INTAKT RECORDS – REVIEWS

ALEXANDER HAWKINS
MIRROR CANON
BREAK A VASE

Intakt CD 373 / 2022

SILKE EBERHARD TRIO BEING THE UP AND DOWN Intakt CD 365 / 2021

 

 

 

Break a Vase is an album by Alexander Hawkins‘ new sextet Mirror Canon (with Richard Olátúndé Baker, Neil Charles, Stephen Davis, Otto Fischer, and Shabaka Hutchings). It was recorded by Will Biggs on July 27 and 28, 2021, at Challow Park Studios, in Oxfordshire, in the United Kingdom, and it was released on January 21, 2021, on Intakt Records.

Paul, Best of Jazz, Jan 10 2022 (EN)

 

Like its unreadable disjointed cover, Mirror Canon Break A Vase (Intakt Records, Switzerland), by the eminently likeable and listenable British keyboardist-composer-producer-visionary Alexander Hawkins, takes some getting used to but after being unfathomable, it becomes indispensable. It’s almost as if you have to pass an initiation test to digest its delights. But once it goes down, it goes down easy. Hawkins has taken his regular piano-bass-drums trio and augmented it with Nigerian “talking drum,” electric guitar, sax, flute and all sorts of percussive toys that give it an air of trebly attention-to-detail. The result is delicious.

Mike Greenblatt, Gold Mine Magazine, Jan 11 2022 (EN)

 

Hiroki Sugita, Japan Jazz Magazine, Vol.138, Feb 2021 (JP)

Hiroki Sugita, Japan Jazz Magazine, Vol.138, Feb 2021 (JP)

 

Stellt Derek Walcott mit the love that reassembles the fragments is stronger than the love which took its symmetry for granted when it was whole nicht die kabbalistische 'Reparatur der Welt' (Tikkun Olam), die den 'Bruch der Gefäße' aufzuheben versucht, noch über En Sof, die ursprüngliche Vollkommenheit? ALEXANDER HAWKINS hat schon mit “Unit(e)” (2017) und “Togethernes Music” (2021) einen Zusammenhalt höherer Ordnung angestrebt. Bei Break a Vase (Intakt CD 373) verstärkt er in MIRROR CANON sein Trio mit dem Bassisten Neil Charles und dem Drummer Stephen Davis, das 2020 auch mit Anthony Braxton on tour war, gezielt mit Otto Fischer an der Jazzgitarre, Shabaka Hutchings (Sons Of Kemet) an Reeds & Flöte und Richard Olátúndé Baker an Percussion. Soulbrothers, die mit Hawkins' Synergetik und lid zi geliden, sôse gelîmida sîn-Zauber schon lange vertraut sind, durch Hawkins' Ensemble oder zusammen mit Mulatu Astatke oder Louis Moholo-Moholo. Sie helfen ihm aus der geteilten Erfahrung heraus ein Mosaik zu fügen, das be­seelt und begeistert ist durch Henry Threadgill, auf den 'Stamped Down, or Shovelled' im strammen und rasant gequirlten 6/8-Groove anspielt – nur 'Generous Souls' und das handfest olatúndéisierte 'Stride Rhyme Gospel' stürmen mit ähnlich vollen Segeln dahin. Sowie durch Emily Dickinson ('Sun Rugged Billions'), Robert Creeley (Early mornings, in the light still / 'faint making stones', herons, marsh / grass all but indistinguishable in the muck), Eduardo Galeano (der die brasilianische Fußballlegende Garrincha als 'Chaplin in Slow Motion' beschrieb) oder Antonio Gramsci ('Domingada Open Air'). Hawkins ver­klammert das allein am Piano von 'The Perfect Sound Would Like to Be Unique' über 'Brake a Vase' zu 'Even the Birds Stop to Listen'. Wo Baker mitklopft, tönt es afrokaribisch, 'Sun Rugged Billions' ist beflötete Exotica mit windschief präpariertem Klavierklang, beides schließt Bachianische Kontrapunktik nicht aus. Das traumtänzerische Creeley-Stück ist chaplinesker als die in Zeitlupe x- & o-beinig hinkende Garrincha-Hommage, die Anspielung auf Gramsci mit introspektivem Sopranosax und pianistischem Gamelan-Touch ein rhythmisch komplexes Rätsel, das sich in melodischem Flow löst. Den feinen Schluss­punkt setzt Perlen pickende Klimperei zu einem Daumenklaviertänzchen. [BA 113 rbd]

Rigobert Dittmann, Bad Alchemy Newsletter, Dec 2021 (DE)

 

Derek Walcott, poeta premio Nobel per la letteratura nel 1992 di cui forse troppo presto ci si è dimenticati, nel discorso di accettazione del premio ebbe a dire: “Rompi un vaso e l’amore che ricompone i frammenti sarà più forte dell’amore che dava per scontata la sua simmetria quando era integro”. A ricordarcelo è Kevin Le Gendre, nelle note di copertina che accompagnano l’ultimo, straordinario lavoro di Alexander Hawkins, grande pianista e non vorrei aggiungere di che genere, poiché le sua composizioni non sono strettamente imbrigliabili in un solo genere. Il disco, appena uscito per l’etichetta Intakt Records, si intitola appunto Break a Vase dove Alexander porta a spasso sugli infiniti ed inesplorati territori, straordinari musicisti: Neil Charles al contrabbasso, Stephen Davis, alla batteria, Richard Olátúndé Baker alle percussioni, Shabaka Hutchings ai sax e al flauto, Otto Fischer alla chitarra elettrica. L’ensemble, allargato rispetto al consueto trio con cui suona abitualmente Hawkins, si chiama Mirror Canon. Non si tratta di una stramberia, di una trovata originale, ma di un preciso riferimento, un riferimento (colto, come colto è Alexander Hawkins) ad un dispositivo contrappuntistico, il “canone a specchio” appunto, creato dalla geniale mente matematico-musicale di Johan Sebastian Bach. Proprio una raffinata ed instancabile ricerca musicale contrappuntistica sta alla base della composizione dei brani di questo disco e in generale dei percorsi di ricerca di Alexander Hawkins, compositore che alla ricerca più libera ha sempre associato il massimo rigore formale.

Mario Grella, Off Topic Magazine, Jan 21 2022 (IT)

 

Pianist and composer Alexander Hawkins sequences the ten tracks of Break A Vase in a seemingly counterintuitive manner. The title track, which is taken from West Indian poet Derek Walcott's Nobel Prize acceptance speech, is not heard until track six; it is a solo piano performance which emulates Walcott's words, Break a vase, and the love that re­assembles the fragments is stronger than that love which took its symmetry for granted when it was whole. Hawkins solo performance on grand piano with serrated bits of staticky samples urges concentration on his assembly rather than distraction. The brief track flows into a quartet performance of Chaplin In Slow Motion which is centered upon locomotion, both acceleration and deceleration.

Mark Corroto, All About Jazz, Jan 16 2022 (EN)

 

A famous phrase by Gustav Mahler, 'tradition is not the cult of ashes but the custody of fire', we read in the booklet of the new album made by Tim Berne in tandem with guitarist Gregg Belisle-Chi: Mars (Intakt). Obviously he is always at altosax, never been a multi-instrumentalist. The same phrase could be transferred to the booklet of the new album signed by pianist Alexander Hawkins: Break a Vase(Intakt). Berne's program is clear. It is about coming to terms with tradition while continuing to look forward, if possible. But what tradition are we talking about here? That of a very advanced jazz but recognizable as a classic. The discourse on tradition is a bit complicated to clarify in this case. References to folk, early jazz, baroque or romantic music? Zero. Traditional, if you want to call it that, is this Berne compared to his solo standard that would be avant-garde? Uhm. He is clearly interested in a certain songwriting and ballad-form. But they are all relative things.

Mario Gamba, Il Manifesto online, Jan 2022 (IT)

 

The newest album of ubiquitous pianist Alexander Hawkins (1981) from UK has a lot to offer. Titles as “Faint Making Stones” (coming from the poem “Sound” of great poet Robert Creeley) and “Chaplin in Slow Motion” (coming from Eduardo Galeano’s book “Football in Sun and Shadow” and referring to ultimate soccer magician Manuel dos Santos aka Garrincha) appeal already strongly to the imagination.

Henning Bolte, Europe Jazz Network, Feb 2022 (EN)

 

Alexander Hawkins is a British jazz pianist and composer, this time introducing a new work 'Break A Vase' by a group he named MIRROR CANON.

Sana, Mochizukisana, Jan 24 2022 (EN)

 

Den britiske pianisten Alexander Hawkins, er en av dagens mest spennende pianister, orkesterledere, komponister og improvisatører. De senere årene har han gjort en rekke innspillinger, i hovedsak på Intakt Records, og vi har selvsagt anmeldt flere av dem, som hans samarbeid med saksofonisten Angelika Niescier og platen «Soul In Plain Sight» (anmeldt HER), hans store verk «Togetherness Music», et verk for 16 musikere (anmeldt HER), og hans duoprosjekter med bassklarinettisten Marco Colonna på platen «Dolphy Underlined» på Fundecja Slucha (anmeldt HER) og innspillingen «Shards and Constellations», på duo med vår favorittcellist Tomeka Reid (anmeldt HER).

Jan Granlie, Salt Peanuts, Jan 11 2022 (NO)

 

From one of this week's big releases certainly in the improvised music universe Break a Vase was recorded back in the summer in an Oxfordshire studio. And there's a lot of mobility here built up on 'Stamped Down, or Shovelled' one of two tracks streaming ahead of release from Neil Charles on bass. Pianist Alexander Hawkins sets a lively tempo with the melody led by Shabaka Hutchings. A sextet recording, Stephen Davis' drum part is added to by an extra layer of percussion from Richard Olátúndé Baker while electric guitarist Otto Fischer enhances the texture of the piece no end.

Marlbank, Jan 20 2022 (EN)

 

Volgens Nobelprijswinnaar voor literatuur (1992) Derek Walcott kunnen scherven van een gebroken vaas leiden tot nieuwe inzichten. Alexander Hawkins maakte rond deze stelling een hele cd. De Britse pianist Alexander Hawkins zit duidelijk nooit verlegen om ideeën, of het nu om de opname gaat van een solo-cd (‘Iron Into Wind’) of een project voor een zestienkoppig ensemble (‘Togetherness Music’). Voor ‘Break A Vase’ breidde hij zijn trio (bassist Neil Charles, drummer Stephen Davis) uit met Shabaka Hutchings (saxofoon, klarinet), Otto Fischer (gitaar) en Richard Olátúndé Baker (percussie). De inspiratie haalde hij uit zijn expertise bij Anthony Braxton tijdens een tournee in 2020. Charles en Davis waren er toen ook al bij. Hawkins en Hutchings deden dan op hun beurt weer andere ervaringen op aan de zijde van zowel de Ethiopische Mulatu Astatke als de Zuid-Afrikaanse Louis Moholo-Moholo. Links en onderlinge verbanden die op een of andere manier in de tien stukken binnensijpelen. Wat evenmin ontbreekt, is Hawkins’ fascinatie voor Bach en contrapunt (cfr de groepsnaam).

Georges Tonla Briquet, Jazz'halo, Feb 2022 (DE)

 

Early mornings, in the light still faint making stones, herons, marsh grass all but indistinguishable in the muck, one looks to the far side, of the sound, the sand side with low growing brush and reeds, to the long horizontal of land’s edge, where the sea is, on that other side, that outside, place of imagined real openness, restless, eternal ocean.

Ettore Garzia, Percorsi Musicali, Jan 23 2022 (IT)

 

Energie. Das ist das erste Wort, dass auf meinem Hörzettel steht. Und am Ende des ersten Hördurchgangs, stand es gleich 4 (!) mal darauf. Das erinnerte mich an etwas… Schnell nachgesehen und etwas zurückgeblättert im Notizbuch und schon wusste ich wieder woran: Meine Hörnotizen zum Album „Molecular“ des „James Brandon Lewis Quartets“. Ich hatte dieses hier übrigens ebenfalls mit großer Freude und Faszination rezensiert.

Jan van leersum, Roots Time, Jan 01 2022 (DE)

 

Sinds zijn sterke solopianoplaat Song singular weten we dat Alexan- der Hawkins en van de boeiendste figuren van de Britse jazzscene is. Kennelijk vindt ook Shabaka Hutchings dat, want hij is nu lid van Mirror Canon, de groep waarmee Hawkins deze voortreffelijke cd maakte. En zo hoort u de sax en fluit van Hutchings ens in een vol- strekt andere context dan bij Sons of Kemet of The comet is coming, want dit is echt wel avant-gardejazz vol experiment en durf.

Da Standaard, Jan 19 2022 (NL)

 

Alexander Hawkins is a dedicated student of his instruments (mainly piano and organ) and a musical pantheon that includes Johann Sebastian Bach, Anthony Braxton and Baby Face Willette. Given the depth of his instrumental command and the breadth of the musics into which he places it, the question arises, how does he put stuff together?

Bill Meyer, The Wire Magazine, Feb 2022 (EN)

 

Die aktuellste Standards-Quartett Ausführung von Anthony Braxton, welche im letzten Jahr auf der opu- lenten und in höchsten Tönen gelob- ten 13-CD Box Quartet 2020 in aller Ausführlichkeit dokumentiert ist, besteht zu drei Viertel aus den hier agierenden Hauptakteuren.

Pat Youngspiel, Concerto Magazine, Feb 2022 (DE)

 

Que cela soit aux côtés d’Evan Parker, d’Angelika Niescier ou de Tomeka Reid, Alexander Hawkins n’est jamais en manque d’inspiration quand il s’agit d’initier des duos, et plus encore de les ignifuger. Il en est de même à l’endroit de la formule trio (avec John Edwards et Steve Noble), quartet (The Convergence Quartet avec Dominic Lash, Harris Eisenstadt et Taylor Ho Bynum) ou sextet (son propre Alexander Hawkins Ensemble) pour ne citer que les plus notoires. C’est dire si le pianiste britannique fait preuve de flexibilité, d’élasticité, même quand il s’agit de composer et de composer avec autrui.

Eric Therer, JazzMania, Feb 08 2022 (FR)

 

Zerbrich eine Vase und die Liebe, die die Fragmen- te wider zusammenfugt, ist starker als die Liebe, die ire Symmetrie für selbstverständlich hilt, als sie noch ein Ganzes war. Das Zitat aus der Nobel- preis-Dankesrede von Derek Walcott git diesem Album den Titel und sagt viel aus über den jungen britischen Pianisten Hawkins, seine Herangehens- weise an dieses komplexe und wohldurchstruktu- rierte Album. Grossen Einfluss hatte offensicht- lich die Zusammenarbeit mit Anthony Braxton von 2020, die Hawkins gemeinsam mit Charles und Davis neue Horizonte eröffnete. Zusammen mit Hutchings war Hawkins auch Mitglied der jüngsten Bands des südafrikanischen Schlagzeugers Louis Moholo-Moholo und beide teilen mit Baker auch Erfahrungen an der Seite des äthiopischen Musi- kers Mulatu Astatke.

Ruedi Ankli, Jazz N'More Magazine (DE)

 

Dopo le ottime prove con gli Snake- oil e il quartetto Broken Shadows, Tim Berne riduce gli effettivi e si concentra in un duetto con il chitar- rista acustico Gregg Belisle-Chi, giovanotto di belle speranze autore già di un'incisione ('Koi') in cui ri- prendeva vari temi del sassofonista. È un dialogo serrato, conciso, carat- terizzato dai saliscendi e dagli im- provvisi di Berne così come dalle ri- sposte in tempo reale di Belisle-Chi, affermativo e dinamico negli inter- venti. La sua non è una presenza accessoria e anche se l'altista pare dominare la scena in misura mag- giore si finisce ben presto per ten- dere l'orecchio verso la controparte, che per forze di cose si ritrova a prodursi a un livello di volume un gradino inferiore. In contraddizione al titolo non è musica per volare su Marte, ma basta e avanza per stare bene sulla terra.

Blow Up Magazine No. 285, March 2022 (IT)

 

Der klassisch ausgebildete britische Pianist Alexander Hawkins eröffnet eine weitere Wunderkammer. Er erweitert sein Trio aus dem Bassisten Neil Charles und dem Schlagzeuger Stephen Davis um den Saxofonisten und Klarinettis- ten Shabaka Hutchings, den Gitarris- ten Otto Fischer sowie den Schlagzeuger Richard Olátúndé Baker.

z'kay, Klenkes Magazine, March 2022 (DE)

 

Mit einer Solominiatur am Flü- gel beginnt das neue Album »Break a Vase« von Alexander Hawkins. Der Pianist. 1981 in Oxford geboren, gehört zu den umtriebigen Protagonisten der freien britischen Szene: er hat mit Evan Parker oder John Edwards, dem südafrika- nischen Schlagzeuger Louis Moholo-Moholo oder der US- amerikanischen Free Jazz- Legende Joe McPhee gearbei- tet und zuletzt eine spannende Duo-Aufnahme mit Angelika Niescier vorgelegt.

Ulrich Rüdenauer, Jazz Podium Magazine, March 2022 (DE)

 

Zwei Solopianostücke bilden die Klammer. Sie binden die sieben Ensemblekompositionen von Alexander Hawkins zusam- men, rahmen sie formgerecht ein, was die Konsistenz des gesamten Albums garantiert. Der Opener ist als eine Art Präludium mit antigen Tasten- sprüngen her robust gehalten, während das Schlussstück mit Verfremdungen und Klang- manipulationen zwischen John Cage, Hauschka und Aphex Twin ins avantgardistische Klangutopia ausgreift.

Christoph Wagner, Jazzthetik Magazine, March 2022 (DE)

 

Come ricorda Kevin Le Gendre nelle note di copertina, il nuovo progetto del pianista inglese risente dell'influsso e della collaborazione con Anthony Braxton e certamente, aggiungo io, delle idee di Henry Threadgill. Hawkins compone un ensemble in stato di grazia che si avvia a scovare nuovi territori, affascinanti, una musica mai scontata che cresce autonoma in maniera esponenziale.

Nicola Barin, Jazz Convention, March 02 2022 (IT)

 

An intriguing connectivity exists between Alexander Hawkins Mirror Canon (the moni ker for the particular lineup with which the pia nist plays on his new album), “Break A Vase” (the album’s title track) and Hawkins’ reputa tion as a jazz improviser. These elements chan nel a delicate duality of clarity and explosive unpredictability, which thrives throughout the album’s 10 tracks.

Downbeat Magazine, March 2022 (EN)

 

ALEXANDER HAWKINS MIRROR CANON break a vase Intakt Alexander Hawkins (p, samp), Richard Olátundé Baker (perc), Neil Charles (b),Stephen Davis (dr), Otto Fischer (g), Shabaka Hutchings (ts, ss, fl) Es beginnt mit einem ganz zarten, gut einminütigen Solo des Klavierspielers. Beimzweiten Stück schlägt schon die ganze Partie zu. Alexander Hawkins hat mit Breaka Vase eine vielfarbige CD veröffentlicht. Man kennt den britischenMeisterpianisten ja primär als Solisten bzw. als Leader eines Trios mit demBassisten Neil Charles und dem Drummer Stephen Davis.

Haun, Freistil Magazine, March 2022 (DE)

 

'Rompi un vaso, e l'amore che occorrerà a metterne assieme i frammenti è più forte di quello che ne garantiva la simmetria quan- do era intero. La massima quasi zen del grande Derek Walcott campeggia all'inter- no della copertina di questa intensa opera del pianista ingles Hawkins con il suo Mir- ror Canon, formazione a geometria varia- bile della quale fa parte una delle menti più acuminate e svettanti del nuovo jazz inter- nazionale: Shabaka Hutchings, talento in- quieto, sempre all'opera su molti fronti compresa certa popular music. Si è detto, dunque, 'amore che rimette assieme i frammenti' se intendiamo qui i cocci spar- si come le mille ramificazioni che il jazz ha assunto nella propria ultracentenaria sto- ria, vivificando ora questo, ora quel tratto estetico da tradizioni diverse ma confluen- ti, allora qui c'è un disco eccelso che un tempo si sarebbe definito di 'avanguardia di sintesi'.

Guido Festinese, Audio Review Magazine, March 2022 (IT)

 

Seine neue Band hat Alexander Hawkins nach dem Spiegelka- non, einer „besonders schönen (Hawkins) Form des Kontra- punkts, benannt. Neben dem Bassisten Neil Charles und dem Schlagzeuger Stephen Davis, mit denen der britische Pianist schon oft zusammengespielt hat, gehö- ren der Band der Saxofonist Sha- baka Hutchings, der Gitarrist Otto Fischer und der Perkussio- nist Richard Olatunde Baker an.

Rolf Thomas, Jazzthing Magazine, April 2022 (DE)

 

The British pianist, composer and bandleader Alexander Hawkins, who stinted with the iconic multi-reedist Anthony Braxton in 2020, released one of the most exciting albums of last year - Togetherness Music (For Sixteen Musicians) - establishing himself as a fascinating composer. On his new outing, Break a Vase, he enlists another set of capable musicians who form the highly contrapuntal Mirror Canon ensemble.

Filipe Freitas, Jazz Trail, Jan 18 2022 (EN)

 

After Alexander Hawkins toured with the great jazz innovator and improviser Anthony Braxton in 2020, it provoked him to seek “more territories to go and explore.” A part of that discovery is this album Break a Vase, conjured with drummers Stephen Davis and Richard Olatunde Baker, bassist Neil Charles, guitarist Otto Fischer and the saxophonist of Sons of Kemet Shabaka Hutchings.

Chris Searle, Morning Star, May 17 2022 (EN)

 

Una nuova uscita discografica dell’avanguardista inglese Alexander Hawkins. Pianista, compositore, bandleader di primo piano della scena nuova scena britannica sin dai primi anni del nuovo secolo, Hawkins firma ancora per la zurighese Intakt Records, ad un anno di distanza esatto dall’acclamato 'Togheterness Music' per il suo large ensemble, un nuovo album con un progetto fresco fresco in sestetto.

Paolo Keller, Audio and podcasts, RSI, Feb 06 2022 (IT)

 

The newest album of ubiquitous pianist Alexander Hawkins (1981) from UK has a lot to offer. Titles as “Faint Making Stones” (coming from the poem “Sound” of great poet Robert Creeley) and “Chaplin in Slow Motion” (coming from Eduardo Galeano’s book “Football in Sun and Shadow” and referring to ultimate soccer magician Manuel dos Santos aka Garrincha) appeal already strongly to the imagination. It is Hawkin’s sixth album on Intakt since 2017 and a follow-up to his duo-album Soul in Plain Sight with German saxophonista Angelika Niescier (1970). Break A Vase is a fully joyful affair brought into reality by a great line-up comprising two percussionists, Stephen Davis on drum set and Richard Olátúndé Baker on African percussion, Neil Charles on double bass and acoustic bass guitar, Otto Fischer on electric guitar and Shabaka Hutchings, reeds and flute – a sextet with a programmatic name and, next to the literary references, Bach+Braxton as a deep source of inspiration. Listeners fond of variate high dynamics with exhilarating turns as and well as listeners fond of sophisticated tricky rhythmical patterns and great flow will fully and satisfactorily be served.

Henning Bolte, Europe Jazz Media Chart – Februar 2022, Radiohoerer, Feb 04 2022 (EN)

 

The music of Alexander Hawkins is rarely conventional, grounded in unpredictability. Any one particular piece is likely to undergo a troubled evolution, where the forces of change are as likely to tear sound apart as result in cohesiveness. These qualities on their own are pretty compelling. But the source of constant fascination is the pianist’s talent for bringing gorgeous streaks of melody to the surface of each song, a uniting force of all of the moving pieces. His latest, Break a Vase, is the latest illustration of this gift and, arguably, is his strongest effort to date. Hawkins is joined by percussionist Richard Olátúndé Baker, bassist Neil Charles, drummer Stephen Davis, electric guitarist Otto Fischer, and saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings. I also strongly recommend checking out this ensemble with violinist Dylan Bates on Hawkins’s excellent 2014 release, Step Wide, Step Deep.

Dave Sumner, Bandcamp, 03 Feb 2022 (EN)

 

Two enormously productive UK musicians, Hawkins and Hutchings, join together (alonside hass hotshot Neil Charles, aka Ben Marc) for this intriguing album which takes its inspiration from West Indian poet Derek Walcott's famous Nobel Prize acceptance speech: 'Break a vase, and the love that reassembles the fragments is stronger than that love which took its symmetry for granted when it was whole' Consequently, Break A Vase at first appears fragmentary and illogical, but taken as a whole and heard multiple times, it has a beautiful. crystalline logic to it; and it's as intelligent a musical interpretation of Walcott's quotation as one could wish for.

Kevin Whitlock, Jazzwise Magazine, June 2022 (EN)

 

Новый секстет британского пианиста Александра Хокинса не совсем новый: почти все участники ранее играли у него же в Alexander Hawkins Ensemble и других составах. Кроме самого Алекса за роялем и сэмплером, в группу вошли ударник Стивен Дэвис, контрабасист Ник Чарльз, гитарист Отто Фишер, звездный саксофонист Шабака Хатчингс и перкуссионист Ричард Олатунде Бейкер. И если для тех, кто знает Хокинса по полностью импровизационным составам, новый материал может показаться сюрпризом, то для внимательного исследователя наследия Александра откровений почти не случается. Вернее, это будут небольшие открытия при общем последовательном развитии идей, когда-то уже занимавших британца.

Ilya Belorukov, Jazzist, May 2022 (RU)

 

Volgens Nobelprijswinnaar voor literatuur (1992) Derek Walcott kunnen scherven van een gebroken vaas leiden tot nieuwe inzichten. Alexander Hawkins maakte rond deze stelling een hele cd. De Britse pianist Alexander Hawkins zit duidelijk nooit verlegen om ideeën, of het nu om de opname gaat van een solo-cd (‘Iron Into Wind’) of een project voor een zestienkoppig ensemble (‘Togetherness Music’). Voor ‘Break A Vase’ breidde hij zijn trio (bassist Neil Charles, drummer Stephen Davis) uit met Shabaka Hutchings (saxofoon, klarinet), Otto Fischer (gitaar) en Richard Olátúndé Baker (percussie). De inspiratie haalde hij uit zijn expertise bij Anthony Braxton tijdens een tournee in 2020. Charles en Davis waren er toen ook al bij. Hawkins en Hutchings deden dan op hun beurt weer andere ervaringen op aan de zijde van zowel de Ethiopische Mulatu Astatke als de Zuid-Afrikaanse Louis Moholo-Moholo. Links en onderlinge verbanden die op een of andere manier in de tien stukken binnensijpelen. Wat evenmin ontbreekt, is Hawkins’ fascinatie voor Bach en contrapunt (cfr de groepsnaam).

Georges Tonla Briquet, Jazz'halo, June 2022 (DE)

 

Le plus récent album de l’omniprésent pianiste Alexander Hawkins (1981), originaire du Royaume-Uni, a beaucoup à offrir. Des titres comme « Faint Making Stone » (tiré du poème « Sound » du grand poète Robert Creeley) et « Chaplin in Slow Motion » (tiré du livre Le Football, ombre et lumière d’Eduardo Galeano et qui fait référence à l’ultime magicien du football Manuel dos Santos alias Garrincha) frappent déjà fortement l’imagination.

Henning Bolte, Citizen Jazz, May 29 2022 (FR)

 

An intriguing connectivity exists between Alexander Hawkins Mirror Canon (the moniker for the particular lineup with which the pianist plays on his new album), “Break A Vase” (the album’s title track) and Hawkins’ reputation as a jazz improviser. These elements channel a delicate duality of clarity and explosive unpredictability, which thrives throughout the album’s 10 tracks.

Kira Grunenberg, DownBeat, Apr 2022 (EN)

 

Le pianiste britannique Alexander Hawkins n’a pas son pareil pour vous surprendre et vous filer entre les doigts. Il va vite : en très peu de temps, il a déjà publié six disques chez Intakt, tous différents les uns des autres. Ce sixième pourrait offrir un panorama (presque) complet de ses choix musicaux variés et éclectiques, de sa vision large et de son amour de la musique et du jazz en général – il a travaillé récemment avec Anthony Braxton par exemple. Il a donc réuni autour de lui un groupe de cinq musiciens, Mirror Canon, qui pour la plupart lui sont proches depuis l’époque où il enregistrait pour le label anglais Babel : Shabaka Hutchings (saxos ténor et soprano et flûte), Otto Fisher (guitare), Neil Charles (guitare basse acoustique et contrebasse), Stephen Davis (batterie) et Richard Olatundé Baker (percussions diverses). Sur les dix pièces, le sextette est sollicité trois fois, un quartette trois fois et un autre une fois, et trois solos de piano complètent le programme. C’est formidablement bien joué, plein de trouvailles sonores, mélodiques et harmoniques, c’est de la musique vivante ! « Break a Vase » (Intakt CD 373).

Jean Buzelin, Culture Jazz, Oct 11 2022 (FR)

 

1 Sun Ra Arkestra Living Sky Omni Sound 2 Henry Franklin/Adrian Younge/Ali Shaheed Muhammad JID014 Jazz Is Dead 3 Martin Küchen Utopia Thanatosis Produktion 4 Punkt. Vrt. Plastik Zurich Concert Intakt 5 Dave Gisler Trio with Jaimie Branch and David Murray See You Out 'There Intakt 6 Luke Stewart Silt Trio The Bottom Cuneiform 7 Jeff Parker/(Eric Revis/Nasheet Waits Eastside Romp Rogueart 8 James Brandon Lewis Quartet Molecular Systematic Music Live Intakt 9 William Parker Universal Tonality Centering 10 Hedvig Mollestad & 'Trondheim Jazz Orchestra Maternity Beat Rune Grammoton

Kevin Le Gendre, Best New Releases of 2022, Jazzwise Magazine UK, Dec 2022 (EN)

 

1 Somi Zenzile: 'The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba Salon Africana 2 Avishai Cohen Shifting Sands Naive 3 Mary Halvorson Amaryllis/Belladonna Nonesuch 4 Oren Ambarchi/Johan Berthling/ Andreas Werliin Ghosted Drag City 5 Anteloper Pink Dolphins International Anthem 6 Nduduzo Makhathini In 'The Spirit Of Ntu Blue Note 7 Alexander Hawkins Mirror Canon Break A Vase Intakt 8 Tomas Fujiwara's Triple Double March Firehouse 12 9 Joy Ellis Peaceful Place Self-release 10 Jeff Denson/Brian Blade/Romain Pilon Finding Light Ridgeway Records

Kevin Whitlock, Best New Releases of 2022, Jazzwise Magazine UK, Dec 2022 (EN)

 

Pianiste anglais né en 1981 à Oxford, Alexander Hawkins connaît un parcours ascensionnel. D’abord initié en parallèle à l’orgue dans ses jeunes années puis passé quasi exclusivement à la pratique du piano, il commence par l’apprentissage de la musique classique avant de se tourner vers le jazz. Se dégageant des conventions académiques, il se met tôt à la recherche d’un style propre en multipliant les collaborations.

Franpi Barriaux and Nicolas Dourlhès, Citizenjazz, Dec 11 2022 (FR)

 

Quest’ anno 2022 per gli amanti del jazz e della musica in generale è anche l’anno del pianista di Oxford Alexander Hawkins. Dopo l’eccellente lavoro dello scorso anno, «Togetherness Music. For Sixteen Musicians», Hawkins torna a un assetto più compatto, varando una formazione nuova di zecca.

Music’s Takin’ Over, Nov 08 2022 (IT)

 

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