English Suites (album)

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English Suites
Studio album by
Paul Lytton and Ken Vandermark
Released2000
RecordedJanuary 11, 1999; November 20, 1999
StudioChicago, United States; Hasselt, Belgium
GenreFree improvisation
LabelWobbly Rail
WOB009

English Suites is a double album by percussionist and electronic musician Paul Lytton and reed player Ken Vandermark. Disc 1 was recorded on January 11, 1999, in a Chicago studio, while disc 2 was recorded on November 20, 1999, at a concert in Hasselt, Belgium. The album was released on CD in 2000 by Wobbly Rail, an imprint of Merge Records.[1][2][3][4][5]

Reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Tom Hull – on the WebB+[6]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz[7]

In a review for All About Jazz, Micah Holmquist wrote: "The two pair up... with fine results... English Suites would serve as a good introduction to Lytton's work and any fan of either Vandermark or Lytton will want to pick it up."[5]

Ken Waxman of JazzWord called the album "a good, but not great session that will probably be appreciated by many improv followers," and stated that the track titled "Stage 3" sounds "as if the percussionist was slowly working his way through a junk pile as Vandermark outputs consistent saxophone blats sounding just this side of Big Jay McNeely."[8]

Writing for AllMusic, Scott Yanow described the music as "pretty unlistenable," "abrasive," and "jarring." He commented: "Some of the music is comprised of very intense sound explorations while at other times the sparse setting leads to some introspection, space, and long tones. The problem is that very little development takes place and none of the individual pieces... stick in one's mind."[1]

Track listing[edit]

Composed by Paul Lytton and Ken Vandermark.

CD 1
  1. "Radio 1" – 10:04
  2. "Radio 2" – 13:17
  3. "Radio 3" – 6:04
  4. "Radio 4" – 3:40
  5. "Radio 5" – 11:56
  6. "Radio 6" – 5:55
  7. "Radio 7" – 8:16
CD 2
  1. "Set One: Film 1" – 4:58
  2. "Set One: Film 2" – 9:17
  3. "Set One: Film 3" – 6:39
  4. "Set One: Film 4" – 5:22
  5. "Set One: Film 5" – 4:54
  6. "Set One: Film 6" – 8:26
  7. "Set One: Film 7" – 9:39
  9. "Set Two: Stage 1" – 5:36
  10. "Set Two: Stage 2" – 7:23
  11. "Set Two: Stage 3" – 4:38
  12. "Set Two: Stage 4" – 4:00
  13. "Set Two: Stage 5" – 2:45

Personnel[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Yanow, Scott. "Ken Vandermark: English Suites". AllMusic. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  2. ^ "Paul Lytton - English Suites". Jazz Music Archives. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  3. ^ "Wobbly Rail discography". JazzLists. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  4. ^ "English Suites by Paul Lytton & Ken Vandermark". Catalytic Sound / Bandcamp. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Holmquist, Micah (November 1, 2000). "Paul Lytton And Ken Vandermark: English Suites". All About Jazz. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  6. ^ Hull, Tom. "Jazz Consumer Guide (20): Surplus". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  7. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2004). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz. Virgin Books. p. 886.
  8. ^ Waxman, Ken (June 2, 2000). "Ken Vandermark/Paul Lytton". JazzWord. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
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