Carla Bley - Fancy Chamber Music [1998]

Personnel: Carla Bley (piano); Allison Hayhurst (flute); Sara Lee (clarinet, glockenspiel); Steve Morris (violin);
Andrew Byrt (viola); Emma Black (cello); Steve Swallow (bass); Chris Wells (percussion).

Song List :
1. Wolfgang Tango
2. Romantic Notion #4
3. End Of Vienna
4. Tigers In Training
5. Romantic Notion #6
6. JonBenet

Carla Bley has always been a composer of great precision, examining and elaborating subtle nuances with fine detail. It therefore comes as no surprise
that she recorded this set of six compositions for a small ensemble of primarily classical-based players. Starting with several commissioned pieces
already written, she completed additional work and then recorded the album in London during a tour and musical residency.

European traditions have empowered much of Bley's work and do so again here. Her scoring for strings eschews the wit usually associated with her
more jazz-based work. "End Of Vienna" is a stirring nine-minute melancholic reverie. "Tigers In Training" (at 19 minutes, the longest work on the album)
boldly melds percussion into the mix, creating an undulating tapestry that more than deserves its duration.

Recorded at Snake Ranch Studios, London, England on December 5 & 6, 1997. Includes liner notes by Phillip Norris, Carla Bley.

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