The duo of Lol Coxhill (b. 1932) and Veryan Weston (b. 1950) appeared on two LP records in 1978. Since then there has been nothing, even though they have continued to work as a duo, as well as working together and separately in many other contexts. Once again, Emanem steps in to fill an outrageous gap in the documentation of vital music!
They first met at the Little Theatre Club in 1972, shortly after Weston had moved to London from the only county of England that does not consider itself to be part of England. However, they did not make music together until a few years later, when they were both artists in residence at Digswell House in Welwyn Garden City.
For some considerable time previously, Coxhill had been making forays from Aylesbury into London, becoming a moveable fixture on the jazz and rock scenes. He was already making a name for himself as a free improviser, as well as a free spirit.
Coxhill had also justifiably acquired a reputation as a comedian and actor. For some people this has distracted from his real musical talents. Hopefully, this CD (among others) will help to counteract this misconception, for there is virtually no overt humour here. The smile on your face should simply be caused by the joy of listening to excellent music.
As well as being one of the stalwarts of the London improvising scene, Weston also has been involved (a) in playing jazz, (b) in writing and performing composed music (you know, the legitimate, serious, straight type), and (c) working with Phil Minton which means crossing all known musical boundaries. For several years he supplemented gig earnings as a part-time lecturer on university music courses, and several of the younger musicians on the scene have passed through his courses, benefiting from his guidance and breadth of musical knowledge.
For this recording, Weston, long a resident of Welwyn Garden City (about twenty miles north of London), arranged to borrow a local room with a good piano for a few hours, thanks to Peter Twichin who runs the Mid-Herts Music Centre. Fifteen of the twenty pieces recorded are presented here in the order they were performed. All but three are complete as played. Coxhill and Weston reveal themselves to be very different to each other, and yet they fit together like the closest and best of duos. The end result is so fine, that one wishes that there had been more recordings of this duo since 1978.
MARTIN DAVIDSON (1998)
>>> Większa okładka A <<<
|
|
