Barre Phillips’s Mountainscapes brings together strongly contrasting elements, the furious high-energy playing of the Surman/Phillips/Martin trio juxtaposed with spacious impressionistic pieces originally created for Carolyn Carlson’s ballet dancers. The integration of acoustic instruments and electronics (with three of the musicians playing synthesizers) is beautifully balanced in the production. John Abercrombie dropped by the studio to jam on the last track, raising the energy level still higher. Recorded in March 1976, Mountainscapes was described by Melody Maker as “vast, awesome and glorious” and “a starting point for the shape of jazz to come.”
Tracks
01. Mountainscape 1
02. Mountainscape 2
03. Mountainscape 3
04. Mountainscape 4
05. Mounatinscape 5
06. Mountainscape 6
07. Mountainscape 7
08. Mountainscape 8
BARRE PHILLIPS double bass
STU MARTIN drums, synthesizer
DIETER FEICHNER synthesizer
JOHN ABERCROMBIE guitar (8)
JOHN SURMAN baritone and soprano saxophones, bass clarinet, synthesizer
All compositions by Barre Phillips, Dieter Feichtner, John Surman and Stu Martin
Recorded March 1976 at Studio Bauer in Ludwigsburg, Germany
ECM Records - ECM 1076