Monday Club double cd

reviews

"The members of Tony Gorman’s Monday Club apparently relish them as a chance to gather at Gorman’s and chew the fat, musically speaking. The topic of choice is free improvisation and, happily, the participants like listening as much as playing. The pieces are open fields on which ideas gently intertwine into fascinating sound worlds. Disc One has the core club of Gorman (alto clarinet), Stephen Morley (French horn), Mary Rapp (cello, bass) and Boyd (the mighty contrabass clarinet). Disc Two sees them joined by Paul Cutlan (clarinets) and James Greening (pocket trumpet/ trombone), without losing either the careful layering that results in sonic transparency or the instinct for mutual respect.
 John Shand  ⭐️⭐️⭐️ ✨.

Jazz and Beyond CD reviews Tony Gorman - "Tony Gorman’s Monday Club Whether the underlying composure of this music is imposed by the physical limitations of Gorman is immaterial, it’s still brazen, daring, exciting and yet reflective...

The Monday Club has become an outlet for Gorman’s undiminished creativity when he, Stephen Morley – French horn, Mary Rapp – cello & bass and Boyd – bass clarinet, gather to improvise. This two disc set is comprised of two separate recording sessions. The Domestic Appliance Sessions deals with the ‘Heater’, the ‘MRI’, and the ‘Percolator’. ‘Heater’ reminded me of ‘In a Silent Way’, in that silence has been dealt with acoustically in the most passive and unobtrusive way. You literally get the picture of an old bar heater. Using a variety of methods on their instruments, the sounds creak and crackle following ignition and then you almost feel the glow and radiation of the heater through the soft drones of Gorman’s alto clarinet combined with Morley’s quirky French Horn and the deep underscore drone of Boyd’s bass clarinet. Appropriately, ‘Percolator’ simmers, bubbles and gurgles away under the steam of the quartet. On the second disc titled The Macquarie Sessions, the quartet is joined by Paul Cutlan on clarinets and James Greening on pocket trumpet and trombone. Yes a larger sound but the glorious subtleties remain, especially on ‘I’ve got the Blues, Goodbye’.

Peter Wockner ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️