Kate Westbrook
Kate Westbrook Recordings
Mike Westbrook & Company
the Uncommon Orchestra
double CD
text: Kate Westbrook
music: Mike Westbrook
the Uncommon Orchestra
double CD
text: Kate Westbrook
music: Mike Westbrook
Disc One
1. Gizzards All Gory
2. Juxtaposition
3. Freedoms Crown
4. Scattered and Cold
Disc Two
1. Propositions
2. Gas, Dust, Stone
3. Lovers Galore
4. The Uncommon Orchestra (credits)
1. Gizzards All Gory
2. Juxtaposition
3. Freedoms Crown
4. Scattered and Cold
Disc Two
1. Propositions
2. Gas, Dust, Stone
3. Lovers Galore
4. The Uncommon Orchestra (credits)
Track Listing
A Bigger Show
Personnel
Kate Westbrook & Martine Waltier voices
Billie Bottle voice & bass guitar
Sarah Dean alto saxophone and clarinet
Roz Harding alto saxophone
Alan Wakeman tenor & soprano saxophones
Gary Bayley tenor saxophone
Ian Wellens baritone saxophone
Mike Brewer & Sam Massey trumpets & flugelhorns
Dave Holdsworth sousaphone & pocket trumpet
Stewart Stunell, Andy Dore &
Joe Carnell trombones
Ken Cassidy bass trombone
Jesse Molins & Matthew North guitars
Marcus Vergette bass
Coach York & Theo Goss drums
Mike Westbrook keyboard
Tim Goodwin dramaturge
Billie Bottle voice & bass guitar
Sarah Dean alto saxophone and clarinet
Roz Harding alto saxophone
Alan Wakeman tenor & soprano saxophones
Gary Bayley tenor saxophone
Ian Wellens baritone saxophone
Mike Brewer & Sam Massey trumpets & flugelhorns
Dave Holdsworth sousaphone & pocket trumpet
Stewart Stunell, Andy Dore &
Joe Carnell trombones
Ken Cassidy bass trombone
Jesse Molins & Matthew North guitars
Marcus Vergette bass
Coach York & Theo Goss drums
Mike Westbrook keyboard
Tim Goodwin dramaturge
Information
Recorded in Concert at
The Barnfield Theatre, Exeter on Thursday 30th July 2015
Recording engineered by Jon Hiseman and Miles Ashton
Concert sound by Josh Stone
Mixed by Jon Hiseman at Temple Music Studios, Sutton
Executive Producer Steve Plews
ASC Records: - asccd - 162/163
More information about A Bigger Show
The Barnfield Theatre, Exeter on Thursday 30th July 2015
Recording engineered by Jon Hiseman and Miles Ashton
Concert sound by Josh Stone
Mixed by Jon Hiseman at Temple Music Studios, Sutton
Executive Producer Steve Plews
ASC Records: - asccd - 162/163
More information about A Bigger Show
"It shouldn't be allowed. At an age when they should be revelling in their freedom passes, the Westbrooks refuse to compromise with the Furies and instead, like all great artists, they grasp life and dare to reflect it back to us in all its tainted glory. A Bigger Show is a sprawling big band project featuring three very different vocalists and a roaring chorus of brass.
Building on the premise that life is a circus, with the Internet offereing all the treats and tricks of the fairground, the Westbrooks, as they have done for for decades, have brought together voices from the local community, long time pals (Holdsworth first offered his services to Mike W. in the 1960's), theatre, cabaret and Mingus-scaled arrangements to enchant, thrill, scare, baffle and boggle us. As a live recording, you'd expect longuers, but the whole drives on, mixing ascerbic intellect with, particularly in the second half, unfettered emotions, notably on the blues-soaked dynamics of 'Gas, Dust, Stone'. Less a recording than a pledge to life, love and the future. The show must go on, bigger, better, forever."
Andy Robson - Jazzwise
Building on the premise that life is a circus, with the Internet offereing all the treats and tricks of the fairground, the Westbrooks, as they have done for for decades, have brought together voices from the local community, long time pals (Holdsworth first offered his services to Mike W. in the 1960's), theatre, cabaret and Mingus-scaled arrangements to enchant, thrill, scare, baffle and boggle us. As a live recording, you'd expect longuers, but the whole drives on, mixing ascerbic intellect with, particularly in the second half, unfettered emotions, notably on the blues-soaked dynamics of 'Gas, Dust, Stone'. Less a recording than a pledge to life, love and the future. The show must go on, bigger, better, forever."
Andy Robson - Jazzwise
CD Review
Mike Westbrook’s Uncommon Orchestra -
A Bigger Show
(Hen & Chicken, Bristol)
"Mike Westbrook was in his early 20s when he first became a bandleader and his career over the subsequent 55 years has shown that he fully deserved the title. Like the great US bandleaders, he has continually gathered together powerful combinations of playing talent that have brought his often ambitious compositions to vigorous life. His biggest and most impressive achievements have been collaborations with lyricist and vocalist Kate Westbrook, usually highly stylised jazz oratorios, often with a political edge and always staged on a grand scale that defies the economic logic of jazz.
So at one level A Bigger Show came as no surprise: a 20-strong big band, three vocalists, a libretto full of conspicuous vocabulary (juxtaposition! miasma! resuscitation fairy!) and a commitment to ‘liberty, fraternity, equality and jokes’. Yes, all the Westbrooks’ trademark boxes ticked, and very well, too. But who-on-earth-else would even consider a project like this, let alone embark on it? And who else could have made it work so satisfyingly? Bristol’s jazz-loving community had packed out the Hen & Chicken in anticipation of all this and were not disappointed.
As ever there was some theatricality - the Uncommon Orchestra slowly assembled as the score required, ambling on throughout Gizzards All Gory until a massive sound had built up thanks to two drummers, five sax players, five horns, two guitars and the potentially tectonic combination of double bass, bass guitar and sousaphone. Kate Westbrook’s declamatory address had all the ‘roll up, roll up!’ of a circus ringmaster, promising ‘the show that never ends’. Two and a half hours later (including the interval) it did, in fact, end - but nobody was wishing it to happen any sooner.
As ever, this was superbly composed music that used the resources at Westbrook’s disposal to create ever-changing moods and textures - Juxtapositions, for instance, which began rockishly as a bass/guitar/drums riff supporting a Chet Baker-style muted trumpet solo before shimmering carpets of thick trombone harmony swept it up and away. Freedom’s Crown (dedicated to Bristol’s great planning guru Stephen J Hewitt) set up the brass, rhythm section and vocals in benign contradiction, the filmic swoop of the voices set against Roz Harding’s perversely squally alto saxophone. She was the discovery of the night - a powerful and distinctive player who blossomed across the evening, delivering terse slashes or tumultuous cascades with perfect judgement. Less surprising, but equally delightful, was the forthright tenor of Alan Wakeman, whose shapely solos also punctuated the evening.
The vocal team of Kate Westbrook, Martine Waltier and bass guitarist Billie Bottle were crucial, moving easily around the packed stage and delivering Kate’s Brechtian lyrics with crisp articulation, fine harmonies and theatrical flourishes. It all came together in the rocky final number Lovers Galore, a defiantly positive blast against the bleak universe and hollow cyberspace previously outlined, with soaring electric guitars and a rolling riff plus a final blistering alto solo from Roz Harding.
It was all both fresh and retrospective, a fitting statement of Mike Westbrook’s unique career to date and confirmation of his status as one of the greatest jazz composers this country has ever produced. This show deserves to be seen at the Barbican - and hopefully one day it will be - but that we could see this remarkable performance above a pub is also a fine tribute to promoter Ian Storrer and his three decades of commitment to bringing the country’s best jazz to Bristol.
Tony Benjamin - Bristol 24/7
http://tinyurl.com/q33qqnm
A Bigger Show
(Hen & Chicken, Bristol)
"Mike Westbrook was in his early 20s when he first became a bandleader and his career over the subsequent 55 years has shown that he fully deserved the title. Like the great US bandleaders, he has continually gathered together powerful combinations of playing talent that have brought his often ambitious compositions to vigorous life. His biggest and most impressive achievements have been collaborations with lyricist and vocalist Kate Westbrook, usually highly stylised jazz oratorios, often with a political edge and always staged on a grand scale that defies the economic logic of jazz.
So at one level A Bigger Show came as no surprise: a 20-strong big band, three vocalists, a libretto full of conspicuous vocabulary (juxtaposition! miasma! resuscitation fairy!) and a commitment to ‘liberty, fraternity, equality and jokes’. Yes, all the Westbrooks’ trademark boxes ticked, and very well, too. But who-on-earth-else would even consider a project like this, let alone embark on it? And who else could have made it work so satisfyingly? Bristol’s jazz-loving community had packed out the Hen & Chicken in anticipation of all this and were not disappointed.
As ever there was some theatricality - the Uncommon Orchestra slowly assembled as the score required, ambling on throughout Gizzards All Gory until a massive sound had built up thanks to two drummers, five sax players, five horns, two guitars and the potentially tectonic combination of double bass, bass guitar and sousaphone. Kate Westbrook’s declamatory address had all the ‘roll up, roll up!’ of a circus ringmaster, promising ‘the show that never ends’. Two and a half hours later (including the interval) it did, in fact, end - but nobody was wishing it to happen any sooner.
As ever, this was superbly composed music that used the resources at Westbrook’s disposal to create ever-changing moods and textures - Juxtapositions, for instance, which began rockishly as a bass/guitar/drums riff supporting a Chet Baker-style muted trumpet solo before shimmering carpets of thick trombone harmony swept it up and away. Freedom’s Crown (dedicated to Bristol’s great planning guru Stephen J Hewitt) set up the brass, rhythm section and vocals in benign contradiction, the filmic swoop of the voices set against Roz Harding’s perversely squally alto saxophone. She was the discovery of the night - a powerful and distinctive player who blossomed across the evening, delivering terse slashes or tumultuous cascades with perfect judgement. Less surprising, but equally delightful, was the forthright tenor of Alan Wakeman, whose shapely solos also punctuated the evening.
The vocal team of Kate Westbrook, Martine Waltier and bass guitarist Billie Bottle were crucial, moving easily around the packed stage and delivering Kate’s Brechtian lyrics with crisp articulation, fine harmonies and theatrical flourishes. It all came together in the rocky final number Lovers Galore, a defiantly positive blast against the bleak universe and hollow cyberspace previously outlined, with soaring electric guitars and a rolling riff plus a final blistering alto solo from Roz Harding.
It was all both fresh and retrospective, a fitting statement of Mike Westbrook’s unique career to date and confirmation of his status as one of the greatest jazz composers this country has ever produced. This show deserves to be seen at the Barbican - and hopefully one day it will be - but that we could see this remarkable performance above a pub is also a fine tribute to promoter Ian Storrer and his three decades of commitment to bringing the country’s best jazz to Bristol.
Tony Benjamin - Bristol 24/7
http://tinyurl.com/q33qqnm
Live Performance Reviews
Sound Samples
The great British composer and bandleader Mike Westbrook has always had a gift for bringing off large scale works that would collapse under their own weight in the hands of almost any other jazz creator - a talent that first came to full fruition with the epic Marching Song way back in 1969. The big projects have usually depended on grants and commissions, and he and partner Kate have toured extensively in trios and small groups, too. Those continue now the pair are settled in Dawlish in South Devon.
But Mike Westbrook, the tireless organiser, has also been in evidence in the West Country in the last few years, with occasional performances from a brand new big band. That ensemble is now reconfigured as the 22-piece Uncommon Orchestra, and are now performing a brand new, two hour suite, A Bigger Show, music by Mike, lyrics by Kate. And a spectacular show it is. Three vocalists -Kate Westbrook, Billie Bottle, who also plays electric bass, and Martine Waltier - bring real variety and depth to the songs.
Each one is a launch pad for long, punchy big band scores, rich in Westbrook M’s resourceful writing for massed horns. Add a string bass alongside the electric instrument, two electric guitars, who feature more strongly in the second half, and two drummers, and the result is, simply, epic.
Hard to believe this majestic ensemble is playing for 100-odd people crammed into the upstairs room of this capacious pub. It reminds me rather of seeing the Sun Ra Arkestra a few years in the Croft in Stokes Croft. Something of their spirit creeps into the room tonight, too, courtesy of Kate’s cosmic lyrics. The songs are carried over from a small group recording made in 2007, extensively re-worked for the large ensemble. Her words can tend too much to abstraction, but give the band lots to work with and it responds with much fine soloing. Fittingly, some of the best comes from longtime Westbrook cohorts. Dave Holdsworth (who appeared all those years ago on Marching Song) plays implausibly light-footed sousaphone, and plangent pocket trumpet. And Alan Wakeman contributes world class tenor and soprano saxophone.
But it is the band sound that stays in the ear after the gig. A roaring ensemble, orchestrated by a master of the art. They are touring the West country through the summer, and there’s a live recording on the way, set for Exeter at the end of the month. The double CD that will lead to is open for advance subscription on the band website - Surely a worthwhile investment in new work from one of English music’s most creative forces of the last half century!
Jon Turney - Listomania Bath
http://tinyurl.com/pz6n9hv
But Mike Westbrook, the tireless organiser, has also been in evidence in the West Country in the last few years, with occasional performances from a brand new big band. That ensemble is now reconfigured as the 22-piece Uncommon Orchestra, and are now performing a brand new, two hour suite, A Bigger Show, music by Mike, lyrics by Kate. And a spectacular show it is. Three vocalists -Kate Westbrook, Billie Bottle, who also plays electric bass, and Martine Waltier - bring real variety and depth to the songs.
Each one is a launch pad for long, punchy big band scores, rich in Westbrook M’s resourceful writing for massed horns. Add a string bass alongside the electric instrument, two electric guitars, who feature more strongly in the second half, and two drummers, and the result is, simply, epic.
Hard to believe this majestic ensemble is playing for 100-odd people crammed into the upstairs room of this capacious pub. It reminds me rather of seeing the Sun Ra Arkestra a few years in the Croft in Stokes Croft. Something of their spirit creeps into the room tonight, too, courtesy of Kate’s cosmic lyrics. The songs are carried over from a small group recording made in 2007, extensively re-worked for the large ensemble. Her words can tend too much to abstraction, but give the band lots to work with and it responds with much fine soloing. Fittingly, some of the best comes from longtime Westbrook cohorts. Dave Holdsworth (who appeared all those years ago on Marching Song) plays implausibly light-footed sousaphone, and plangent pocket trumpet. And Alan Wakeman contributes world class tenor and soprano saxophone.
But it is the band sound that stays in the ear after the gig. A roaring ensemble, orchestrated by a master of the art. They are touring the West country through the summer, and there’s a live recording on the way, set for Exeter at the end of the month. The double CD that will lead to is open for advance subscription on the band website - Surely a worthwhile investment in new work from one of English music’s most creative forces of the last half century!
Jon Turney - Listomania Bath
http://tinyurl.com/pz6n9hv
Selected Recordings
Glad Day - Live
Three Into Wonderfull
The Nijinska Chamber
Cuff Clout
Selected Recordings
Says The Duke 2022
GRANITE
EARTH FELT THE WOUND
Says The Duke 2020
London Bridge Live in Zűrich 1990
KlangWeltReligion
Paintbox Jane
The School of Jolly Dogs
order from
Order CD from Westbrook Records
UK ONLY
See below to purchase outside the UK
Other Westbrook CDs are available from
£15 inc UK P/P only
Unfortunately, we are unable to collect the appropriate taxes for purchases outside the UK on this website. To order from outside the UK please use BANDCAMP - click on the link below.
