The Time is Now
The Time is Now is the first CD release by Rob Buckland’s Equivox Trio, in which he is joined by percussionist Simone Rebello and pianist Peter Lawson. The name Equivox means equal voices, and is a development of Rob and Simone’s duo of the same name. The ensemble is aptly named, achieving an extremely even balance between the three performers. All three musicians are highly accomplished players and soloists in their own right, and the combined forces are stunning.
The Time is Now is a recording of three distinct parts. In the first section the trio is introduced as an ensemble before showcasing each performer in turn in solo pieces. The centrepiece of the album is a six movement suite, Rhythm of the Gods, taken from a longer work by Barbara Thompson, originally written for Evelyn Glennie. The CD concludes in a reflective mood, with four further tracks under the heading of The Quiet Zone.
The programme includes two arrangements by Rob Buckland and one of his own compositions, proving himself to be equally strong in these areas as he is as a performer. The album was recorded by fellow member of the Apollo Saxophone Quartet Tim Redpath, who together with Rob mixed, edited and produced the CD. The production is excellent, retaining the essence of a live recording in its sound quality.
The CD opens with Integration by the jazz pianist and composer Jason Rebello, commissioned by the ensemble. Here lyrical sections are interspersed with more strident passages, and purposeful repeating patterns underpin flowing melodic lines. The piece highlights the equality of the three voices, as the players take turns with the melody and paired accompaniments.
Barry Cockroft’s Ku Ku demonstrates the personality of the soprano saxophone and its player in a virtuoso tour de force of contemporary techniques. Incarnation II for solo piano by Somei Satoh builds from atmospheric rumblings to a major chord climax, while speaking in Tongues I by Sheila Chandra and Steve Coe is a percussive vocal tongue twister of the sort used by South Asian musicians and dancers for teaching rhythms.
In Barbara Thompson’s Rhythm of the Gods, the six selected movements form a substantial work based on the rhythms and modes of ancient Greek music. Each movement has its own identity, inspired by various Greek gods. The music moves from gentle and atmospheric to strong and passionate, from thoughtful to tempestuous, taking in jazzy rhythms, layered textures and plaintive melodies along the way.
We are then led through to the quiet zone, the ideal place to chill out at the end of the evening. Here the saxophone moves into the foreground, with the other instruments taking on a supporting role. Skaladur by Bill Connor sets the mood with thoughtful, deliberate piano chords introducing a simple decorated saxophone melody with a Celtic flavour. Rob Buckland’s arrangement of Letter from Home by Pat Metheny again pairs a simple, wistful tune with a gentle accompaniment.
Rob Buckland’s own composition, Lost (& Found), continues in a similar vein with the accompanying instruments providing an introduction before the saxophone joins them with a simple melody in a contemplative mood. All is Quiet by Bob Mintzer, also arranged by Rob, provides a suitably chilled ending, with tinkling percussion and images of chairs being lifted on to tables at the end of a particularly good evening.
The playing is technically brilliant throughout, as would be expected with performers of this calibre, but what really shines through is the genuine emotion and integrity of the music and its performance. I have not yet had an opportunity to experience the Equivox Trio playing live but having heard the CD I can’t wait for their next concert. In the meantime, this recording deserves to be heard by as wide an audience as possible. Rush out and buy it – The Time is Now.
Alison Owen-Morley
Clarinet and Saxophone magazine, Summer 2007
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