ELTON DEAN'S NINESENSE - Live At The BBC (HUXO46)
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[Release date 29th September 2003]
Hux seem to have done it again and plucked another little gem from the archives of the BBC. I've never actually heard any of Ninesenses' material before although I was aware of their existance. The two sessions featured on this cd are separated by two years but the feel is much the same, huge sounding brass section, wonderfully free drums from Louis Moholo and Harry Millers deep underpinning string bass. The tunes themselves do have an echo of Soft Machines Volume 4 period but the overall sound is very much in the vein of 1970's British Jazz and I cant help feeling this is where Soft Machine could have gone if Elton had stayed which would have been no bad thing. Ex Soft Machine includes Elton along with Marc Charig, Nick Evans and Alan Skidmore (Check out Elton and Alans excellent El-Skid album).
Ninesense were formed in 1975 after Dean had led his own quartet with Louis Moholo, Keith Tippett and Harry Miller (all featured on this recording) and they releases two long deleted albums Oh for the edge (1976) and Happy daze (1977). It is an absolute must and the quality of the recordings / mastering is up to Hux's usual excellent standards. Thanks very much to Hux for kindly providing me with this pre release copy and please visit their website for details of other Soft Machine and related releases (see links section).
Hux press release (2003)
British saxophonist Elton Dean has long been the spearhead of free jazz in England. He began his professional career with Long John Baldry's Bluesology (*) in 1967, then went on to help form the Keith Tippett sextet before becoming a key member of Soft Machine in 1969.
In the mid 70s he formed 'Ninesense', one of the most influential cutting-edge jazz bands of the period. The original line-up of the band included the great trumpeter, Mongezi Feza, one of the South African exiles who came to London as a member of Chris McGregor¹s Blue Notes.
This album is comprised of two sessions recorded by BBC Radio 3's Jazz In Britain programme and contains the first recording of the band, as well as almost the last. It has a total running time of 55 minutes and the accompanying 8 page booklet features a brief note from Elton Dean, plus extensive liner notes by The Times' jazz critic, Alyn Shipton.
These days, Dean continues recording and touring, showcasing his highly idiosyncratic yet ingenious method of composition and complexly staggered harmonic and polytonal improvisational inventions.
Track listing
1) Dancin'
2) Soothing
3) Sweet Francesca
4) Bidet Bebop
Recorded 19th May 1975 for 'Jazz In Britain', BBC Radio 3
5) Nicra
6) Seven For Me
Recorded 17th March 1978 for 'Jazz In Britain', BBC Radio 3.
Line - up
tracks 1 - 4
Mongezi Feza (pocket trumpet); Marc Charig (cornet, tenor horn); Radu Malfatti, Paul Nieman (trombone); Elton Dean (alto saxophone, saxello); Alan Skidmore (tenor saxophone); Keith Tippett (piano); Harry Miller (bass); Louis Moholo (drums).
tracks 5 - 6
Harry Beckett (trumpet); Marc Charig (cornet, tenor horn); Nick Evans, Radu Malfatti (trombone); Elton Dean (alto saxophone, saxello); Alan Skidmore (tenor saxophone); Keith Tippett (piano, celeste); Harry Miller (bass); Louis Moholo (drums).
(*) The pianist in Bluesology was Reg Dwight, who later adopted the names of his two former band mates and became Elton John.
The above was taken from the Hux records promo release sheet (thanks to Hux yet again!!)