 | GRAHAM COLLIER ~ ADAM`S MARBLE JAZZIS 1025 ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 1995 Released: 1995
I’ve met Graham CollierFind albums by this artist in the late 1960s in London and I’ve been a devoted follower of his amazing music ever since. In 1986 I organized an Israeli tour for Graham and his group, travelling with them around the country. Graham surprised me with an unusual gift, by writing a jazz suite called “Adam’s Marble”, which was dedicated to me. The “Marble” part (if anybody’s wondering) refers to the task of dedicating one’s life to music, which can be as difficult as chiseling a statue out of a piece of marble, and as glorious. Ever since I started my JazzisFind albums on this label Records label in 1987 I dreamt about recording “Adam’s Marble”, which remained unrecorded for several years. Finally in 1995 I managed to organize another tour for Graham, this time heading a delegation of his students from London, which was combined with a group of Israeli music students. These 15 young and extremely talented musicians rehearsed the difficult music Graham composed in record time and I recorded the Big Band with Graham conducting. For the recording I also invited my all-time favorite Israeli musician and friend Harold RubinFind albums by this artist, to serve as the guest soloist. The resulting album is truly amazing. Graham’s compositions, brilliant as always, combined with the youthful spirit of the musicians, worked wonders. Every time I listen to the album I just can’t help myself feeling really proud of being able to add this gem to Graham’s recorded legacy. Here is what Graham has to say about the music: “Adam´s Marble” was especially composed for a tour of Israel in 1986 by my own small group. The composition is dedicated to Adam Baruch, promoter of the 1986 tour, and now owner of Jazzis Records, an important record label on the Israeli jazz scene. The piece was a difficult one to develop and its title grew out of a statement by Michelangelo: “There is nothing in the mind of the artist, which is not already contained in the piece of stone before him. All that he has to do is to get rid of the superfluous.” The composition has been expanded for this project to feature a larger group of 15 musicians. “Bright As Silver” (for Don & John) has been especially composed to accompany “Adam´s Marble” for the concerts and recording. Although it was written as a dedication to two close friends of mine, whose long illnesses accompanied the writing and who passed away the day after the piece was finished, the composition is not meant to be morbid. Its title, a phrase about the sun, is meant to link my friends, who both lived in the Mediterranean, with this project in Israel. The phrase sums up the spirit of both men and that of the musicians involved here. “Aberdeen Angus” was originally written in 1967 and recorded on “Down Another Road” LP. Its revival for this project has acted as a welcome reminder that there was an inherent openness in such pieces, a precursor of the style that now dominates my writing.
The Musicians: The musicians are all studying at either the Royal Academy of Music in London, England, or the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music in Ramat HaSharon, near Tel-Aviv, Israel. They should be considered as young professionals, some on the threshold of their careers, some already in the process of getting established in their respective countries. I hope that this project will start them on the road to international recognition.
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