Le musiche di Mike Westbrook interpretate da uno dei suoi più validi e fedeli collaboratori, partner in numerosissime occasioni in studio e in concerto nell'arco di oltre quarant'anni, il sassofonista e clarinettista Chris Biscoe: l'album si intitola Music Is ed esce ufficialmente oggi per Trio Records, otto brani tutti piuttosto noti arrangiati per quintetto, con Dave Whitford, Jon Scott, Mike Outram e Kate Williams. Su Bandcamp c'è anche un brano aggiuntivo, una seconda lettura di Wasteground And Weeds.
Mike Westbrook is one of the most important composers in jazz with a huge body of work from small band jazz through big bands, cabaret, fusion, chamber works, opera, settings of poetry, creative re-workings of Rossini and The Beatles’ Abbey Road, while always retaining his unique character.Chris Biscoe has worked with Mike and Kate Westbrook since 1979, from Mama Chicago and The Cortege through On Duke’s Birthday, London Bridge is Broken Down, Bar Utopia, Art Wolf and many other shows. Their closest and most enduring collaboration is The Trio, which has toured extensively and produced four records.
The idea behind Music Is is a simple one: take some of these great pieces out of their context and play them with a small jazz group as you might an Ellington, Monk or Gershwin song. Arrangements are simple, or even created in the studio in partnership with input from the members of the quintet. The title track, Music Is, appears twice, in its original ballad tempo, and in a spontaneous trio recasting as a medium tempo waltz. There are also two unaccompanied sax tracks, one of them a multitrack improvisation for alto sax, alto clarinets and field recording of street sounds.