NEWS
21/11/11
Sacred Dimension is the new release from Nat Birchall on Gondwana Records. You can purchase the CD on the 28th November. The album is also available on a very special limited edition vinyl with gatefold sleeve by contacting Nat via email info@natbirchall.com
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Over the last few years British saxophonist and composer Nat Birchall has carved out a singular niche for himself. A deeply soulful, spiritual saxophonist whose beautiful recordings for the Gondwana label have moved people to suggest that the spirit of Coltrane was alive and well in Northern England. But Birchall is more than a slavish imitator of Coltrane’s sound there is a sense of tranquility and depth of feeling in Birchall’s music that recalls more than just Coltrane’s notes and a desire for honest, soulful communication.
For Birchall Sacred Dimension is a clear progression from his two most recent albums, building on Akhenaten’s spiritual wholeness and Guiding Spirits fuller sound, but with a new richer, deeper sound. Harpist Rachel Gladwin features on all tracks bringing her own beautiful, folk tinged, take on jazz harp to the music and vibist Corey Mwamba guests (who Birchall met in Arun Ghosh’s band) and brings a soulful openness to the music as well as a real energy. Wonderful, empathetic pianist Adam Fairhall remains from the last two recordings. A beautiful player who manages to sound free while always serving the music. Fairhall’s luminous playing and complete commitment does much to illuminate the music as does new bass player Nick Blacka whose big strong sound and ability to vary the bass line without losing the essential character of the music does much to drive the album. There is a change in drummer with Andy Hay, who Birchall describes ‘as a force of nature’ bringing a powerful conviction to the music playing as he does 100% in the moment.
Finally,
where Guiding
Spirit featured a percussionist for this album Birchall
decided he
wanted something rawer and less skilled so he handed out
bells and
percussion to the band members and just asked them to play as
they felt
it, even roping in Rachel's brother Rueben, who was hanging
around the
studio, on one tune.
The album's title track, `Sacred
Dimension' is
inspired by the concept of elevation through music, and
the cover
painting is by Birchall. A painter before he took up music
Birchall was
inspired to take up the paintbrush for the first time in
nearly 30
years by the recording of the album. The track Ancient World
is partly
named for the sound of Gladwin's harp (which brings a
timeless quality)
but also as the song is based on the 'Phrygian' mode.
A first take, you
can hear how the band locked into the groove
immediately. Dance Of The
Mystic is based around a repetitive rhythm
that takes on an almost
trance like intensity. While the serene Peace
In Nineveh takes
inspiration from the poem 'Cargoes' by John Masefield
and an opening
line reference to "Quinquireme of Nineveh from distant
Ophir, rowing
home to Haven in sunny Palestine..." and finally Radiant
Will takes it'
s title from a Stanley Crouch essay on Coltrane, where
he describes him
as "a man of radiant will", which chimes with both how
Birchall feels
about Coltrane but also with the soulful honesty that
Birchall brings
to his own music, music that with it's own radiance
succeeds in
defining Birchall's very own Sacred Dimension!
Released on
trumpeter
Matthew Halsall's Gondwana label, the album is also available
on a
strictly limited 180gram vinyl pressing on Birchall's own Sound
Soul
and Spirit record label. It was a decision inspired by Birchall's
long
held passion for vinyl and the desire to hear his music through
the
same medium that he first fell in love with.
The album will be released on Gondwana Records on Monday 28th November 2011.
24/06/09
Nat Birchall Groovement radio show mix.
To celebrate the release of 'Akhenaten', Groovement hauled Nat into the Unity Radio studio for a 2hour session of reggae and jazz vibes.
22/06/09
Nat Birchall's album 'Akhenaten' is out now at Gondwana Records, please head on over toGondwanarecords.comto buy the official release.
20/06/09
This year Nat Birchall celebrates 30 years of playing the saxophone. During that time he has been quietly working on his craft, slowly but surely progressing towards a style and concept that best communicates his view of the universe.
Initially inspired by the great horn men of Jamaica, people like Roland Alphonso, Don Drummond, Tommy McCook and Cedric Brooks, Nat found his way into the music of Charlie Parker, John Coltrane and the whole world of Jazz, before finding his own voice on his instrument.
Along the way he has played in many different musical situations, playing Turkish Folk/Jazz with percussionist Akay Temiz, forming the ground-breaking “Corner Crew” which experimented with elements of Jazz and Hip Hop, and the heavy Roots Reggae of Dubdadda. Nat’s quintet, “The Sixth Sense” made his debut CD of the same name in 1999. The album was well received and was one of Jazzwise magazine’s editor’s CDs of the year, earning a 4 star review.
Unusually amongst UK musicians, Nat’s sound and concept has been favourably compared to John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders and Charles Lloyd. Nat currently plays in Matthew Halsall’s adventurous groups, appearing on his “Sending My Love” CD, as well as performing with Arun Ghosh’s Indo-Jazz ensemble, Jon Thorne’s Oedipus Mingus and guitarist Gary Boyle’s quartet.
Fans of John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane, Yusef Lateef, Sleep Walker, Wayne Shorter, Charles Lloyd will appreciate where Nat is coming from.
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