Ian Bloxsom
Ian “Blokko” Bloxsom is one of Australia’s finest jazz percussionists. John Sangster captured him in a few words: “Percussionist and Runner. Composer of The Kombi-Bender’s Lament. Me mate.”
On Move he is the percussion colourist behind some of Australian jazz’s most ambitious programme music. Across the Tolkien cycle—from The Lord of the Rings, Vol. 1 (MD 3251) through Landscapes of Middle Earth (MD 3254)—he supplies marimba, glockenspiel, bass drum, gongs and triangle.
Vibraphone, and on one date soprano saxophone, light the late scores on The Last Will and Testament of John Sangster (MD 3255). Further sessions place him in the playful Lear world of Uttered Nonsense (MD 3321) and the calmer sound-worlds of Peaceful (MD 3439) and Meditation (MD 3440).
Ian Bloxsom appears on
Jazz Music Series, Vol. 5: Ripper
The fifth and final volume in John Sangster’s jazz series of suites, written for a lively little orchestra that gathers some of Australia’s finest jazz musicians around his vibraphone writing.
Jazz Music Series, Vol. 4: Take That
Volume four of John Sangster’s Jazz Music Series finds his “lively little orchestra” of leading Australian jazz players in a ten-movement suite of wit, swing and colour.
Jazz Music Series, Vol. 3: Steady Lads
Third in John Sangster’s series of suites for a lively little orchestra of some of Australia’s finest jazz musicians: ten pieces of small big-band writing with Sangster on vibraphone.
Jazz Music Series, Vol. 1: Don't Mean a Thing if It Ain't Got That Doo-wup
As John Sangster put it, "Here is the first in a series of Suites written for this lively little orchestra, a gathering that includes some of Australia's finest jazz musicians."
Meditation
John Sangster’s Meditation, first issued on vinyl around 1980, is an ethereal set of flute, wind-chime and marimba textures. Over three long pieces the music builds a serene, otherworldly atmosphere meant for quiet listening.
Peaceful
John Sangster's Peaceful gathers nine quiet jazz pieces for tenor saxophone, flutes, acoustic guitar, electric piano, vibraphone, marimba and percussion. The mood is contemplative, with room for gentle improvisation.
Uttered Nonsense (The Owl and the Pussycat)
Uttered Nonsense (The Owl and the Pussycat) sets eight Edward Lear poems, spoken with grave poise by Ivan Smith, among fourteen instrumental jazz pieces drawn from the Nonsense Books. Sangster’s large Australian ensemble answers the verse with playful colour.
The Last Will and Testament of John Sangster
Tony Gould, Len Barnard, Graeme Lyall and friends honour one of Australia's unsung jazz heroes. These final Sangster scores, played by leading colleagues, form a warm and fitting tribute.
Landscapes of Middle Earth
The fourth and final volume in Move’s restored reissue of John Sangster’s jazz-inspired Tolkien cycle. First a late-1970s double LP, Landscapes of Middle Earth reached CD in 2006.
The Lord of the Rings, Vol. 3
The third volume of John Sangster's classic jazz epic after J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. First issued by EMI as a double LP more than twenty-five years earlier, this ambitious Australian trilogy reaches CD for the first time here.
The Lord of the Rings, Vol. 2
The second volume of John Sangster's classic jazz epic on The Lord of the Rings. First issued by EMI as a double LP more than twenty-five years earlier, this music reaches CD for the first time in this Move reissue.
The Lord of the Rings, Vol. 1
Not Howard Shore's film score, but Australian jazz and film composer John Sangster's ambitious 1970s musical portrait of Tolkien's characters and events, restored here on a double CD more than twenty-five years after the original EMI LPs.