If there has ever been a music group which sounds like the opposite of its name it has to be this Jazz collective around British tenor saxophonist Tony Burkill. The bleak pointlessness the combination of the words Work Money Death could suggest, doesn't automatically align with an an album which immediately shimmers and shines in Spiritual Alice Coltrane majesty.
Seriously, there must have been at least one nihilistic Punk band of that name before, right?
WORK MONEY DEATH - People Of The Fast Flowing River (LP) (2024)
There is however a clear motif of steady continuous flow, which mirrors the notion of pulling through life in repeating patterns, but doing so while appreciating the daily beauty which comes along on the way. Work, money, death may be inevitable, but they shouldn't be the defining central forces of your life. The four improvisations of this album are all based on smooth, yet very disciplined lines by upright bass and sometimes piano. An unfazed foundation for the brass instruments to breeze and whirl over, colourized by vivid percussion dancing around it.
If you already know the previous albums "The Space In Which The Uncontrollable Unknown Resides, Can Be The Place From Which Creation Arises" and "Thought, Action, Reaction, Interaction" you can be sure that "People Of The Fast Flowing River" (which is a mordern translation of the Old Brittonic word "lantenses", referring to people from Leeds, where the band comes from) surely won't disappoint you.
At its core this music is very traditional Sanders/Coltrane worship, timelessly brought to life in improvisations by great modern players jammed together in a small studio. The result is a document of highly symbiotic musical communion and communication, an inspirational manifestation of light and peace becoming sound.
Count it as a shortcut if you will, but to me this just feels so pure and wonderful, that it defies any urge of further analytical dissection. I guess if you're writing about so much of the music you're listening to, some of it just has to stay "untouched" by your intellect. I just want to boundlessly and unhindered enjoy this sound.
If you need more insight into the process - the backcover provides plenty of liner notes by Richard Ormord, who happens to be the album's most prolific player measured in instruments, as he plays piano, harmonium, Wurlitzer, flute, alto flute, baritone saxophone, contrabass clarinett, tenor horn and euphonium. And just like that I learned about another instrument I didn't know before. Nice.
If you already know the previous albums "The Space In Which The Uncontrollable Unknown Resides, Can Be The Place From Which Creation Arises" and "Thought, Action, Reaction, Interaction" you can be sure that "People Of The Fast Flowing River" (which is a mordern translation of the Old Brittonic word "lantenses", referring to people from Leeds, where the band comes from) surely won't disappoint you.
At its core this music is very traditional Sanders/Coltrane worship, timelessly brought to life in improvisations by great modern players jammed together in a small studio. The result is a document of highly symbiotic musical communion and communication, an inspirational manifestation of light and peace becoming sound.
Count it as a shortcut if you will, but to me this just feels so pure and wonderful, that it defies any urge of further analytical dissection. I guess if you're writing about so much of the music you're listening to, some of it just has to stay "untouched" by your intellect. I just want to boundlessly and unhindered enjoy this sound.
If you need more insight into the process - the backcover provides plenty of liner notes by Richard Ormord, who happens to be the album's most prolific player measured in instruments, as he plays piano, harmonium, Wurlitzer, flute, alto flute, baritone saxophone, contrabass clarinett, tenor horn and euphonium. And just like that I learned about another instrument I didn't know before. Nice.
