Record Reviews

MICHAEL GARRICK ~ HOME STRETCH BLUES VOCALION 8426 (Barcode: 765387842628) ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 1972 Released: 2006 Pianist / composer Michael GarrickFind albums by this artist has been an icon of British Jazz for the last five decades. His exquisite touch on the keyboards, deep lyricism and unparalleled inventiveness as a composer characterize his entire legacy over time, which has very little rivalry or precedence. This album presents Garrick with his sextet (Garrick – piano and harpsichord, Henry LowtherFind albums by this artist – trumpet, Art ThemenFind albums by this artist – clarinet and sax, Dave GreenFind albums by this artist – bass, Trevor TomkinsFind albums by this artist – drums and Norma WinstoneFind albums by this artist – vocals) with Don RendellFind albums by this artist – sax on couple of tracks. The music, written as always by Garrick, is divided (by side A and side B of the original album) into two parts: part one includes three great tracks, including a song based on a poem by Alfred TennysonFind albums by this artist and part two is a five-piece suite inspired by a poem by John SmithFind albums by this artist. As usual the music is simple superb, as are the performances by the band members. Norma’s vocalese reaches an absolute peak here and her integration into the group’s overall sound is perfect. This is just about the most perfect example of the British Jazz at the time of its full maturity and a timeless masterpiece. It is a shame this music was unavailable for so long and it makes me really happy to know it can be rediscovered by a new generation of music lovers. A must!

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend