Six For Six

Kenny Wheeler confirms his understanding with CAM JAZZ by treating us to a new, invaluable recording in a sextet. For this occasion, the Canadian-born, English by adoption, trumpet and flugelhorn player has lined up Stan Sulzmann, on tenor and soprano sax, Bobby Wellins on tenor sax, John Taylor on piano, Chris Laurence on double bass and Martin France on drums. A kind of all-star British band (although Wellins is Scottish) for this new “Six For Six”, recorded in April 2008 at Bauer Studios in Ludwigsburg, Germany. This is a Kenny Wheeler, who, at the time of the recording, was almost 80 years old (he was born in Toronto in January 1930) and yet still brilliant and elegant. The album opens with a classic “call and response”, with wind and brass pursuing each other, calling to each other and interacting (“Seven, Eight, Nine - Part 1” is the title of the track, the first of eight, all penned by the leader). After this we hear clear reference to music by Miles or arrangements by Gil Evans, with a Wheeler who puts himself on a par with as his recording colleagues, choosing to not set himself up in a soloist role, but also not remain in the background, to let the others improvise on his themes. Clear, brilliant themes, in which Sulzmann and Wellins’ saxes display their talents, hereby merging with the leader’s trumpet and flugelhorn. All this under the careful scrutiny of John Taylor, the skilful arranger of chords. A new, precious stone in the monumental recordings of Wheeler, who has, by now, tackled all of the styles and phases of British and European jazz, always managing to optimise the talents of his travelling companions. A new, valuable marker of the fruitful collaboration between Wheeler and CAM JAZZ, now close to blowing out its tenth anniversary candles.

Recorded in Ludwigsburg in April 2008 at Bauer Studios Recording engineer Johannes Wohlleben

Liner notes by Brian Morton