[Some computers might ask you to allow the music to play on this page]
Jazz As ArtHenry Spencer and Juncture Hopeless Heartless |
When you listen to music, you sometimes conjure images in your mind. Our Jazz As Art series invites you to listen to a piece of jazz and as it plays, scroll down the page and see which of the pieces of art I have chosen comes closest to the pictures in your mind. Hopefully, this will introduce you to recordings and art works you might not have spent time with before.
Henry Spencer and his band Juncture released their debut album The Reasons Don't Change on the Whirlwind label in January 2017. You can read our album review here. The tunes and arrangements had been carefully crafted over time - you can see some earlier live performances on YouTube. The album received excellent reviews. Allaboutjazz called it: "A truly gorgeous record and early contender for Album of the Year." As it was released in January 2017, it is worth remembering that it will qualify for nominations for awards in the coming year, 2018.
The band are: Henry Spencer (trumpet, flugelhorn), Nick Costley-White (guitar), Matt Robinson (piano, Rhodes, Wurlitzer, melotron), Andrew Robb (bass), David Ingamells (drums), the Guastalla Quartet - John Garner, Marie Shreer (violins), Agata Darashkaite (viola), Sergio Serra (cello) are also present on this track.
Henry does not describe the personal inspiration for the tunes he has written for the album, saying that he prefers the listener to arrive at their own interpretation. The title of this beautiful tune, Hopeless Heartless, might lead you to select particular paintings from the art works below, but ignoring the title, the music could just as easily suggest a relaxed, peaceful setting. So with the John Henry Yeend King painting for example, is the woman on her way to milking or is she waiting for someone who might or might not come? Play the track, spend time with the nine paintings and see what you think.
Myles Birket Foster
Sam Francis
Pablo Picasso
Arthur Rackham
Eduard von Gebhardt
John Henry Yeend King
Alfred Parsons
Frank Bramley
Victor Bauer
Other pages you might find of interest :
More Jazz As Art |
Click HERE to join our mailing list
© Sandy Brown Jazz 2018