Atmospheros

The Christopher Young Quartet presents ten new pieces by Young and the group, spanning atmosphere, hard bop and free collective improvisation.

Christopher Young Quartet ensemble
Christopher Young bass clarinet, clarinet, soprano saxophone, baritone saxophone, flute
Ted Vining drums
Tom Fryer guitar
Nick Haywood bass

Christopher Young composer
Ted Vining composer
Nick Haywood composer
Tom Fryer composer

Bass clarinettist Christopher Young is joined by Ted Vining on drums, Tom Fryer on guitar and Nick Haywood on bass.

Most of the programme is Young’s own writing, with two collective improvisations. The music moves from atmospheric and melancholic pieces to hard-bop drive and extended-technique baritone work, always leaving room for the bass clarinet’s dramatic statements.

1 Domination

A piece which reflects the inconsistencies and contradictions of the contemporary world.

2 Gershington

I wrote this with my friend Mark Fitzgibbon. It resonates with the 1920s while embracing the contemporary world. This piece shows the amazing synthesis between Nick Haywood and Ted Vining.

3 Kyotonabe

An improvisation on a traditional Japanese theme, usually played on a shakuhachi, but played and improvised here by myself on a Western flute. It also shows the amazing dexterity of Tom Fryer. It reflects my many visits and studies in Japanese classical music. Especially Kyoto.

4 Blues Abstract

An abstract improvisation based on New Orleans Blues.

5 Angel Dance

A south-east Indian piece mainly improvised by myself and Tom Fryer.

6 Enigma

This track is a melancholic piece I wrote for my father who passed away four years ago. It really shows how we connect as an ensemble.

7 The Dark Side

This piece acknowledges my own experience with bipolar disorder. It is written specifically for the bass clarinet.

8 A Cold Melbourne Day

This piece is a juxtaposition of time and space. It starts with an odd time meter that segues into a fierce hard bop motion by the brilliant Ted Vining and Nick Haywood in the rhythm section.

9 Stoicism

This was especially written for and improvised on the baritone saxophone. It displays the multiphonic and monophonic possibilities of the instrument through the extended technique of circular breathing. It is stoic for its Scottish influence!

10 Etherial Pathways

An atmospheric piece which is influenced by Johann Sebastian Bach.

— Christopher Young

Reviews

What a sound! If a boa constrictor could sing it might sound something like Christopher Young's bass clarinet. Often this instrument is moody or demure, but in Young's mouth – and on this reverb-laden recording – it becomes monstrous, boasting an urgency that continually blisters the music's surface. Yet its implicit sinuousness remains in place, and he uses it in contexts ranging from the atmospheric Domination to the insistent 12/8 groove of Blues Abstract. The Melbournian also plays clarinet, soprano saxophone, baritone saxophone and flute, and achieves a pressing, keening sound on them all, so the music is routinely emotionally charged. Just as important to his conception is a surrounding starkness, whereby bassist Nick Haywood, drummer Ted Vining and acoustic guitarist Tom Fryer leave abundant space for Young's dramatic statements to leap from the speakers. Two collective improvisations apart, the pieces are Young's, custom-built to foster the heightened drama of the playing and the recording. My only quibble with an outstanding album is Haywood's bass being rather low in the mix. ★★★★½

— John Shand, The Shortlist

Artists

Christopher Young Quartet

A new collaboration with some of Christopher Young’s oldest collaborators — acoustic bassist Nick Haywood (from the Lewis and Young Ensemble) and guitarist Tom Fryer, with the addition of the great veteran drummer, Ted Vining.

Christopher Young

Christopher Young is a Melbourne woodwind player and composer whose work centres on bass clarinet, with clarinet, saxophones and flute. He leads the Christopher Young Quartet in exploratory jazz and improvised music.

Audio previews

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Tracks

Domination Christopher Young 10:02
Gershington Christopher Young 4:58
Kyotonabe Christopher Young Ted Vining Nick Haywood Tom Fryer 7:26
Blues Abstract Christopher Young 8:12
Angel Dance Christopher Young 9:05
Enigma Christopher Young 8:41
The Dark Side Christopher Young Ted Vining Nick Haywood Tom Fryer 8:44
A Cold Melbourne Day Christopher Young 3:40
Stoicism Christopher Young 7:46
Etherial Pathways Christopher Young 11:15

Performers

Christopher Young Quartet
Christopher Young · bass clarinet, clarinet, soprano saxophone, baritone saxophone, flute
Ted Vining
Tom Fryer · guitar
Nick Haywood · bass

Composers

Nick Haywood

Nick Haywood is an Australian jazz double bassist with an extensive performance career alongside leading Australian and international musicians, and with numerous television and film soundtrack credits.

Ted Vining

Ted Vining has recorded widely across Australian jazz, with Alan Lee, Don Burrows, Bob Gebert, Bernie McGann, Brian Brown, Musiikki Oy, The Big One, Blow … and The Ted Vining Trio. He brings a wealth of experience both on and off the jazz stage.

Tom Fryer

Tom Fryer is an acoustic guitarist and composer whose playing anchors the Christopher Young Quartet. His work ranges from delicate ensemble textures to collective improvisation.

Contributors

Photography By

Martin Wright

Recording engineer and director of Move Records, Martin Wright has well over fifty years’ experience in the industry and has been widely recognised for the calibre of his recordings.

Photography By [Christopher Young]