Artist: Richard Leigh Harris & George Haslam
Title: Tredavoe Blue
Cat Number: SLAMCD312
Year released: 2000
Format: CD & all digital platforms
Barcode: 5028386031222
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Duo recording between saxophonist George Haslam and pianist Richard Leigh Harris, who perform six improvised tracks as well as a stunning version of Charles Mingus’ “Goodbye Pork-Pie Hat”.
George Haslam: baritone saxophone, clarinet, tarogato
Richard Leigh Harris: piano, windchimes
“On his SLAM label, George Haslam has recorded a large amount of exceptional music…This disc, a tremendous addition to an already impressive catalogue, highlights the delicacy and emotional expressiveness of his playing. Except for Mingus’ “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat”, all the tracks are improvised – and the exchanges between these two men are superlative…Haslam on clarinet is generally sweet and musing; on baritone he is stentorian and powerful – although his magnificent solo opening on “Woongarra” takes an unexpected twist just as Harris enters. The pianist, meanwhile, is capable of Mal Waldron-style drama…in the main this is a disc with a serenity and unabashed melodicism unusual in free improvisation. At the same time, these musicians are accomplished enough to avoid clichés of all kinds. Highly recommended.” – Robert Spencer, Cadence
“They tackle Goodbye Pork Pie Hat with a certain amount of reverence for both the composer and dedicatee and it is pleasing to hear the baritone lingering over the poignant melody and reminding us that no matter many times we’ve heard it we can still be moved by it. This short track, 5 minutes long, restrained and elegiac, is as near perfect a reading as any I’ve come across…Solstice Dances/Hymn is the climax of the CD and a celebration, not just of winter fires but of each other’s playing and the tremendous vitality they generate. There are some superb passages where their voices are as totally integrated as it is possible to be and the resulting music is full of warmth, energy and imagination.” – Paul Donnelly, Jazzitude
Recorded in Ferry Road, Oxford. Tracks 1-4 on 22nd November 1998, tracks 5-7 om 20th December 1999.
Recorded and mastered by Tim Turan.