Continuum - 1970 - Continuum

Continuum

1970

Continuum

01. Invention
02. Allamande and blues
03. Allegro
04. Bouree
05. Legend of Childe Harold
    a) Revelate
    b) Dance of destruction
    c) Release
    d) Approach of judgement
    e) Apodosis

- Yoel Schwarcz / classical guitar, flute, recorder, harmonica
- John Warren / classical guitar
- Mike Hart / double bass
- Dick Wildman / drums and percussion

Continuum was conceived in Holland by Hungarian multi-instrumentalist Yoel Schwarcz in 1967. The name "Continuum" was taken from the title of exhibitions of Schwarcz's paintings in a London gallery for whom he painted professionally.

He developed his musical ideas with a Czech guitarist called "Jan" and they performed as a duo in a club in Amsterdam the following summer. Schwarcz returned to London while Jan decided to remain in Amsterdam, and shortly afterwards Schwarcz joined forces with classical guitarist John Warren. They decided to form a group to develop their common ideas, the line up being completed with the arrival of Mike Hart on double bass and Dick Wildman on drums. Although the project was formalised in the framework of a band, Schwarcz was the de-facto leader, and it was very much his baby.

RCA entered into a contract with Yoel Schwarcz (not with Continuum) and Continuum released their self-titled first album in 1970. Side one of the album consisted of four improvisations on music by Bach and Handel. Side two was a side long suite in four parts composed by non-band member Richard Hartley and based on the poetical work of Lord Byron.

By 1971, only Schwarcz remained of the line up which recorded the first album. The musicians on that album were uncomfortable with improvisation, which Schwarcz wanted to explore further. He also sought to replace some of the acoustic sounds of the band with electric ones. Although Warren had decided to leave the band, he and Schwarcz remained good friends.

In came Peter Billam and Harvey Troupe to form the rhythm section, Billam also providing lead guitar. The new line up was completed by the arrival of respected keyboard player Tim Rice (no relation to the stage show writer of that name). This line up recorded the first side of the "Autumn Grass" album, released in 1971. Once again, the album consisted of one side of classical variations, plus a Rice composition, and one side long suite. The track "Autumn grass" was written by modern composer Patrie Standford specifically for the group. Interestingly, it was actually recorded by the first line up of the group before they split up, the album sleeve listing the former band members as "guest musicians". Apart from the wonderful improvisations by Schwarcz, the piece is particularly notable for its length. At over 26 minutes, it is one of the longest (but by no means THE longest) tracks to appear on one side of an LP. This resulted in some compression of the recording being necessary, a factor which will hopefully one day be addressed by a remastering of the album for CD. (Their first album has recently been remastered and re-released in Germany).

The band continued to tour after the release of "Autumn Grass", but the ubiquitous musical differences emerged, and founder Schwarcz decided it was time for him to move on. The remaining members kept the band going for a further few months, but when it became clear that their efforts were futile, they disbanded.

Yoel Schwarcz went on to become a session musician and sound engineer, touring with Henry Cow among others. He had spells living and working in France and the UK being involved in a diverse range of sound related projects. He retired from that work in early 2006 and bought a small farm in the Loire valley, where he is still active in the fields of music and art.

Released in 1970, Continuum's first album is a confident statement consisting of three pieces based on Bach compositions, one based on Handel's "Allegro", and a side long suite composed for the band by Richard Hartley. There are lengthy sleeve notes explaining the compositions further, and I shall borrow from these during the review (although they are at times complex, perhaps even pretentious). Quotes from the sleeve notes are shown thus ^quote ^.

The album opens with "Invention", a band composition based on Bach's "Invention no. 13 in A minor". The two classical guitar players in the band pick up the theme before multi-instrumentalist Yoel Scwarcz switches to recorder and then flute. The piece was ^originally written as a counterpoint exercise ^, the band increasingly improvising away from the main theme.

"Allemande and blues" is another Bach inspired band composition. Guitarist John Warren ^plays the solo Allemande, a running dance in 4/4 beginning with an upbeat before digging into an earthy blues ^. Double bassist Mike Hart (the band use an acoustic double bass in place of a bass guitar), switches to bowing the strings for part of the track here. The blues section offers something of a contrast to the rest of the album, the flute improvisation being similar to Steel Mill's "Green eyed god".

Allegro" is the only non-Bach inspired piece on the first side, the track being based on Handel's "Harpsichord suite no. 7". The classical guitarists alternate solos before Schwarcz moves into a harmonica improvisation. This section has even more of a blues feel than the previous track, the descending bass line offering much more of rock beat.

Side one closes with Richard Hartley's "Bouree" taken from Bach's "Second English suite". The medieval atmosphere of the track emphasises the fact that Bach composed the suite ^ for the English ^. The sleeve notes state that ^the theme is stated on recorder and guitar, before the bass leads into a rhythmically intriguing prelude to a 24-bar improvisation in the relative minor ^.

The excursions of the first side act as a preparation for the more intense explorations of the second ^. Side two of the album is occupied entirely by "Legend of Chile Harold" composed by Richard Hartley. The piece is based on the poetic works of Lord Byron, and is ^a thinly veiled indictment on the world of the time.

The suite is in five named sections, each having a sub-title describing the part of Childe Harold's journey being depicted by the track. For example "Approach of Judgement" is described as ^Sure doom advance, half remembered dances haunt on^.

Musically, the piece opens with heavy cello, not unlike some of ELO's early work, with phased strings and a dramatic feel. The extra strings added to the suite offer a slightly more classical feel, although the piece is still largely improvisational, with a jazz rock basis. The "Dance of destruction" section reflects ^The subtlety of man's inhumanity passed off as glory^, It has ^an 8 bar theme broken by a solitary 7 bar passage, and swings into a baroque vein gypsy dance^. As the piece develops, Schwarcz adds one of his fine lengthy flute improvisations, something he would do to fine effect again on the following "Autumn grass" album. Towards the end of the suite, the band experiment with electronic sounds and effects, the structure almost disappearing completely before being brought back together for a brief symphonic conclusion.

Why Continuum never gained the recognition the deserved is a matter for conjecture. Perhaps it was because they took themselves just a little too seriously, or maybe they were simply ahead of their time. Whatever the reasons, their debut album shows them to be highly talented performers, who were not afraid to venture beyond the confines of traditional rock and classical music, resulting in a couple of fine but criminally ignored albums.

This band is an Unidentified Flying Group, that is all too forgotten. This extremely eclectic debut is only partly in the rock realm, but its folk, classical, pre-classical, blues, jazz and avant-garde influences is making it one of the hardest album to classify. This international quartet founded by Hungarian wind and acoustic guitar player Yoel Schwarcz, but based in Netherlands and England, certainly took a rather bold turn in reworking the classics, like Ekseption and Trace and much later Sky would, but here the interpretation are bold, daring, dazzling and inventive, mostly because the group built on the piece (Bach and Handel mostly) instead of adapting and electrifying them. Continuum even takes the risk of re-working Bourée and as you would've guessed, it does not match Tull's, but does stand on its own.