Ron Caines / Martin Archer Axis – Les Oiseaux de Matisse

Discus

Ron Caines, for those who don’t know, is a bit of an unsung hero in some circles. He’s probably best known for East Of Eden, way back when, but he’s something of a renaissance man — accomplished visual artist, composer, free musician, gurt Bristolian… Sadly, Caines’ discography isn’t as fulsome as it should be, which is the case for way too many players outside of big fancy London. Speaking of players from outside big fancy London, Discus label impresario and top horn guy Martin Archer does a great job of creating a free / jazz / whatever hub in that Sheffield, plugging away at releasing a bunch of stuff that’s not necessarily London-centric.

Anyway, the record. Les Oiseaux de Matisse is one of those that does a grand tour of hotspots on the map of jazz. Some one-chord-wonder business in a solemn mood with plaintive and lyrical horn lines (opener “Haptic Space #1”). There’s improvisations hitting that antiphonal back-and-forthery between Archer and Caines’ horns (triangulation, possibly named for the interplay between the two horns and the sprinkly, spidery magic of Johnny Hunter‘s drums). Oh, and there’s honest-to-goodness gorgeous tunes neatly wrapped into gorgeous arrangements (“Heavy Loaded Trane”).

So there’s a trick to making an album, particularly a jazz one, that’s a bastard to pull off. I’ve got a bunch of free jazz / improv records and they’re exciting for all of two or three tracks. Then it all gets a bit samey. Then there’s the more composed side of things, which likewise struggles to keep my attention. What this record gets absolutely spot on, for my money, is having a lush mix of compositional / improvisatory ideas, a super-keen ear for arrangements, plenty of variation and not too much of any one thing (and also a lack of discontinuous jumping around, which annoys the bollocks off of me).

I don’t think this is a touring band (sadly) but there’s some exquisite playing on it. Archer and Caines are well matched, both having a real feel for lyrical and considered playing. Laura Cole on piano has a touch that can swingly jazzly, but has enough expressive classical-ness to really bounce off, especially for the more melodic pieces. Graham Clark on violin / guitar — well, here’s a thing — something that annoys me about violins in jazz / improv contexts is the use of vibrato: too many people just throw vibrato over every note. It’s very forgiving, y’see. Clark’s having none of that — vibrato if it’s needed, but delicately and just so. Garside is someone I know fairly well as a free player, but hearing him in a supporting role, never over-playing, is a real delight.

And Hervé Perez on sound processing and shakuhachi — well, again a criticism I could lay at some people’s feet is to just chuck incongruous electronics everywhere — there’s not an arrangement on here that isn’t smart and nuanced, and Perez’s sound processing brings in timbral nuance, but never plastered over everything. The use of space and silence makes for a really sumptuous piece, and there’s (praise be) rarely any moments when the whole “group” is playing. So you can hear the interplay with the various elements, or notice the drummer’s tidy little fill, or actually dig out the wash of the sound processing, or etc.

Also, do you know what’s great? A nice package and liner notes. It’s something that was great about older jazz and classical records and, as a nipper, that was the stuff that helped you navigate your way around, find other players and give you more of a grip on the world the record came from. Overly modest quietism with regards liner notes is unnecessary. This is a lovely package. Full marks Mr Archer (and Mr Caines, who did the cover art). It’s even an agreeable typeface (as a type geek I have to say I’m very often disappointed with type on sleeves).

So. In summary: it’s a banger. Can’t recommend it highly enough. Lush arrangements, plenty squawking horns but also plenty hummable melodies and smart ideas. Buy buy buy. And maybe then we can see a few more Caines records out there, because he’s a well underrated player.

-Kev Nickells-