(Free Jazz, Free Improvisation) The Number (Gary Curson, Keith Tippett, John Edwards, Mark Sanders) - The Making Of Quiet Things - 2005, MP3 (tracks), VBR 151-205 kbps

SLAMCD 269 The making of quiet things
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The Number
Gary Curson, alto saxophone;
Keith Tippett, piano;
John Edwards, bass;
Mark Sanders, drums.
Album-title notwithstanding, this is magnificent, incandescent, full on free Improv with a strong melodic element, led by Gary Curson
(alto-sax), with Keith Tippett (piano), John Edwards (bass) and Mark Sanders (drums). Two members of Dreamtime - Curson and Tippett - meet
two-thirds of Evan Parker's regular group. Curson, born 1948, worked with Edwards before in Louis Moholo groups, and his playing has a
visceral rawness and urgency - this is someone who should be better-known. Compared to the Dreamtime releases on the same label,
fine though they are, this rhythm team produce a torrential effect, with tumultuous playing from Tippett. Two duets break up the ensembles
with quieter playing, and the piano-bass segment features preparations and small instruments. Producer Justin Paterson is sampling the
recording to create new compositions, so the musicians were isolated to get acoustic separation, listening over headphones without visual
cues. This makes their achievement all the more remarkable.'
Andy Hamilton, WIRE, March 2007