Just wanted to share and say thank you for a couple of nice reviews from our album launch last week. It was an incredible night for us – to be able to launch our album to an audience of so many friends, family and music lovers alongside beautiful readings from Hanan al-Shaykh and Joe Dunthorne. Incredible…

Here’s what Rob Edgar from London Jazz had to say:

What Do You See When You Close Your Eyes is the new album by the Moss Project on the Babel label. Launched at the Vortex on 6th March, it’s a little unusual in that it features creative responses to the music from writers and poets, two of whom were there for live recitals of their work (Joe Dunthorne, and Hanan al-Shaykh).

If Moss’s Let Spin project brought to mind garage band alternative rock blended with intelligent jazz craftsmanship, this outing takes more of a lilting, folksy approach whilst retaining the psychedelic atmosphere that makes up much of Freed’s music. which also has a narrative quality.

The music, for the most part, had an impressionistic texture with melodies floating around the canvas of Freed’s compositions, interlocking gently before breaking apart again with Freed’s electric guitar often set on a crunchy distorted tone and vocalist/violinist Alice Zawadzki’s voice floating over the top as she harmonised her vocal lines on violin.

That’s not to say that the music was all wispy and delicate, Ruth Goller’s bass guitar was compelling and grooving making for some exciting interplay with saxophonist Kenji Fenton, and drummer Marek Dorcik could propel the music forward or add just the right touch to the lighter moments.

The part that really seemed to pique the audience attention was The Angel when Beirut-born author Hanan al-Shaykh read her story about a dinner party, a heroin addict and an “angel”. The music she had been inspired by was calm, airy and balmy and had the audience in complete silence throughout.

There was so much to explore and take in during the course of the night that it begs repeated listening. I very much look forward to getting my hands on a copy of the album.

And Jeanette Howlett from Radio Starlion wrote:

A scroll through my earlier reviews will confirm that I have now seen Moss Freed play with a variety of musicians several times since first seeing him perform in a local cafe/music bar in 2009.  I could cheerfully have believed at that point that he was Brazilian by association, as he was one-third of a Brazilian trio!  After seeing him at several very different gigs within the following three months, it was clear that this was simply an indication of his enthusiastic and diligent nature and, most of all, his versatility as a musician.

The Moss Project is his ‘home base’ as it were, and they seem to be going from strength to strength, with many tours in the UK, Europe and beyond under their belts and, 4 years after their superb and acclaimed debut album, ‘Vision’, this gig marked the launch of their eagerly awaited 2nd album. It was clear that the audience was indeed witnessing something very special.  I feel so privileged and so moved to have been there, and so happy to have had the chance to introduce a dear friend to this wonderful music.

‘What Do You See When You Close Your Eyes?’ is an ambitious and unusual creative venture, described by their record company, Babel, as ‘a unique and compelling marriage of music and literature’.  They also promise that the CD package (which I have pre-ordered and am looking forward to receiving in the post soon!) will include a  ’beautifully packaged book of short stories’. and I have every reason to believe them!

I understand that several well respected and fully accomplished writers, including ‘Submarine’ author Joe Dunthorne, have produced accompanying poetry and short stories inspired by the tracks. At the album launch some of those writers (including Joe Dunthorne and Hanan Al-Shaykh) introduced the appropriate piece of music with their readings.  Hanan’s for ‘Angel’, describing the plight of an anguished mother soothed and aided by a remarkable individual, was particularly harrowing and evocative.

I had heard some of these tracks before but not in their full context and it made for an especially enriching experience.

First up was ‘The Bubble’, which remains my favourite track, preceded by a reading of the imaginative accompanying piece of writing by Naomi Alderman.  Like the other readings, it brought colour and depth of meaning to the music.  I enjoyed every moment of the set which also included the intriguingly entitled ‘Freud & Jung Ride The Tunnel Of Love’, ‘Lose Ourselves’ and my first hearing of the title track in which I felt that Alice’s uncharacteristically low but consistently expressive vocals and tight intertwining rhythms drew the listener into something quite intense but at the same time strangely uplifting somehow, linking all the themes of the album.  I felt I’d arrived at the ultimate destination of an adventurous and inspiring journey.  This has been further extended by my having now heard the album in full, thanks to a download from the Babel Label website.

I really do feel that there is something for every music lover in this album, transcending genres into nothing less than a timeless piece of art, with the writing and artwork taking it across to seemingly limitless dimensions.

What Do You See When You Close Your Eyes?

MOSS PROJECT

Album Launch: Wednesday, 6 March, Vortex

MOSS FREED talks about the inspiration behind his new album, a unique collaboration between music and words…

I was driving to a family Christmas gathering. It was one of those crisp, dark winter nights and I was listening to the new masters from the recent recording session, trying to come up with an album title. I’d spent the best part of a year composing music for the new Moss Project album, exploring a variety of influences and trying to exploit the distinctive talents of the musicians playing in the band: Alice Zawadzki’s awe-inspiring combination of vocals and violin; the blend of tight grooves, heavy riffs and expansive free playing made possible by a Marek Dorcik and Ruth Goller rhythm section. I also wanted to make room for the audacious talent of Shabaka Hutchings on bass clarinet and sax.

Instead of coming up with album titles, however, I found myself imagining scenarios, people, places and interactions. Streetlamp-lit brawls played out in my head one minute, a woman mourned her lost love the next, and as the music went on it became apparent that there was a cinematic thread running through the album – each track was a self-contained short story.

Very quickly this idea developed. Wouldn’t it be a fascinating and exciting artistic exercise to ask authors to write actual stories based on the individual tracks? I was curious to see if there was a difference between my thoughts and feelings when composing and those conjured in the listener.

I can think of many composers who have been inspired by stories, poems and plays. Prokofiev, Verdi and Wagner spring to mind, and Duke Ellington’s Such Sweet Thunder (an album I grew up listening to) is part of a sizeable repertory based on Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets. Then there’s Led Zeppelin and Radiohead, two profoundly influential bands whose music contains references to Tolkien and Orwell. But I struggled to think of any literature that was based on specific musical works.

So I started trying to find authors who might like to get involved. Luckily those I contacted were interested in the idea and keen to write something. I was moved and surprised by the results; not only by the breadth and scope of the authors’ imaginations and how different they could be to my own, but also by how well the words partnered the music.

I feel hugely honoured that such distinguished writers were able to contribute their talents to the project. They are: National Book Award-winning author of Let the Great World Spin, Colum McCann; Joe Dunthorne, author of Submarine, recently adapted into a film; Naomi Alderman, winner of the Orange Prize for Young Writers; one of the most influential Arab writers in the world, Hanan al-Shaykh; bestselling historical fiction writer, Lawrence Norfolk; and Time Out’s Rising Star James Miller.

What Do You See When You Close Your Eyes? has been two years in the making and I’m hugely excited to be celebrating its imminent release at the launch party on Wednesday. Come along if you can! It will be a feast of words and music, with readings from three of the authors, and a hearty serving of good times.

I am truly ecstatic to announce the launch of the new album from the Moss Project. It’s called What Do You See When You Close Your Eyes? and will come out on the Babel Label on April 22nd 2013. But April is a long way off and we desperately need to celebrate so have decided to host a launch party gig on MARCH 6th at the Vortex! Tickets are selling fast already so booking is highly recommended and you get sort yourselves out by clicking here. This is also a way to appease the baying crowds and give them an opportunity to get hold of a copy before the official release date!

As I may have mentioned once or twice, this album is very special in that it is a collaboration with six incredible authors who have written stories based on the individual tracks. We are delighted that three of these esteemed wordsmiths will be joining us at the party to read their stories for you. They are the wonderful Hanan al-Shaykh, James Miller and Joe Dunthorne.

There may even be some other sorts of multimedia shenanigans.

It would be truly awesome if you and everyone you know could come and help us CELEBRATE!!

London Jazz Festival 2012. Part One; 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th November 2012.

Ian Mann enjoys the first four days of a week of excellent music at the 2012 London Jazz Festival.

LET SPIN/ALICE ZAWADZKI BAND @ GREEN NOTE 15/11/12

Formed only in June 2012 Let Spin is a new band with members drawn from some of the UK’s premier “punk jazz” outfits of recent years. Thus Led Bib’s Chris Williams on alto sax joins forces with Acoustic Ladyland’s Ruth Goller on electric bass, Moss Freed (of Moss Project) on guitar and, fulfilling the Manchester connection, Fin Panter of Beats & Pieces Big Band at the drums.

For me their performance represented the first of three forays into the skronky, rocky, punky side of the jazz spectrum (more on the others later). However despite their pedigrees Let Spin’s music offered an admirable degree of subtlety alongside the bluster. All four members of the band write and the band came across as a democratic, highly interactive unit with no one member overly dominating. Freed appeared to be the de facto leader but only in as much as he handled the announcements.

Panter’s “Awowawa” got things off to an energetic start with the blend of alto and guitar skronk driven by the powerful rhythms of Goller and Panter with Williams eventually cutting loose with a blistering solo. I always find something viscerally thrilling about somebody blasting away on essentially electric saxophone, I reckon it’s something that goes back to my prog rock days and David Jackson of Van Der Graaf and Andy MacKay in early Roxy.

The band often began things quietly before gradually ramping up the volume and the tension. Fluid solo bass opened Freed’s “A Change Is Coming”  before Williams long sax melody lines and Freed’s “Echoes” like guitar (another Floyd reference) invested the tune with a drifting, spacey quality. Eventually Freed began to stoke the fires with a guitar solo that moved up through the gears via vaguely Indian tunings and later an unabashed rock influence as he coalesced with Williams to bring a Led Bib like intensity and urgency to the proceedings.

Williams returned to the repertoire of his parent group with his tune “Shapes And Sizes”, a piece recorded on the most recent Led Bib album “Bring Your Own”. Here a solo sax intro and Freed’s wah wah guitar gave the piece an impressionistic quality that built steadily to embrace rock fury and sonic overload.

Goller’s “Castle Sea Ferry” was a set highlight with its whimsical almost folky theme with Williams playing right at the top of his alto’s range, providing the jumping off point for a series of improvisations centred around Goller’s chordal bass guitar playing.

The next piece was unannounced but followed the familiar pattern of a quiet intro that later exploded into killer riffage with both Freed and Williams delivering powerful and mesmerising solos. Freed’s set up included a variety of foot pedals and he utilised his various effects with skill and conviction.

Goller’s “The Piper” was the most purely atmospheric piece of the set, another example of the growing maturity of her writing with Williams and Freed the featured soloists.

The set closed with Williams’ appositely titled “Up And At Them” which took it’s cue from Goller’s grinding bass riff and included searing rock influenced solos for saxophone and guitar on a piece that was reminiscent of Goller’s old group Acoustic Ladyland. The audience absolutely loved this and hollered for an encore with an animated Alice Zawadzki leading the cheering.

The encore proved to be Panter’s “102 Hill Street”, another piece packing a mighty bass and drum groove and with final blistering solos from Freed and Williams. The audience was packed with musos, most of Beats ‘n’ Pieces (including leader Ben Cottrell)  were there to support both Panter and Zawadzki who has strong links to the band and the Efpi record label.

Let Spin are also due to release an album next year. On this evidence this is another recording that is going to make a considerable impact. In its short existence this is a band that has taken on a strong group identity and although its members are all involved in other projects I expect to hear a lot more from Let Spin.

Thanks to Chris Williams for a long and illuminating chat afterwards. Apparently Led Bib drummer and leader Mark Holub has moved to Vienna and there will thus be a temporary hiatus for Led Bib although a new album is mooted for 2014. In the meantime Williams is likely to concentrate on his work with Let Spin and with pianist Laura Cole’s group Metamorphic who will be releasing their second album in 2013.
Thanks also to Moss Freed for getting in touch post gig and making friends on Facebook and all that stuff.It turns out that he’s originally from Manchester.

An excellent evening of music then from two bands to really look out for next year. This proved to be one of the festival’s unexpected highlights.

As I intimated earlier I was also highly impressed with The Green Note. The venue hosts events most nights of the week including jazz, blues, folk, world and regular poetry slams. The folk programme is particularly strong with some major names playing the venue. Check out http://www.greennote.co.uk for listings.

Posted online by The Jazz Mann on 20/11/12

And 2013 is looking pretty exciting too. It will see the release of both these albums (with Babel and Efpi respectively), the 2nd Coventry Calling and I’ll be doing more recordings with the likes of songstress Kimberley Anne and the Spike Orchestra in the next few weeks. I’m looking forward to planning some good tours around the UK and Germany and perhaps further afield. And the engagement will become a wedding! I’m excited about writing more music and forming new musical bonds. I feel a burst of creativity coming on…

It seems fitting to mention some awesome things I saw and heard in 2012:

Favourite gigs of 2012 in no particular order:

Lionel Loueke (Vortex); Chick Corea/Brian Blade/Christian McBride (Barbican); Lighthouse Trio (Forge); Jeff Williams (Green Note); Sons of Khemet (Vortex); Paco de Lucia (RFH); Paul Simon (Hyde Park); Eska (Purcell Room); Johnny Greenwood/Penderecki (Barbican), Ma (Amersham).

Favourite releases of 2012:

Troyka – Moxxy; Silence Blossoms - Live in Sweden; Bad Plus – Made Possible; Lionel Loueke – Heritage; Snarky Puppy – Ground Up; Beats & Pieces – Big Ideas.

Other things I discovered in 2012:

tUnE-yArDs, Rajastan, Deerhoof, cooking, Paperless Post, Dubai, Newcastle Lit & Phil, Suffolk, the joys of vinyl, a recording of Ella at Ronnie’s in 1974, the National Portrait Gallery, Lawrence Norfolk, the Electro-Harmonix Freeze pedal, Moments Musicaux by Rachmaninov. Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann, Flashback Records in Crouch End, David Hockney, Finn Peters, the myth of Bielefeld, Mark Guiliana.

I may add to these lists when I remember things…

I’m excited about 2013 – Happy New Year to you and let’s all have a great time!

Moss

Amazing news – Over the summer I got in the studio with Chris Williams, Ruth Goller and Fin Panter to record the debut album from Let Spin. We went to a fantastic old farm outhouse called East Wickham Farm in South London, which had a great live sound. The engineer was a rather nice and extremely talented man called Joel and we’re all super pleased with the rough mixes. It was all recorded in the old school way – all live and no overdubs. But the main thing was that we got to take some photographs on the roof. Watch this space for release details!

Lex’s father lives on an amazing ranch in rural Connecticut and the idea of putting on a music event had been in discussion for several years. We decided over dinner and a few glasses of wine that this year was the year and we would make it happen!

It was all rather last minute but somehow we managed to book 9 amazing acts from CT and MA to come and play and had punters from across the northeast. There was live music for around 11 hours and a beautiful jam session at the end of the night, amazing food and drink for the 150 or so listeners, camping and even portaloos… But the greatest achievement I think was to raise over $1000 for the Willpower Foundation who do an incredible job of helping families with children with special needs via a raffle organised by speech therapist Nerissa Hall.

A big thank you in particular to Dot Nielsen at Gramma’s Attic who manages several of the bands that played and who had us down for an interview on WCNI radio, which was really fun, if a little early…

The bands we had were Pocket Vinyl, 3D Cosby, The Doctors Fox, Hannah Fair, Vince Tuckwood, Curtis Brand, Brian Dolzani, Harper & Owens and Prester John. Thanks to all of them and to everyone who made it possible. The plan is to expand and make this an annual event so I’ll keep you posted for next year!