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When we met Tim Garland at the Lighthouse (also with Gwilym) we found out how important locations were to Tim in his composition. The Acoustic Triangle have taken things a step further as Resonance was recorded during their 2005, Tour of Sacred Places. Garland is quoted as saying, ‘The building is the fourth member of our trio’. Impressive buildings they are too as this album was recorded in Hampshire’s Romsey Abbey and Dorchester Abbey, Oxfordshire.

Comparisons with Norwegian jazz saxophonist Jan Garbarek’s collaborations with The Hilliard Ensemble are bound to spring to mind but from the sound of Resonance this tour was a more successful collaboration.

Not sure whether because they performed the music un-amplified but Garland (who wrote three pieces with an arrangement of Alegri’s ‘Miserere Mei’) and Simcock (who wrote four pieces) sound superb, even faultless — now that’s something you don’t always get at a live performance.

Perhaps it’s the mix of jazz and classical influences or just the musicians. Gwilym has played with Kenny Wheeler and the trio’s version of Wheeler’s ‘Everyone’s Song But My Own’ is one of the highlights here.

Note there is no link between this group and those other jazzers, Acoustic Ladyland or Steve Riech’s form of classical. There is no cross genre repetitive no-wave disco rave up at all as they focus on the harmonic movements, particularly on ‘Ritual’ and ‘Nutshell’.

We recently noted that Starless & Bible Black took their name for Stan Tracey’s Jazz Suite based on Dylan Thomas’ play Under Milk Wood. Tracey’s classic has been used again here as Resonance ends with the a version of the title track.

‘Under Milkwood’ is a perfect ending to this CD and it receives the great applause it deserves from the audience.

Reviewed: Acoustic Triangle — Reasonance (audio-b) Cat. No. ABCD 5017 Release date: 2006

Malcolm Creese — Bass
Tim Garland — Saxophones, Bass Clarinet
Gwilym Simcock — Grand Piano, French Horn

Tracklisting:
1. Miserere Mei
2. Bourdion
3. From The Land
4. Everyone’s Song But My Own
5. Ritual
6. Nutshell
7. Solo Piano Interlude
8. As The Boy Gathers His Dreams
9. Fundero
10. Under Milk Wood

Links:
www.acoustictriangle.com
Jazzwise www.jazzwise.com Issue 88 July 2005, “Lighthouses aren’t really practical unfortunately, but we are booked into some venues with a maritime connection, including a church in Greenwich and the Poole Arts Centre, which is called the Lighthouse” Tim Garland interview with Kenny Mathieson p.42/43
Tim Garland with the Northern Sinfonia Strings — If The Sea Replied
Tim Garland - Earthworks biog
Gwilym Simcock
Kenny Wheeler
Daedelus — another bass clarinettist
Jazz on 3: Gwilym Simcock, Friday 7 October 2005 23:30-1:00 (Radio 3) “Jez Nelson presents an exclusive session with the winner of the rising star category of this years BBC Jazz Awards, Gwilym Simcock, a specially recorded session by Gwilym and featuring Tim Garland in an “all-star cast” of sextet & strings
“. Subscribe to the email newsletter (out Fridays) jazzon3@bbc.co.uk
Jan Garbarek and the Hilliard Ensemble 19 May 2000 St. Peter’s Church, Parkstone, Poole.
Under Milk Wood — Lyrical piece about life in a Welsh fishing village. A play for voices first broadcast in 1954 with Richard Burton as First Voice
Tangerine Dream “Reims Cathedral, France 12.13.1974 — The first of their cathedral concerts; playing in churches and cathedrals (with their enhanced acoustics and gothic ambience) would become a regular practice for the band”.