John Surman

Inspired in part by tunes posted by molo on gunter likes french fries...

John Surman is often thought of as a "superstar" of contemporary European jazz, and is notable as one of the few musicians to choose bass clarinet and baritone saxophone as his primary weapons. (Surman is also frequently heard on soprano saxophone, but the classic image of Surman is his gruff bearded frame bent over one of his larger, less wieldy horns.)

Born in Tavistock in Devon in 1944, Surman has made a career of reflecting his English heritage through the prism of jazz and improvised music - a theme that started with his work in the Mike Westbrook Concert Band in the 1960s, and continued on albums such as Westering Home (Future Music Records FMRCD 16) and The Amazing Adventures of Simon Simon (ECM 1193).

Two contrasting selections today: Alignment is a solo improvisation recorded in Oslo in September 1991. No Twilight features Surman with John Taylor on organ and the Salisbury Festival Chorus, and was recorded live at Salisbury Cathedral in June 1996. The text is a reference to the Old Testament book of Job.

John Surman - Alignment
From In the Evenings Out There: ECM 1488 [Buy]

John Surman - No Twilight
From Proverbs and Songs: ECM 1639 [Buy]

Let the stars of the twilight be dark
Let it look for light but find none
Neither let it see the eyelids of the morning
(The Book of Job, Chapter 3)