For Discus‘s eightieth release, Martin Archer has decided to go solo again, while also attempting to reproduce some of the sounds of his hornweb sax quartet that was active between 1983 and 1993. Not only that, it appears also as a kind of love letter to those saxophonists that have influenced him over the years of his playing, from the likes of Paul Desmond and Lester Young through Maceo Parker to Ornette Coleman and Evan Parker.
As you can probably judge by that list, this album finds Martin’s freer sensibilities wandering hand in hand with a more rootsy sound that makes for a very cool end result. Opener “Pressure Shocks” sets the tone with a wild blast, squawking happily that naturally rolls into a sultry, slowly unfurling more traditional piece. The many layers of saxes that he spreads across the track give a smooth, easy sweetness, with the rich baritone lending depth as the lighter sounds escape into the stratosphere.
The solitary crowing notes of the title track are the complete antithesis, however, coming across like spare footprints in undisturbed snow, creatures scattering in all directions as you make your way across a frozen lake, constantly waiting for the ice to crack. The album does this, veering from one form to another with whatever whim Martin chooses to follow. The smooth, smokey and subtle “Song For Zara Grace” is the sort of thing that would have people swooning into their drinks at Ronnie Scott’s, while “Behind The Sun” finds deep, resonant sounds scouting through the undergrowth, a slow release tension maintain a kind of locomotive base. There is plenty of questing here, from the high-pitched seagull lament of “Song For Corey Mwamba” to the gentler bird-like conversations of “Point To Point”, and although Martin is known for his saxes, there is also clarinet and melodica as well as piano, electronics and some measured percussion. There is a splash of piano on “Rose Bomb / Oreogasm” and fantastic cymbal textures that are a bit of a shock, while the melodica in “Owls Join In With The Morning Birds” adds a kind of soundtrack-y subtlety to the subterfuge underpinning the track. A touch of ragtime on Roscoe Mitchell‘s “Jo Jar” brings things down to earth for a little while, before it lets loose again, Martin tracking piece over piece until it sounds like a whole band and also like he is having the time of his life. It must be so different to playing with other people, but perhaps the odd occasion like this enables him to do exactly what he wants to without pandering to anybody else’s sensibilities.The shakers and percussion bring an African feel to “Battle Lines”, and here the tone is so sweet and the brushing and shuffling texture feels like shoes scraping on sandy ground while the sensual, repetitive baritone of “Dig Yourself” holds all the other pieces up as they churn and torment in the background. Final track “Baribop” is a post-bop blast of joy and freedom with a good-time walking bass-line that sees Another Fantastic Individual out in fine style. The album covers so much ground, and feels like a real labour of love that is for any fan of the saxophone, but particularly Martin’s idiosyncratic approach to melding so many different styles. Bravo!
-Mr Olivetti-
