REVIEWS
Sacred Dimension Reviews
BBC MUSIC
When John Coltrane died in 1967, the effect was like dropping a boulder of intense feeling into the deep waters of jazz, creating ripples that are still felt today. In the aftermath, it fell to his closest collaborators to continue the work, spreading his message of spiritual awakening and universal compassion through the medium of progressive jazz. While his widow, Alice Coltrane, continued on an outward curve, drawing deeper on Hindu cosmology and digging into free jazz, former bandmates such as McCoy Tyner and Pharoah Sanders ushered in a new genre of jazz – as on Sanders' 1971 classic, Thembi – which was still characterised by deeply-felt spiritual yearning, but which reined in Coltrane's raging intensity in favour of a more accessible and breezily melodic tone. British saxophonist Nat Birchall is keeping that flame burning in the 21st century.
In fact, Sacred Dimension is so imbued with the post-Coltrane cosmo-spiritual vibe, it's a little like a presentation by an early-70s jazz historical re-enactment society. Ancient World kicks the album off with bells and shakers before pianist Adam Fairhall sets up strident, Tyner-ish chords, which, supported by Nick Blacka's determined modal bass figures, are goaded into crashing waves by the heavily rolling energy of drummer Andy Hay. Add in Corey Mwamba's neat vibes solo and Rachel Gladwin's delicate harp à la Alice Coltrane and it could easily be a lost outtake from Tyner's 1970 album Extensions. Similarly, Sacred Dimension is a limpid, free-flowing tone poem in the same vein as Tyner's His Blessings from the same album, or Sanders' Greetings to Saud, from 1973's Elevation.
What's impressive, though, is how confidently Birchall assumes the mantle of Coltrane acolyte. His soprano solo on Ancient World has some of the Moorish-Iberian tang first hinted at on Coltrane's Olé, and plays out as logically unfolding series of melodic permutations, owing much to Coltrane's endless interrogations of simple themes. Dance of the Mystic – another loping, modal groove – sets the scene for a tenor workout crammed full of fleeting echoes of Coltrane motifs that flutter almost close enough to identify while staying just tantalisingly out of reach.
In the end, this is much more than mere pastiche. It's a deeply sincere homage to a master, presented with an open heart full of passion and love. And, God knows, the world needs more of that right now.
THE INDEPENDENT
Reviewed by Phil Johnson
Sunday, 20 November 2011
It can be argued that Mancunian self-taught saxophonist Birchall is a Coltrane copyist stuck in the run-off groove of 1960s spiritual jazz. But, hey: it works for me. Birchall's music also continues to develop in a way that "frozen" forms shouldn't, and this third album is his most satisfying yet, with a looser, perhaps more folkily English feel. Rachael Gladwin's harp and Adam Fairhall's piano once again offer essential support, and Corey Mwamba guests on vibes.
All ABOUT JAZZ
Just outside the Victorian architectural splendor of the city of Manchester lies some of England's most beautiful countryside. The area is home to a small group of musicians whose contemporary take on the music of John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders, among others, is creating some of the finest and most spiritual sounds around. Trumpeter Matthew Halsall, head of Gondwana Records, is one member of this group. Nat Birchall is a key figure, and Sacred Dimension, his fourth album, finds the saxophonist/composer combining Coltrane influences with the stark beauty of the Lancashire moors to create an exquisitely engaging recording.
Coltrane and Saunders are not Birchall's only spiritual and musical inspirations: reggae is also a major passion and was the music that initially inspired him to play the saxophone. Sacred Dimension has little obvious reggae influence in its sound, but the overall atmosphere of the album—the relaxed rhythmic grooves, the seemingly effortless engagement with the soul of the music—certainly shows an affinity for the genre's classic vibe.
Birchall's band is absolutely in tune with his style. Harpist Rachael Gladwin and pianist Adam Fairhall, both crucially important to the sound of Birchall's Guiding Spirit (Gondwana Records, 2010), make delicate and thoughtful contributions. Nick Blacka and Andy Hay add strong and muscular bass and drums without ever overpowering the lead players. Vibraphonist Corey Mwamba may be used sparingly, but he enhances the dynamics of the music with every note.
"Peace In Nineveh" flows gracefully, with Birchall's sinewy soprano saxophone, Fairhall's dexterous piano and Mwamba's sparky vibes weaving delightful patterns of sound over Blacka's hypnotic bass. "Radiant Will" (a title inspired by a Stanley Crouch article about Coltrane) and the title track showcase Birchall's free-flowing, warm and tender tenor sound, while both "Ancient World" and "Dance Of The Mystic" are filled with magical imagery. Individually these are five delightful tunes; together, they make Sacred Dimension into a truly impressive, and beautiful, album.
Bruce Lindsay
Guiding Spirit Reviews
LONDON EVENING STANDARD
Guiding Spirit (Gondwana)
Tired of flash trickery and dazzling speed? If you prefer spirituality, dedication, emotional honesty and unhurried deliberation in your jazz, Nat Birchall could be the answer. This stately tenor and soprano saxman's profile would be higher if he lived in London but he's a defiant northerner who draws his inspiration from the windblasted Pennine and Lake District moorland. Pianist Adam Fairhall, bassist Gavin Barras, drummer Gaz Hughes and guest trumpeter Matthew Halsall share his Trane-in-ballad- mode vision on an album whose depth is gratifying to hear from young artists not even born when John Coltrane died.
Jack Massarik.
THE INDEPENDENT
Reviewed by Phil Johnson
Sunday, 23 May 2010
More great spiritual jazz from Manchester. Inspired by the Impulse! recordings of John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders, saxophonist Birchall follows up last year's excellent mini- album, Akhenaten, with a full 50 minutes of original tunes. Matthew Halsall blows trumpet on two tracks and Rachael Gladwin plucks harp and kora on another three. What makes the music so satisfying is the way it favours the cohesion of the group as a whole, although Birchal sounds supremely soulful throughout, especially on the title track.
THE GUARDIAN
By restricting himself to his home patch on the northern jazz circuit, saxophonist Nat Birchall is not as acclaimed across the UK as he deserves. His debut album, Sixth Sense, was hailed by Mojo magazine, in a John Coltrane reference, for its "sunship beauty". Coltrane is indeed Birchall's primary inspiration, musically and spiritually – a connection audible from the first gong-sound and McCoy Tyneresque piano trill under his saxophone on the opening track, and sustained with hypnotic bass riffs and brooding drum patterns all through the session. On tenor, Birchall has a woody, pliable sound, resonance and restraint about "sheets of sound" tumults that marks him out from the throng of Coltrane disciples, and, like Pharoah Sanders, he sounds like a man trying to contact Coltrane through emotional nuance and a trancelike focus rather than floods of notes. It's a modest session, perhaps too close to classic Coltrane materials of the 1960s. But Birchall's ability to coax meanings from tonal subtleties – such as when his tenor sax hovers over humming low bass drones on Going to the Mountain – is pretty effective.
John Fordham
JAZZWISE
One of the albums that helped to put Manchester back on the jazz map last year was Matthew Halsall's Colour Yes; another was Nat Birchall's Akhenaten. The same group of core players featured on both releases, with Halsall and Birchall taking turns to wear the leader's hat, and both recordings beautifully exemplified the new flowering of Northern jazz soulfulness. Birchall's six-composition follow-up, Guiding Spirit, takes up where the post-Trane transcendental dreaminess of Akhenaten left off, taking its predecessor's hymn-like qualities and giving them more expansive treatment., Birchall all hypnotic, furrow-browed intensity, Halsall floating off on a cloud of lyrical radiance. Rising on ripples of kora, 'Higher Regions' has an epic Tyner-esque tranciness about it, while the Eastern-flavoured 'Going To The Mountain' takes its inspiration from a Pharoah sanders phrase. The title track brings the album to a triumphant close, with Birchall digging deep to explore his musico-spiritual inspirations. As a musical statement, it's not exactly without precedent but it's deeply felt and beautifully excecuted.
DUSTY GROOVE
The second album from the brilliant tenorist Nat Birchall – one of our favorite players of the past decade or so! This album's even more spiritual, more far-reaching than the first – an amazing batch of tracks that would be right at home during the glory days of the post-Coltrane Impulse Records scene – with a sound that reminds us of some of Joe Henderson's best work of the early 70s, particularly his moments on record with Alice Coltrane! All tracks have this long-flowing, slow-building energy that's really wonderful – slower than modal jazz, but with a similar pulse – and topped with this searing, searching tenor and soprano sax from Birchall – plus some guest trumpet from Matthew Halsall, an equally great musician who shares the Gondwana label with Nat. Other players include Rachael Gladwin on kora and harp, Adam Fairhall on piano, Gaz Hughes on drums and gong, Gavin Barras on bass, and Chris Manis on percussion. Titles include "Open Up The Gates", "Guiding Spirit", "Becoming", "Going To The Mountain", and "Higher Regions".
External Reviews
www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=25971
bakedgoodsdistribution.blogspot.com/2009/06/in-conversation-with-nat-birchall.html
www.dancecrasher.co.uk/blog/2009/07/27/fire-on-the-wire
www.otwradio.blogspot.com/2009_07_01_archive.html
Akhenaten Reviews
THE INDEPENDENT
Reviewed by Phil Johnson
Sunday, 13 December 2009
4 STARS OUT OF 5
More spiritual jazz from Manchester.
Saxophonist Birchall, who guested on trumpeter Matthew Halsall’s recent Colour Yes for the same label, is strikingly impressive on his own, deeply Coltranefixated mini-album. Playing tenor throughout in a mid-to-late ’Tranequartet format, with Halsall adding trumpet on the title track, Birchall sounds amazingly soulful, each solo gathering intensity as it progresses. There’s an endearing lack of tricksiness, with everything serving the spacey aesthetic of the overall project
DUSTY GROOVE AMERICA
Mindblowing work from a tenorist we've never heard before -- a deeply spiritual player who comes off beautifully on this set of original compositions! Nat Birchall blows with a range of feeling that takes us back to the 70s best of Pharoah Sanders, Billy Harper, and Clifford Jordan -- and he puts his tunes together with a similar feel too -- letting them build organically, often with the group just finding the rhythm at the start -- then hitting a groove that lets Birchall's horn blossom wonderfully in sound -- reaching forth with rich tones that are simply wonderful -- over piano, bass, drums -- and some guest trumpet by Matthew Halsall on one track (by the way, check out Halsall's album on the same label -- it's another gem!) Titles include "Akhenaten", "Many Blessings", "Nica's Dance", and "A Prayer For". © 1996-2010, Dusty Groove America
MOJO - Disc of the day 16/07/09
An album so exceptional it fell down the cracks of the MOJO Filter.
Resisting the neat sub-categories devised by P.R.s, music journalists and fans is surely the goal of any right-thinking recording artist, yet sometimes it means that, despite the undoubted excellence of the music, you slip through the net designed specifically to get you noticed. So when a young hip Manchester indie label releases an album of expansive spiritual jazz from a flat-cap wearing, middle-aged saxophonist influenced by dub acoustics, Bob Dylan, Roland Alphonso and John Coltrane, and it's P.R.'d by a company best known for its work for dubstep/techno pioneer label Tectonic, is it any wonder that the spatial sunship beauty of Nat Birchall's Akhenaten might have so far passed some people by? Although Birchall has been a much sought-after musician on the jazz circuit for the past thirty years, a name in the hipster fleet of Gilles Peterson faithful, Akhenaten is only his second release, following a 1999 sextet debut with the Sixth Sense. This is clearly an artist who takes his time, and the mood of Akhenaten is fittingly expansive and dreamy. Album opener Nica's Dance taps into the languid, post Coltrane cosmic drift of Charles Lloyd and Pharoah Sanders, an Eastern peregrination that moves from balmy calm to reedy skreigh, suggesting a desert dream state buffeted by sirocco winds. Track two, A Prayer For..., continues the back-to-Africa mood, with Birchall's sax following Adam Fairhall's soft, rolling piano like Ricky Ford tracking Dollar Brand while on the title track (named after the Henotheistic 18th Dynasty Pharaoh) Birchall is joined by Mancunian trumpet whiz labelmate Matthew Halsall for ten minutes of lyrical heat haze hypnotism. This is a jazz that manages to be deep, intelligent and complex without ever once hitting you over the head with the difficult stick. If we manage to win back one more balmy summer's evening before the cold autumn comes then this is the record you should be expanding the collective consciousness of the neighbours with. Truly transcendental. Andrew Male
FLYGLOBAL MUSIC
Now I get sent a lot of music and to be honest I skip through most of it due to lack of time, passing quick judgement, isolating favourite tracks for various playlists and the radio but rarely listening to albums start to finish, let alone re-listening several times over the course of a week like I have done with this album.
The reason for that has something to do with the poor state of modern jazz, a shadow of it’s fomer self, which makes this album a real pleasant surprise but the real reason is this is a beautifully crafted 4 track spiritual jazz album of the highest order.
Kicking off with ‘Nica’s Dance’ it doesn’t take the band long to get into their stride, laying down a languid groove over which Birchall’s expansive playing is allowed to flourish and march off into territory once occupied by the Coltranes and Pharoah Saunders. Not that this is a cheap imitation. Yes the spirit of Saunders is there but the energy is coming from a clearly focussed Birchall as he sounds out his personal cosmic vision.
Birchall’s sensitive sax playing then gracefully pursues the gently floating, eastern tinged, keys of Adam Fairhall on the 10 minute long ‘A prayer for…’ which is an exercise in elegant restraint as the track slowly builds before dissipating once more into space and time.
The forthright bass of Gavin Barras heralds the start of the albums title track ‘Akhenaten’ which translates as ‘effective spirit of Aten’ (who was an ancient sun preaching pharaoh). The young trumpet player Mathew Halsall, responsible for the labels excellent debut album, dons his golden ceremonial headdress and enters the fray to join Birchall as both horns and Fairhalls keys politely take it in turns to sound the path to enlightenment.
North African desert, gently shifting sand dunes and Nat’s rich tones echo throughout this effortless sounding recording from a man on a cosmic musical vision with top quality musicians backing him all the way. The album is a treat start to finish and Birchall, along with that other modern UK sax virtuoso Finn Peters, is helping to keep the spiritual jazz flame alight, just when we need it the most.
Global SoulJah
Friday 24 July 2009
BASIC-SOUL.CO.UK
The saxophone is arguably the most seductive instrument there is. The level of tonality and harmonies that the elite musicians create can captivate you unlike any other instrument. It certainly helps when you’re creating spirited music like Nat Birchall is doing on his release “Akhenaten”. Nat has been around for many years, thirty to be exact yet this is his first release as a leader since 1999’s “The Sixth Sense”. He has kept busy by working in Matthew Halsall’s groups as well as Arun Ghosh’s jazz ensemble. That’s a shame because “Akhenaten” is a deep spiritual session that will endear itself to all lovers of post bop jazz. It’s clear that Nat has been inspired by the likes of John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders, his compositions feature a high degree of passion and sensuality and his solos can exceed long stretches. The disc starts out with “Mica’s Dance”, a haunting blues tune with a lovely melody and simple chords that the quartet elevates to greater heights. “A Prayer for…” speaks for itself, a moving gospel inspired tune that will send chills down your spine. “Many Blessings” is a beautiful ballad that finds Nat blowing passionately while pianist Adam Fairhall’s solos are majestic. What a wonderful record Nat has created here. With only four tracks listed here, let’s hope there’s another recording coming soon. For any jazz aficionado, this would be a welcome addition for your collection.
Reg Dancy, 11/09