Album Reviews

A few years ago, Ethiopian jazz musician Mulatu had a niche following of dusty-fingered beat diggers. Last year's collaboration with the Heliocentrics, however, exposed the 67-year-old's music to a wider audience. This latest artist album continues the fusion of Ethiopian music with western jazz, with the Heliocentrics making a guest appearance. Each track has a distinctive narrative, ranging from reflections on travel to the social climate in Ethiopia, and, as a whole, they hang well together making this an enjoyably cohesive listen. SM

Paul Motian: Lost in a Dream (ECM) (12.99)

The master percussionist may be approaching 79, but he's lost none of his adventurousness, as demonstrated by this excellent live session in which he's joined by two familiar collaborators, saxophonist Chris Potter and pianist Jason Moran. The trio enjoy a particularly close rapport, all three suggesting new areas for exploration on a programme of Motian originals and one standard. This is jazz of an exceptionally high order, the improvisations sharp and adventurous, the dynamics moving from whisper-soft to raucous. AV

Harry Edison: Sweets (Poll Winners Records) (9.99)

This long out-of-print gem from 1957 is manna from mainstream heaven. It finds the great trumpeter, Edison, in company with an old pal, the peerless tenorman Ben Webster, swinging through a programme of standards and originals. Aided and abetted by pianist Jimmy Rowles on his best quirky form, Edison's playing is delightful, and Webster is simply magisterial. This re-release adds a second album to the original programme, a session in which Edison and Webster join forces with vibes player Red Norvo. A treat. AV

Warren: Orchestral works (Dutton Epoch CDLX 7235) (9.99)

Married to a successful film producer, the gorgeous young Elinor Remick Warren combined a life as part of the wealthy social scene in Los Angeles, with a career as a highly productive composer. Forget the uneventful one-movement symphony and enjoy the delights of The Crystal Lake, The Fountain, and sound pictures in the Suite for Orchestra, for this is easy listening orchestrated with a rare talent for clothing attractive melodies. Thirteen tracks played with obvious pleasure by the Royal Scottish National. DD

Bednall: Requiem/Choral Works (Regent REGCD 327) (12.99)

Mixing imagination with musical traditions, David Bednall's recently completed and extensive Requiem is one of the most enjoyable British choral works to have emerged for decades. Avoiding modern atonality, it is a score that challenges singers and fascinates the ear. The accompaniment for viola and organ is so skilfully deployed you feel it is a chamber orchestra. The girls from the Wiltshire school of St Mary's, Calne, are superb by any standard and Bednall's organ playing is thrilling. DD