Michael Garrick - 1971 - Epiphany Mr Smith's Apocalypse

Michael Garrick

1971

Epiphany Mr Smith's Apocalypse

01. Mr Smith's Apocalypse (Part One)

02. Mr Smith's Apocalypse (Part Two)

CD Tracklist:

01. Epiphany 3:38

Mr Smith's Apocalypse - Part 1

02. Blues 1:51

03. Invocation 1:15

04. In The Silence Of God 3:33

05. Who Can Endure? 3:49

06. Speak, God! 1:22

07. For We Are Lost 3:01

08. I Have Torn Up 0:58

09. You Are Fools 1:48

10. Some Men Live On The Mountain 5:00

11. I Saw The Face 5:20

12. How May We Understand? 1:14

Mr Smith's Apocalypse - Part 2

13. Organ Improvisation 0:58

14. Blues 1:51

15. Invocation 1:35

16. Who Will Plead For Us? 2:12

17. I Took Myself Off To The Doctor 3:51

18. What Is This Clamour? 2:15

19. Who Hath Made Man's Heart? 1:19

20. Childrens' Chorus 3:00

21. I Will Speak, I Will Say 0:57

22. Heart, Like A Dove, Be Still 2:56

23. The Waters Of Love 1:38

24. To The Celebration 2:40

- -

25. Blessed Are The Peacemakers 3:59

Choir – Andrew Baird (2) (tracks: 2 to 24), Brian Newman (2) (tracks: 2 to 24), Bryony Comley (tracks: 2 to 24), David Gooder (tracks: 2 to 24), Edna Latham (tracks: 2 to 24), John Pattinson (tracks: 2 to 24), John Reading (2) (tracks: 2 to 24), Margaret Savage (tracks: 2 to 24), Reg Fletcher (tracks: 2 to 24), Simone Lewis (tracks: 2 to 24), Vernon Mound (tracks: 2 to 24)

Conductor – Peter Mound

Double Bass – Coleridge Goode, Dave Green (tracks: 1, 25)

Organ, Music By – Michael Garrick

Percussion – Trevor Tomkins

Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute – Don Rendell

Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute – Art Themen

Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Henry Lowther

Vocals – Betty Mulcahy, George Murcell, John Smith , Norma Winstone

Tracks 1 & 25: Original EP AFW105 (c. 1971)

Tracks 2-24: Original LP ZAGF1 (1971)

Leader Michael Garrick amidst his best albums of the early 70’s formed a special project which didn’t fit his usual sextet formations, and therefore created Garrick’s Fairground and wrote the concept of God’s absence or non-existence. Garrick had often used the vocals in jazz in unusual manners as shown by the outstanding Lotus album and the future Troppo disc to come, but also dealing with poetry in jazz. This present ambitious work indeed took his vocals idea a few step further (read: out there), this time using full choirs, on top of four lead voices, the best-known being Norma Winstone. Given the album’s line-up for the musicians, I had the warmest and highest expectations from this promisingly-titled album, most notably the presence of 4/5 of the RCQ (only Carr is missing) and wind-men Lowther and Themen. Alas deception was at hand, because the emphasis is more on the vocal experiences than on the jazz music, often not really that jazz, per se. Indeed, while there is definitely jazz base on MSA, it is kind of unique and escapes ready-made description and usual pigeonholes. Indeed the choral passages are often very complex and expressive: the lyrics are rather strong (courtesy of Poet John Smith >> can’t invent THAT, right? ;o)) and emotional, often veering incredibly cheesy and tacky, sometimes even evoking the Kobaian choirs of Magma, but also operatic or music-hall moments.

Michael Garrick – born in 1933 – is a peculiar character of English music who undoubtedly should be better known and appreciated by a larger segment of record-consuming population. His compositional attitude shows both admiration for traditions and the urge of trying new solutions in settings and orchestrations that mix lots of different ideas and influences. This probably derives from being self-taught (hey – the best talents own gifts, did you ever notice that?) and, in fact, he was once expelled by a piano lesson for inserting a quote from “In the mood” during a pupils’ exhibition. The main feature Garrick is remembered for, though, is the fusion of jazz and poetry, of which this CD – reissuing an LP from 1971 – is a great example. The basic concept underlying poet John Smith’s writings is that “god never seems to listen, never intervenes when most desperately needed and prayed to” (this was then; one wonders what Mr. Smith would have written today). The leader, who plays organ throughout, adapted the lyrics to the score in such a fashion that the outcome, a so called “jazz cantata”, sounds like a cross of twisted excerpts from musicals – “Jesus Christ Superstar” to “Tommy”, to name a couple that sprang to mind – enhanced by strange intervallic designs and harmonically complicated passages nearing the whole to the most intricate progressive rock. The principal vocalists are Norma Winstone, George Murcell and Betty Mulcahy besides Smith himself; the band comprises Henry Lowther (trumpet, flugelhorn), Don Rendell and Art Themen (tenor & soprano saxes, clarinet, flute), Coleridge Goode (double bass), Trevor Tompkins (percussion). Eccentric, abnormal music that requires attention in large doses and repays it in full. The reissue is completed by two tracks, “Epiphany” and “Blessed are the peacemakers”, that came out in the same year on an EP, then disappeared; the latter in particular is a splendid song, somehow recalling the work of Christian and Stella Vander in Magma and Offering, a reinforcement of my suggestion to get a copy of this forgotten gem. Bizarre, yet so interesting.

Killer, deep spiritual jazz with vocals of Norma Winstone - sounds like Strata East meets Pharoah Saunders etc in London! Wicked.