{"id":5444,"date":"2023-05-13T13:56:42","date_gmt":"2023-05-13T13:56:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/?p=5444"},"modified":"2023-05-13T13:56:43","modified_gmt":"2023-05-13T13:56:43","slug":"album-review-happy-music-for-orchestra-alex-paxton-words-sammy-stein","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/2023\/05\/13\/album-review-happy-music-for-orchestra-alex-paxton-words-sammy-stein\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Review: &#8220;Happy Music For Orchestra&#8221; &#8211; Alex Paxton. Words: Sammy Stein"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Alex Paxton: Happy Music for Orchestra\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/3p0BY9Oo1rxrLXyzaKqRq9?si=wfhwKjDPRK25L7sL4HV8jQ&#038;utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>It is not often a musician or composer makes me sit up, listen and then listen again and again to the music, but Alex Paxton took me by surprise \u2013 I am almost ashamed to say I knew nothing of his music until now but I believe it should be shared.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>This album is like opening up a treasure box. Each track is revealed to the listener like a multi-layered treat \u2013 and there are many surprises. From the delightfully playful \u2018Love Kittens\u2019 with its beautiful orchestral arrangements conjuring up pictures of kittens jumping, leaping, waiting to pounce and then \u2018whaarp!\u2019 the trombone clearly indicates a pounce, to the third stream confection of \u2018Od ODy Pink\u2019d\u2019 where Alex achieves that almost perfect fusion between jazz and orchestral arrangements, the improvisational nature of the jazz being explored and presented in a deeply textured and annotated form, giving it depth, layers, and textures which a sensitive composer can find. The orchestral parts wrap around the soloist, embracing them like a supportive arm.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>This music is noisy, fulsome, and evocative with contrasts of blaring improvisation over arcing strings and melodic chordal progressions. In many places, the trumpet improvises as it sighs and warps solo across the top and the embouchure is changed to allow for some cheeky, tongued notes and peeps. This is like listening to evolving music with everything from wah-wahs to gentle melodic phrases and the arrangements are masterful.<\/p>\n<p>Within each track are stories that reveal themselves as you listen again and again. \u2018Strawberry\u2019 lifts the mind with its strange, contrapuntal rhythm and time pattern changes, and the counter-tenor vocal line that develops a slightly sinister atmosphere, while \u2018Water\u2019 is equally engaging with its rivers of percussive sounds which trickle independently yet create a wholeness that unites the individual lines in a watery world of sound. \u2018Strawberry\u2019 was inspired by the tapestries of Grayson Perry and certainly the work of the artist and orchestra feel as if they blend to create a cordial and mesmeric patchwork.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Then there is \u2018Sweet wishes\u2019 which is a light fanciful escapade of sonic adventure with a slight melancholy running underneath and finally, \u2018Bye\u2019 with its oddly juxtaposed vocal and multi-tonal effects and one trombone improvising alongside another playing the composition. The Wurlitzer adds a certain fairground tone. <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>This entire album is captivating and should come with a warning because once any improvised music lover presses \u2018play\u2019 they will find it difficult to prise themselves away. It is at once fun, eye-popping music, with arrangements that are clever, highly individual and, well, very very good.<\/p>\n<p>The tracks are inspired by people Paxton has discovered. An example is \u2018Sweet Wishes\u2019 which was inspired by Madge Gill who was a London East End resident committed to an orphanage in 1882 and transported to Canada when she was fourteen as part of a child labour scheme. Finding her spirit guide, Myrninerest, when she returned to London, Madge began drawing, writing, knitting, and weaving fanatically creating meticulous portraits of ladies in fine hats, set against backgrounds of intricate, cross-hatched geometries. Her tale is reflected in the music as melodies are generated from sonic doodling before becoming encrusted with layers of surface decoration and distortion.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Paxton has worked as a commercial orchestrator and while completing his master\u2019s in composition at the Royal College of Music he worked as a primary school music teacher. His experience working with children seems to come through in the music too. There is that quick-fire moment when something loud and often funny happens that gains the attention and then the development which comes through listening further. For children or adults, this is a terrific way to be introduced to jazz and classical music \u2013 and here they are together. That title \u2018 Happy Music For Orchestra\u2019 at first threw me as I did not know what it might mean, but after listening to this no other title could suffice. This is brilliant.<\/p>\n<p>Thirty musician, one gifted composer and arranger \u2013 jazz and classical \u2013 there is everything to love about this<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Musicians:<\/p>\n<p>Taylor MacLennan flute, piccolo, Lavinia Redman oboes, Zacharias Wolfe oboe, cor anglaise,Alex Roberts clarinets,Joy Boole clarinet, piano, Wurlitzer, Sine Wave Synthesiser, Izabela Musial bassoons, Lucy Smith horns, Gwen Owen Trumpets, Rike Huy trumpet, Alex Paxton trumpets, trombones, tuba , Beibei Wang percussion, Elizabeth Bass harp, Vickey Powell harp, Lasma Taimina violins I , Kalliopi Mitropoulou , violins II , Victoria Bernath violas, Clifton Harrison, Cecelia Wyld \u2018Cellos, Mike Newman \u2018cellos , Gwen Reed double basses, Patrick Terry countertenor, Matthew Herd alto saxophone , David Ingamells drums, David Zucchi soprano &amp; alto saxophones, kazoos , Lloyd Coleman Wurlitzer, melodica , Lloyd Coleman piano, Elischa Kaminer saw-wave synthesizer , David Ingamells drum,<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Emma Purslow violas<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Alex Paxton, composer, mixer, arranger, everything else.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Buy here: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prestomusic.com\/classical\/products\/9464926--happy-music-for-orchestra\">Happy Music For Orchestra &#8211; Delphian: DCD34290 &#8211; CD or download | Presto Music<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/happy-1024x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5445\" srcset=\"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/happy-1024x1024.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/happy-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/happy-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/happy-768x768.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/happy-1536x1536.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/happy-435x435.jpeg 435w, https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/happy-60x60.jpeg 60w, https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/happy.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It is not often a musician or composer makes me sit up, listen and then listen again and again to the music, but Alex Paxton took me by surprise \u2013 I am almost ashamed to say I knew nothing of his music until now but I believe it should be shared.\u00a0 This album is like &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5445,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[229,139,30,140,227],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5444","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-composer","category-jazz","category-music","category-review","category-sammy-stein"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5444","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5444"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5444\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5446,"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5444\/revisions\/5446"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5445"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}