Listen & tracks

4 of 9 tracks have a preview · 9 works · 47:25

1 Willow Tree John Sangster 6:58
2 Reflections for the little flute John Sangster 3:55
3 Back Water Blues John Sangster 4:08
4 Drifting John Sangster 5:04
5 Peaceful and Content John Sangster 5:47
6 Raindrops John Sangster 6:33
7 Buster Flies John Sangster 5:30
8 Rain-Forest Rag John Sangster 4:47
9 Reed-Warbler Song John Sangster 4:43

Peaceful shows Sangster's gift for blending small-group colours into one calm texture. Melodies unfold without hurry, and the players answer one another with an easy, unforced freedom.

The album suits listening that asks for stillness rather than drive. Let the soft edges of this jazz writing settle around you, and stay with the music as it drifts from one reflective scene to the next.

In the artist’s words

Here are some quiet reflective pieces, little music-poems to do with leaves and water and gentle rain, birds and clouds and the colours of wild-flowers in the warm sun.

Not the largest orchestra in the world, but one that has been the basis over many years for the recording of my film-scores, music for many television series, and settings of verse and narrative for the radio. An orchestra of musicians all highly sensitive to mood and atmosphere, experts at improvisation within a given context, but heard up until now only on the film sound-tracks. So I thought I'd write this album. Of gentle music: calm and tranquil … Peaceful

— John Sangster

Reviews

I especially like the gentle bossas Willow tree and drifting, and Buddle's breathy sax on Peaceful and content. The album is superbly relaxing from start to finish.

— Mike Daly, The Age, Melbourne

Artists

John Sangster

vibraphone, marimba, percussion

John Sangster (1928–1995) was an Australian jazz composer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist whose work stretched from traditional jazz and film scores to large-scale suites of uncommon range, humour and colour.