Courtney Pine - Transition In Tradition [CD]

Courtney Pine, who was awarded a C.B.E for services to music in the 2009 New Year Honours, is back with his eagerly anticipated 12th studio album and his debut release on his own label, Destin-e World Records. <p>The legendary New Orleans saxophonist Sidney Bechet first inspired Courtney back in the early 1980's when he heard the maestro's recording of the standard 'Summertime'. Further research revealed that sometime in the 1920's Bechet travelled to the UK and found a silver soprano saxophone in a London store. Sidney bought the horn and the rest is history. By reflecting on the tremendous legacy left by this inspirational virtuoso, Courtney Pine's 'Tradition in Transition' demonstrates that the legacy of jazz is an on-going and ever developing art.</p> <p>Pine's bass clarinet takes centre stage on many occasions, alongside harmonium, castanets and Mandolin and the resulting sound is like no other Courtney Pine record. "Of course I pay respect to the great Bechet by playing a silver soprano saxophone like his, but there are other flavours like my alto flute playing on "The Tale Of Joe Harriott" and of course that Caribbean groove".</p> <p>It's that very groove that gives this album another of its unique elements, as forays into New Orleans 2nd line beats merge into an old school swing beat, a medium tempo swing smoothly flows into a reggae one drop beat. There is a feeling of continuing movement as each track passes from one place to another. "I want to show in these compositions how our journey as a culture is constantly in transition, things change in one tune musically just as we do in real life. You can hear this movement especially in Creole Swing or the blazing opener "Haiti".</p> <p>Personnel: Courtney Pine (soprano saxophone, bass clarinet, alto flute), Cameron Pierre (acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin), Omar Puente (4 & 5 string electric violin), Alex Wilson (acoustic piano, electric organ, harmonium), Darren Taylor (double bass), Robert Fordjour (drums, percussion)</p> <p>Plus Guests: Stefon Harris (vibraphone, marimba), Jay Phelps (trumpet, flugelhorn), Nathaniel Facey (alto saxophone), Harry Brown (trombone), Paul Shanti Jayansinha (flugelhorn)</p>