Expatriate Israeli saxophonist Gilad Atzmon has cut a distinctive figure on the UK music scene over the course of the last decade. Nominally a jazz player his records have also contained strong elements of his Middle Eastern routes and his incendiary live performances and radical politics have made him impossible to ignore. Add to this his rock’n'roll life as a one time member of the Blockheads plus his work as a sideman and producer for numerous other artists and you have one busy guy. He’s even written a couple of novels too. Atzmon is a hell of a talent.

His own records have sometimes been uneven and there has been an air of “every thing but the kitchen sink” about some of them, but one things for sure, a Gilad Atzmon record is always going to have something interesting to say. For jazz listeners his 2008 release “Refuge” was probably his most consistent offering to date. It marked Atzmon’s first experiments with electronics and the results blended in superbly with the rest of the music. 

“In Loving Memory of America” marks another departure as Atzmon and his band play with a string quartet for the first time. The record is inspired by the vintage “Charlie Parker with Strings” recordings which turned Atzmon on to jazz in the first place. In this sense the album is a tribute to Parker and the other bebop heroes but the title is a double edged sword. It refers to how the young Atzmon fell in love with America and it’s music but inherent in the title is his disillusionment with current US foreign policy, particularly with regard to the Palestinian issue.

“In loving Memory..” finds Atzmon working with his regular band the Orient House Ensemble. Fellow Israeli emigres Yaron Stavi (bass) and Asaf Sirkis (drums) are joined by England’s own Frank Harrison on piano and keyboards. They are augmented by the Sigamos String Quartet (Ros Stephen and Emil Chakalov-violins, Rachel Robson-viola and Daisy Vatalaro-cello) on nine of the eleven tracks. The string arrangements are either by Stephen or by Jonathan Taylor, both of whom worked with Atzmon in the group Tango Siempre. 

The programme consists of five standards associated with Parker plus six Atzmon originals, including three previously recorded compositions re-arranged specifically for this project. Much of the time Atzmon plays things relatively straight. His obvious love for his source material is demonstrated by the opening “Everything Happens To Me” where his gorgeous alto playing is cushioned by Stephen’s superlative string arrangement. It’s beautifully recorded too, Atzmon has rarely sounded so good.

“If I Should Lose You” adds more modern elements to the performance such as a touch of dissonance in the string arrangements and Sirkis’ consciously militaristic drumming. It retains the essence of Parker but in an inescapably contemporary setting. 

Atzmon’s own “MusiK”, the title track of his 2005 album is reprised beautifully here, the composer’s brooding clarinet backed by the Sigamos’ haunting strings. Harrison’s lyrical piano also features memorably as the Orient House Ensemble begin to make their mark on the album.

“What Is This Thing Called Love” is also given a highly effective contemporary makeover with Sirkis’ shuffling drum groove and Harrison’s trilling electric piano juxtaposed against the strings and Atzmon’s reeds. As with “If I Should Lose You” this is a wholly convincing homage but a long way from being a straight copy. Like all the best jazz Atzmon stays true to the spirit of his influences but emphatically puts his own stamp on the proceedings, something emphasised by the use of “found sounds” (children’s voices, police sirens, street noises) in the piece’s closing moments.

The title of Atzmon’s original “Call Me Stupid, Ungrateful, Vicious & Insatiable” may suggest a return to his iconoclastic style of old. However it turns out to be a piece for solo clarinet wrapped up in a sympathetic string arrangement by Jonathan Taylor. Certainly there is an air of longing and regret about the music but not the angry blast one might have expected.

The standard “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was” is a leisurely excursion which incorporates the strings but also features the OHE in a more overtly jazzy middle section featuring Harrison’s electric piano.

For the original “In The Small Hours” Atzmon’s pure toned alto floats above a bed of lush strings with a dash of seasoning provided by Harrison’s Rhodes and Sirkis’ delicate drumming. The arrangement perfectly captures that indefinable “after hours” ambience.

“Tutu Tango” is another reprise from the “MuziK” album. The addition of strings gives much of the the piece a more reflective feel than the original version but there is still room for a couple of boisterous “circus style” sections.

“April In Paris” is dealt with fairly straight with the leader’s gorgeous alto and Harrison’s acoustic piano particular highlights.

The brief title track brings us bang up to date with a collage of voices and street sounds backed by a hip hop beat. Reeds and Rhodes weave their way in and out of the melange. It is effectively a curtain raiser for the closing “Refuge”, a re-working of the title track from Atzmon’s previous album.

“Refuge” incorporates the most overtly Jewish/Middle Eastern music we have heard so far, juxtaposing this with a Latin flavoured closing section. It is perhaps, Atzmon’s summing up of the cosmopolitan nature of New York, the dream city he never got to reach. Alternatively it can be viewed as a paean to the healing powers of the international language of music. Like much of Atzmon’s output there is plenty of room for interpretation.

“In Loving Memory…” is an album that has attracted a compelling amount of critical praise. It is certainly an interesting record with some exceptional playing and a great deal of care has gone into the arrangements. As a long term Atzmon watcher I do have reservations however. Some listeners, like myself will have got three of these tunes already, albeit in different arrangements.

There is also the question of the strings themselves. Skilfully arranged as they are I still prefer my Atzmon without them and with a few more rough edges. A lot of this is down to personal taste. “With Strings” is not my favourite context for Parker either (I’m with Ken Clarke on this one) so I must admit to a hint of bias here.

For all this “In Loving Memory Of America” is still a fine album and a thought provoking one. Atzmon’s falling in love with America and his subsequent estrangement is a path many of us have followed in recent years. Atzmon has set this journey to music and personal reservations aside “In Loving Memory..” is still an essential listen for all contemporary music fans. Atzmon has done what all the best jazzers do and put his own stamp on his chosen material. This may be loving tribute to a mythic past but it is one with an unmistakably contemporary edge.

See http://www.gilad.co.uk for further details

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