had never played together before this tour. It turned out to be even more of a joy than we had imagined." -Olie Brice



"The first-ever performance of the quartet of most in-demand free-improvisers - British legendary tenor sax player Paul Dunmall, trumpeter Percy Pursglove, double bass player Olie Brice and American, London-based drummer Jeff Williams took place at the Ideas of Noise Festival in Stourbridge, on the very rare occasion of a palindrome date -February 2nd, 2020. The second performance of the quartet, captured live on Palindromes, happened two days later and continued the theme with a palindrome as a venue - London's Cafe OTO.

Dunmall and Pursglove (who also plays the double bass) have been playing together for more than fifteen years. Brice joined Dunmall's circle of frequent collaborators only in recent years (and released Palindromes on his label), but Dunmall and Williams, known for his work with Stan Getz, Lee Konitz and Paul Bley, never played together before, despite being of the same generation and both playing significant roles in the post-Coltrane history of improvised music. Brice and Pursglove, who have worked before with Williams, initiated the tour of the new quartet.

The 60-minutes "Tattarrattat" is credited to the four musicians, and Brice confirms that it turned out to be even more joy than he and Pursglove had imagined. He is completely right. The quartet's dynamics are organic and the playful give-and-take games between Dunmall and Pursglove and the rhythm section of Brice and Williams always offer a positive tension as well as generous room for individual solos. Dunmall and Pursglove complement and enrich each other's melodic ideas, together and apart, while Brice and Williams, charge these ideas with sharp, driving and fast-shifting rhythmic patterns. There are brief, fiery and dramatic eruptions, but most of the time this quartet seeks to color its compelling conversational dynamics with subtle nuances, including with careful timbral searches and complex rhythmic layers, and doing so in its own elegant and natural flow of beautiful music."-Eyal Hareuveni, Salt Peanuts


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Artist Biographies

"Paul Dunmall was born 1953, Welling, Kent; saxophones, clarinets, bagpipes, miscellaneous wind instruments.

As told to Watson (1989), Paul Dunmall was a working class lad from Welling who left school at 15 and spent two years repairing instruments at Bill Lewington's shop in Shaftesbury Avenue, London. He turned professional at 17 and, following two years touring Europe with a progressive rock band (Marsupilami), joined the Divine Light Mission, a spiritual movement led by Guru Maharaj Ji and moved from London to an ashram in America. He told Isham (1997), 'I moved to an ashram full of musicians - a music ashram - but it was still spiritual practice. That gave me a spiritual understanding through meditation, Coltrane's music, and all the rest of it, led me to that, and that's been a fundament in my life ever since - that I can actually sit down and meditate and forget my body. I realise how important meditation is in my life... but I don't do it so much these days.' During the three years he lived in America, Dunmall played with Alice Coltrane (in a big band with the Divine Light Mission) and toured for twelve months with Johnny 'Guitar' Watson.

Back in England, he played with Danny Thompson and John Stevens as well as folk musicians Kevin Dempsey, Martin Jenkins and Polly Bolton and then, in 1979 he became a founder member of Spirit Level (Tim Richards, piano; Paul Anstey, bass; Tony Orrell, drums), staying with the group until 1989. During his time with Spirit Level, Dunmall joined the two-tenor front line group Tenor Tonic with Alan Skidmore (1985), played and broadcast with Dave Alexander and Tony Moore in the DAM trio (1986) and formed the Paul Dunmall Quartet with Alex Maguire, Tony Moore and Steve Noble (1986).

In 1987 Paul Dunmall joined the London Jazz Composers Orchestra, being a constant member and appearing on all their recorded output from that date onward. The following year the improvising collective quartet Mujician was formed by Keith Tippett, Dunmall, Paul Rogers and Tony Levin and has continued to be a regular performing, touring and recording group, sometimes augmented by other musicians. Dunmall has also played in a trio with Keith and Julie Tippetts and in Keith Tippett's big band Tapestry. Two other duos have also sprung out of Mujician: Dunmall with Tony Levin (two CD releases) and Dunmall in folk-influenced outings with Paul Rogers. Another regular playing partner throughout this period and up until the present includes Elton Dean.

In 1995, two trios were formed, the first with Oren Marshall, tuba and Steve Noble, percussion, the second with John Adams, guitar and Mark Sanders, percussion, these sometimes coming together as a quintet. More recently, Dunmall has played in another reeds/guitar/drums trio with Philip Gibbs and Tony Marsh and there appears to be regular crossover between all these players. The Paul Dunmall Octet was founded in 1997."

Dunmall also has released a large number of albums and a box set on the UK FMR label, in various configurations and instrumentation.

-EFI (http://www.efi.group.shef.ac.uk/musician/mdunmall.html)
3/13/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"After graduating from the Birmingham Conservatoire's BMus(Hons) Jazz course with first class honours, I received a scholarship to study on the Jazz and Contemporary Music Program at the New School University, New York City. During my time living in New York I performed with ensembles including The Duke Ellington Orchestra at Birdland, The Coltrane ensemble and the Rene Marie Big Band at Town Hall, and with Matt Brewer and Tommy Crane at The Knitting Factory.

I am now working as a freelance Jazz musician/composer/arranger/recording artist (Trumpet/Double Bass) Since 2005 I have been lecturing in Jazz at the Birmingham Conservatoire senior and junior departments, I also have a roles as director of the National Youth Jazz Wales, tutor for National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland/National Youth Jazz Collective, music for youth mentor and improvisation clinician for Wales Music Teachers Federation.

I am also the artistic co-director of Harmonic Festival, producing and promoting two successful and adventurous jazz festivals in Birmingham in recent years.

I have featured in a number of performances aired on BBC Radio's Jazz on Three including live concerts with Alex Hawkins, Peter Evans, Paul Dunmall, Elliott Sharpe and a number of radio and televised concerts with the WDR Radio Big Band, Koln. I was a featured in Jazzwise magazine's 'Taking Off' interview. Recent musical highlights include performing Gil Evans Sketches of Spain with the Birmingham Conservatoire Jazz Orchestra and playing Trumpet for Evan Parker's 70th birthday celebration, Kings Place.

Some of the most prominent artists I have performed and recorded with include:

Claudia Quintet, Food with Thomas Stronen/Iain Ballamy, Bill Frissell, Paul Dunmall, Peter Evans, Jon Irabagon, Hans Koller, Dan Weiss, Matt Brewer, Michael Gibbs, Thomas Morgan, John Hollenbeck, Mark Dresser, Victor Bailey, Drew Gress, Ben Monder, Phil Woods, Claudio Roditi, Jeff Williams, Chris Speed, Matt Mitchell, Evan Parker, Jakob Bro, Elliott Sharpe, Vince Mendoza, Peter Erskine, Django Bates, Steve Swallow, Chris Potter, John O'gallagher, Gerald Clayton, John Clayton, Dave Liebman, Dave Holland and Norma Winstone.

For the past twelve months, I have also been a Jazzlines/Jerwood Foundation fellow, hosted at Town Hall-Symphony Hall Birmingham. This has allowed me to compose a new work written for octet and eight-voice choir - 'Far Reaching Dreams of Mortal Souls' - based on speeches and associated works of iconic figures through history. This will premiere in October, where I will perform alongside Julian Arguelles, Paul Clarvis, Hans Koller, Michael Janisch, James Allsop, Jim Rattigan plus choir.

I hold honorary membership (Hons BC) to the Birmingham Conservatoire in recognition of services to music."

-Percy Pursglove Website (http://www.percypursglove.com/about/)
3/13/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"I'm a jazz and improv double bassist, based in Hastings, SE England.

I lead and compose for The Olie Brice Quintet, which released our debut album 'Immune to Clockwork' in 2014. The quintet was named as one of the 'new bands 2014' in the El Intruso Critics Poll, and was described by Richard Williams as "one of the most interesting and satisfying bands on the current UK scene". The current line-up of the quintet features George Crowley on tenor, Alex Bonney on cornet, Mike Fletcher on C-melody sax and Jeff Williams on drums. Our 2nd album, 'Day After Day' will be released in Jue 2017 on the Babel label.

I'm also involved in several collaborative projects, including;

a Trio with Tobias Delius - tenor sax, clarinet and Mark Sanders - drums

duos with Achim Kaufmann - piano, Rachel Musson - tenor sax and Tom Challenger - tenor sax

BABs (James Allsopp - bass clarinet, Alex Bonney - laptop)

and am in a few people's bands, including:

Mike Fletcher Trio (Mike Fletcher - C melody sax, Jeff Williams - drums)

Dee Byrne's Entopri (Dee Byrne - alto sax, Andre Canniere - trumpet, Rebecca Nash - piano & Matt Fisher - drums)

Alex Ward Quintet (Alex Ward - clarinet, guitar, Rachel Musson - tenor sax, Tom Jackson - bass clarinet, Hannah Marshall - cello)

Loz Speyer's Inner Space Music (Loz Speyer - trumpet, Chris Biscoe - alto sax, alto clarinet, Rachel Musson - tenor & soprano, Gary Willcox - drums)

Alex Bonney Quartet (Alex Bonney - trumpet, James Allsopp - reeds, Jeff Williams - drums)

Other musicians I've appeared with include Tony Malaby, Evan Parker, Paul Dunmall, Ingrid Laubrock, Ken Vandermark, Steve Swell and many others..."

-Olie Brice Website (https://oliebrice.com/about/)
3/13/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Jeff Williams drums. Born July 6, 1950 in Mount Vernon, Ohio, Jeff Williams grew up in the small college town of Oberlin and began playing in area jazz clubs at age 14. Moving to Boston in 1968, Jeff attended the Berklee College of Music where he studied with Alan Dawson. In 1971 Jeff began his professional career in New York, a year later joining the Stan Getz Quartet ('72 -'74) in an edition that included Dave Holland and Richie Beirach or Albert Daily. (Jeff toured again with Getz for much of 1988, with Kenny Barron and Anthony Cox). Along with Beirach, Dave Liebman, and Frank Tusa, Jeff formed the group Lookout Farm, touring internationally from 1973-76. The band's recordings include Lookout Farm and Drum Ode (ECM) and Sweet Hands (A&M/Horizon).

In succeeding years Jeff has accompanied a wide variety of musicians. A partial list includes: John Abercrombie, Paul Bley, Randy Brecker, George Coleman, Marc Copland, Art Farmer, Joe Farrell, Dizzy Gillespie, Clifford Jordan, Cecil McBee, George Mraz, Gary Peacock, Michel Petrucciani, John Scofield, Miroslav Vitous, and Cedar Walton."

-Drum Solo Artist (http://www.drumsoloartist.com/Site/Drummers2/Jeff_Williams.html)
3/13/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:



1. Tattarrattat 1 31:47

2. Tattarrattat 2 30:30

Related Categories of Interest:


Improvised Music
Jazz
Free Improvisation
Collective Free Improvsation
London & UK Improv & Related Scenes
Quartet Recordings

Search for other titles on the label:
West Hill Records.


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