Westbrook, Mike - Love & Understanding: Citadel / Room 315 Sweden ’74 featuring John Surman
SKU
28-IMT2016687.2
This is a wonderful find; the original album by Westbrook was released in 1975 by RCA and is a richly orchestrated jazz/rock work filled with the big names of the mid 70s Brit-jazz world.
But here is what I did not know:
“The debut performance of esteemed pianist/composer Mike Westbrook's cult 70s jazz masterpiece 'Citadel/Room 315', recorded live in 1974. Featured soloists throughout the album are the iconic ECM recording artist John Surman plus a crack team of top Scandi jazzers.
The original RCA recording of 'Citadel/Room 315' is an hour-long suite of eleven tracks, beautifully composed and arranged by Mike Westbrook that is rightly considered to be one of the high-points of Brit-jazz from that era. Mike was commissioned by Sveriges (Swedish) Radio to write the work with Surman as lead soloist. He then travelled to Sweden to perform and conduct it for the first time, live in concert, with John Surman as featured soloist and the 16 piece Swedish Radio Jazz Group.
This recording has never been released until now and presents a wildly different recording to the later LP, the rawness and freedom of the playing contrasting strongly with the more polished studio album.
Surman - playing baritone and soprano saxophone, plus bass clarinet - is in sumptuously freewheeling form throughout, soaring between wild expression and wonderfully controlled playing, perfectly complimenting Mike's compositions that gracefully move from jazz-rock, ballads, to tightly composed orchestral themes and more avant-garde moments.”
- LabelMy Only Desire
- UPC5052442016687