Squall (self-titled)
(Rufus Records/Universal)

Rating: ****

Much of Squall’s French Horn led music is out-of-tempo ambient, incorporating unorthodox use of instruments and effects: Free Suite comprises five short parts of spontaneous improvisation producing multi-textured auras. Several of these Sydney players, notably Paul Cutlan (reeds) and pianist Alister Spence, also play in the Australian Arts Orchestra, and some pieces evoke the AAO’s style scaled down to sextet size. Fifteen of the sixteen tracks are originals, mostly by leader Stephen Morley, and the moods are strongly atmospheric, portraying feelings, actions, or planetary aspects such as Dawn shimmering in brass and bowed bass sounds or the prepared piano and declamatory horn in the gathering darkness of Dusk. Other pieces are strongly rhythmic and melodic: Weave with a growing insistent groove under a mid Eastern line, and Metric Sheds where trumpet, alto, and horn pass a syncopated theme between them. Squall has the French Horn at the very bottom ‘snuffling away with the bass clarinet’ while drummer Toby Hall lashes about in a truly squalling tempestuousness. – John McBeath

The above review first appeared in The Weekend Australian and is published here with the permission of the writer.

Squall
(Rufus Records/Universal)

The jazz French horn player is a rare beast. A brief survey of my CD collection turns up a few in various Gil Evans ensembles; a Hank Mobley album called A Slice of the Top, which I thought had a French horn on it, but it turns out to be a euphonium and a tuba; and there’s a guy on a couple of Henry Threadgill discs that I’ve got but I can’t find them (yes, it is time to declare martial law and impose order on my CDs).

Whatever may be the reason for this rarity – whether the dictates of fashion, the difficulty of the instrument, or just that a French horn costs a lot – I believe it works in Stephen Morley’s favour. He and his band, Squall, have released a self-titled album of music that avoids cliché. Perhaps because there have been no strong instrumental leaders on the jazz French horn, that dominant, guiding authority is not present. In this case, the music benefits from its absence. Each of the musicians – Morley on the French horn, Warwick Alder (trumpet), Paul Cutlan (reeds), Alister Spence (piano), Steve Elphick (bass), Toby Hall (drums) – finds new paths through the parts they play. The music, from the ensemble playing to the solo improvisation, sounds fresh because of this cliché free approach.

Some of the tunes are composed and some are free improvistions, though all seem to have some form of intent behind them that makes the entire recording very cohesive. The opening track, Dawn, for example, sounds improvised but paints a clear picture of the sun rising. It starts off very quiet and sparse, a few knocks on the bass leading to bowing, random drum rattles, a few sqeaks from bass clarinet and then some long ray-like tones on the French horn. Dawn is evoked and the track ends. It makes the ethos clear from the start: this album is about group creation. With each track the music achieves its goals through group interaction. A very similar musical effect is created by the title track, Squall. It’s an exploration of the lower registers of the French horn and the bass clarinet that does present the impression of a squall, even though it doesn’t sound like one. Again, the music is improvised but it is clear there is a cohesive intent behind it.

The emphasis on the collective is also evident on the composed tracks such as Weave and Spence’s Metric Sheds. The latter has a Monk-style head followed by a beautifully spaced group improvisation section that becomes syncopated enough to be described as “funky”. The former, “Weave”, features a flowing melody that weaves in and out of a repeated bass statement. It’s based on a mode which the liner notes describe as having an “eastern flavour”. Maybe they’re not the right words any more (east of the east coast of Australia: New Zealand? Sounds more of a Persian thing to me), but the group interaction is again given the fore. Of special note here is the dynamic between Hall’s drums and Elphick’s bass. They are perfect for the tune and make the music float along, as though drifting skywards on a magic carpet (there you go: Persian). The sound of the drums adds to this feeling. The kit sounds crisp and present but has a sense of space about it. Presumably, the credit for this should fall somewhere between the engineer, Yossi Gabbay, and the drumkit.

The final thing to comment on is the French horn playing itself. The instrument sounds beautiful in ensemble parts. It gives the group sound tremendous texture and depth. Listen to Run Slowly: a simple melodic statement, filled out perfectly by the presence of the instrument itself, transforms into a Morley solo – simple, direct and thoughtful. For me, the highlight of the album. – Greg Levine.

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Hash Varsani is the owner of The Jazz Directory, a network of sites related to jazz, travel and everything else he loves. He also runs a selection of jazz related sites including Jazz Club Jury, a jazz club and festival review site. Check out his Google+ Profile, to see what else he's up to...probably setting up another website from one of his many passions.

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