Kenny Wheeler, Lee Konitz, Dave Holland, Bill Frisell - Angel Song

Kenny Wheeler, Lee Konitz, Dave Holland, Bill Frisell — Angel Song

First-time LP release from the Luminessence Series

Tip-on gatefold jacket and double LP set

"Destined to go down in history as a jazz classic" was the verdict with which The Guardian greeted this album on its release in 1997, saying, "Wheeler's compositions and four of the world's greatest improvisers make for a tranquil set that rewards with every listening. This is beautiful, golden music."

Angel Song is among the apexes of the label's catalog, uniting four master-improvisers — each with a unique artistic identity — in an intimate, drummer-less quartet session. Kenny Wheeler is the composer of the nine hauntingly lyrical chamber-elaborations and endows them with his singular timbre on flugelhorn and trumpet in expressive melodic exchanges with alto saxophonist Lee Konitz.

Dave Holland's bass-foundation is as compelling as ever, giving Bill Frisell all the freedom for harmony-encompassing improvisation. The verdict of The Times was equally jubilant: "This is a stirringly beautiful album: Holland's lithe dependability providing the anchor for the dignified sonorousness of Konitz, the flickering grace of Frisell and the plangent tenderness of Wheeler himself."

Recorded February 1996, Power Station, New York

 

Side A

1. Nicolette

2. Present Past

3. Kind Folk

4. Unti

Side B

1. Angel Song

2. Onmo

3. Nonetheless

4. Past Present

5. Kind Of Gentle

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