NOVEMBER 2011 RELEASES
Rattle producers delivered six superb albums in November. These diverse new works (two with DVDs by Keith Hill) were favourably received by critics and audiences alike, and are very welcome additions to the Rattle catalogue.
Natalia Mann's debut album, Pacif.Ist proved so popular with audiences that the first pressing sold out in days. A second run went into production in double-quick time. Likewise, Making Baby Float by Norman Meehan, Bill Manhire and Hannah Griffin, has found an equally wide and appreciative audience. Following their successful 2010 release, Buddhist Rain, Making Baby Float (complete with an In Concert DVD by Keith Hill) is as thematically rich and musically expressive as its predecessor. Storm in a Teacup by Campbell, Rae, Dyne, is going down very nicely with jazz fans, but the 'sleeper' of the selection is Who's Most Lost? by Arcades (Dugal McKinnon and David Prior), one of William Dart's picks for the Best of 2011. We couldn't agree more.
 |
__ |
 |
STORM IN A TEACUP
Campbell Rae Dyne
Guitarist Al Campbell, drummer John Rae, and bassist Paul Dyne, have produced a recording brimming with vitality, an album that exudes one of the fundamental qualities of good jazz - joy. The recording is excellent, the playing is spirited, and we're sure that jazz aficionados will be as enthusiastic as we are about this great addition to the Rattle Jazz Series.
|
|
THIS APPEARING WORLD (bonus DVD)
Crispell Henderson Nunns
The ancient sonorities of taonga pūoro again find themselves in a challenging setting. Marilyn Crispell (piano) and Jeff Henderson (reeds) weave an array of mysterious sonic textures and nuances around the evocative instruments of Richard Nunns, resulting in a work that is neither jazz, world, nor contemporary classical, but one in which elements from each discipline combine to achieve something entirely unique.
|
| |
|
|
 |
|
 |
WHO'S MOST LOST?
Arcades
Rattle’s focus may have been predominantly instrumental to date, but the subverted ‘pop sensibility’ of Arcades sits perfectly with our penchant for music that follows its own compass. The pieces on Who’s Most Lost? have their own distinct magnetisms, and the musical map being charted by the group has a very welcome home within the Rattle catalogue.
|
|
TE MORE
Whirimako Black & Richard Nunns
For some years, Whirimako and Richard talked about working on a concentrated and austere recording project, an album focused solely on taongo pūoro and vocals. The idea came to fruition in late 2009 when poet Glenn Colquhoun invited them to record at his Waikawa Beach home. The resulting album is a masterwork, a potent, deeply evocative set of pieces that could only have been created in Aoteoroa.
|
| |
|
|
 |
|
 |
PASIF.IST
Natalia Mann
Harpist Natalia Mann makes her debut on Rattle with her first album under her name. An ex-pat Wellingtonian, Natalia now lives and performs in Turkey with her percussion-maestro husband, Izzet Kizil. This beautifully produced recording features an impressive line-up of Turkish and New Zealand musicians - an organic, richly textured, deeply satisfying musical journey.
|
|
MAKING BABY FLOAT (woth bonus DVD)
Meehan Manhire Griffin
Norman, Bill and Hannah follow 2010's highly successful Buddhist Rain with this very fine CD and DVD pairing. The energy and vitality of the concert informs every moment of Making Baby Float, with Hannah at her most commanding and engaging. Beautifully recorded by Neil Maddevar, this double-disc set is must for fans of Buddhist Rain.
|
| |
|
|
|
OCTOBER 2011 JAZZ SERIES RELEASES
|
| |
|
|
 |
|
 |
SEVEN
Tim Hopkins
If, as some have claimed, a renaissance is taking place in New Zealand jazz, Tim Hopkins is surely one of its leading lights, and Seven one of his seminal achievements. Conceived for a bass-less trio of saxophone, guitar and drums, Dixon Nacey (guitar) and John Rae (drums) shine in this setting. The inclusion of Richard Nunns on taonga pūoro is inspired.
|
|
ZOO
Tom Dennison
Tom Dennison's Zoo not only marks the debut of a talented jazz composer and performer, it features a stellar line-up from the new vanguard of New Zealand jazz. These relatively young men share a finely tuned grasp of jazz traditions, from which they now map new territory for themselves. Zoo is very impressive indeed.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
RATTLE DOWNLOADS
|
| |
|
|
The Rattle catalogue is now available as digital downloads via iTunes, Amazon, and about 30 other sites worldwide. Downloads are also available from the Rattle website, either as 192kbps MP3s (or 320kbps on most recent releases) or as high quality FLAC files for the discerning audiophile.
(Bundles only, individual tracks available soon) |
|
The entire Rattle back-catalogue has been re-mastered for digital downloads, and they sound better than ever. Re-mastered CDs will follow in due course, but to get the ball rolling we've reissued three to celebrate our 20th anniversary. Pesky Digits, Songs for Heroes and Te Ku Te Whe have never looked or sounded better.
(Click on covers for more info)
|
| |
|
|
|
|
RATTLE RE-MASTERED
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
PESKY DIGITS
Gitbox Rebellion |
|
SONGS FOR HEROES
From Scratch |
|
TE KU TE WHE
Hirini Melbourne & Richard Nunns |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CAMPURSARI
Jonathan Besser
This new album from the composer of Turn takes its title from an Indonesian musical term to describe music that combines gamelan with Western instruments. While Jonathan has worked with gamelan before, on Campursari he wrote specifically for the instruments. These beautifully evocative pieces are fleshed-out by a fine team of musicians, notably Miranda Adams, John Bell, Nigel Gavin, Andrew Pask, Robert Ashworth, Jon Segovia, Tatiana Lanchtchikova, Jim Langabeer and Chris O'Connor.
|
|
__ |
|
CHATTER
Amy Rempel
Our sixth Jazz Series release is very special indeed. With a background in improvisational music and contemporary chamber music, Amy Rempel is a superb musician. She has a fine touch, both as a pianist and composer, and a naturally explorative, adventurous sensibility. With backing from Jeremy Allen on bass and Jason Tiemann on drums, Chatter is a world-class addition to the Rattle catalogue.
|
|
|
DONATED BY CANTOR FITZGERALD
Dave Lisik
This uncompromisingly intense 60-minute work was written to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the USA. Composed for an improvising ensemble, the album features exceptional playing from Tim Hopkins (sax), Colin Hemmingsen (bass clarinet), and Amy Rempel (piano), with Jorge Sosa and Dave Lisik on electronics. This is a tough, serious-minded work for those with open ears - and open hearts.
|
|
|
|
ANCIENT ASTRONAUT THEORY
Dave Lisik
Ancient Astronaut Theory has been composed entirely for taonga pūoro. Featuring Richard Nunns, it combines loops and re-contextualised phrases with layered overdubs and electronica. The result could be described as the ultimate taonga pūoro orchestra, a beautifully engineered, gorgeously produced tapestry of texture, timbre, mood and emotion - a journey through worlds at once deeply familiar and strikingly alien.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
INDEPENDENT ARTISTS (ia)
A NEW RATTLE SUB-LABEL
|
| |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
DELAYED REACTION
Phil Broadhurst
ia (Independent Artists) is an initiative intended to support and promote independently produced and financed recordings that, while not (for various reasons) part of the Rattle framework, nevertheless deserve to be heard. We introduce the series with Phil Broadhurst's first album under his own name in seven years. Delayed Reaction is a tribute to the life and work of French pianist and composer, Michel Petrucciani. The album features five Petrucciani’s pieces arranged by Phil and his band especially for this recording, plus five of Phil's compositions inspired by the French maestro. This is what Thomas Conrad of the American music magazine, Jazz Times had to say: “Phil’s album is the deepest, most sincere, most meaningful form of tribute one musician can pay another. Petrucciani’s life-affirming spirit is unmistakably present here, but so too is Phil’s personal understanding of Petrucciani’s music and the new directions derived from it, which is surely the way Petrucciani would have wanted it.”
|
|
|
