Tom Sparkes
On John Sangster's Uttered Nonsense, Tom Sparkes's clarinet and cor anglais join a cast of jazz players in music that is silly, adroit and full of musical spoonerisms, set around Edward Lear spoken with grave BBC polish.
He is among the performers on Sangster's five Jazz Music suites, written for a lively little orchestra of leading jazz musicians. Across these recordings the textures move from New Orleans polyphony and breezy funk to vibraphone swing, sitar interplay and free-leaning birdcalls, with Sangster's sparseness and humour always close at hand. The nonsense album alone runs to twenty-two pieces: trios, quartets, overdubs and natural sounds wrapped around the Lear settings, provocative and jolly by design.
Tom Sparkes 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. 2: Requiem (for a loved one)
Volume 2 of five suites by John Sangster, played by his fine small orchestra of leading Australian jazz musicians. A 1980 requiem for Janice Patricia Byrnes, nicknamed Bo Diddley.
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."
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.