Envoi (album)

Last updated
Envoi
Envoi cover.jpeg
Live album by
Bill Dixon
Released2011
RecordedMay 22, 2010
Victoriaville, Canada
Genre Jazz
Length53:05
Label Victo
Producer Bill Dixon
Bill Dixon chronology
Tapestries for Small Orchestra
(2009)		Envoi
(2011)

Envoi is an album by American jazz trumpeter Bill Dixon, which was recorded live at the 2010 edition of the Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville and released on the Canadian Victo label. Dixon reassembled the nonet previously employed on Tapestries for Small Orchestra . It was his last concert, which took place less than a month before he died. Dixon’s failing health required that his solos were prerecorded and played back during the performance. [1]

Contents

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
All About Jazz Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [2]

The Musicworks review by Stuart Broomer states "The music initially suggests the cutting cry of Miles Davis’s Sketches of Spain but moves subtly and constantly through a series of phases that further exploit the sombre side of trumpet sonority... By the final explosion of collective improvisation, it's telling how much distance has been covered in Envoi's two long movements." [3]

Dave Sumner, writing for Bird is the Worm, commented: "Ominous throaty notes like voices calling out from deep beneath the sea, the unnerving pitter-patter of drumsticks that grow closer then fade with a crash of cymbals, cello like a haunting wind gusting amongst the trees, bursts of vibes like moonlight cutting through darkened clouds... and then, like the first hint of sunlight, the high call of trumpet and a promise of hope and safety. Dixon's music is signified by emotionally incendiary cross-currents... Bill Dixon continued recording up 'til the very end. His final work possesses all of the punch of earlier albums, and provides every reason to celebrate this recording while also contemplating jazz's loss." [4]

In an article for The Village Voice, Francis Davis wrote: "Sporadically clamorous but more often flat-out lovely, and chamber-like rather than orchestral despite its five horns..., Envoi is a fitting valedictory statement—reminiscent of Ives as well as Miles Davis and Gil Evans here and there..." [5]

Writing for The Squid's Ear, Florence Wetzel remarked: "Releases by Dixon have always been cause for celebration, and that's particularly true now with Envoi... Overall Envoi is a stunningly beautiful work that the listener will return to again and again... Foreground and background shift constantly as the brass drops back and the rhythm section moves forward, and beautiful melodic lines often end abruptly or dissolve into distortion. Dixon has created a field of sound where just about anything can emerge, and as each section unfolds the listener is entranced by the harmonic interweaving, and enfolded into the music's profound emotional depths... Envoi is an indispensable release. Period." [6]

Ed Hazell, in a review for Moment's Notice, wrote: "The sound world is one that Dixon created again and again, but the events still sound fresh and full of wonder for the infinite possibilities of music. Dixon makes great use of sonic extremes, pitting very high trumpets against very low bass and contrabass clarinet with nothing occupying the space between them. It is music of immense clarity and power... there is a sense of Dixon as an orchestral composer of large architectures that establish distinct boundaries for improvisation, but allow freedom of movement with its walls... To the end, Dixon was a master of drama, unwilling to be anything other than unsentimental and absolutely honest, and unwavering in his vision." [1]

Track listing

All compositions by Bill Dixon
  1. "Envoi - Section I" - 24:31
  2. "Envoi - Section II" - 27:37
  3. "Epilogue" - 0:57

Personnel

Related Research Articles

Cornet Musical instrument

The cornet is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B♭, though there is also a soprano cornet in E♭ and cornets in A and C. All are unrelated to the Renaissance and early Baroque cornett.

Flugelhorn Brass musical instrument

The flugelhorn, also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet but has a wider, more conical bore. Like trumpets and cornets, most flugelhorns are pitched in B♭. It is a type of valved bugle, developed in Germany in the early 19th century from a traditional English valveless bugle. The first version of a valved bugle was sold by Heinrich Stölzel in Berlin in 1828. The valved bugle provided Adolphe Sax with the inspiration for his B♭ soprano (contralto) saxhorns, on which the modern-day flugelhorn is modeled.

Septet

A septet is a formation containing exactly seven members. It is commonly associated with musical groups but can be applied to any situation where seven similar or related objects are considered a single unit, such as a seven-line stanza of poetry. In jazz, a septet is any group of seven players, usually containing a drum set, string bass or electric bass, and groups of one or two of the following instruments, guitar, piano, trumpet, saxophone, clarinet, or trombone. See, for example, Miles Davis, and Septet by Chick Corea.

Epitaph is a composition by jazz musician Charles Mingus. It is 4,235 measures long, takes more than two hours to perform, and was only completely discovered during the cataloguing process after his death. With the help of a grant from the Ford Foundation, the score and instrumental parts were copied, and the work itself was premiered by a 30-piece orchestra, conducted by Gunther Schuller and produced by Mingus's widow, Sue, at Alice Tully Hall on June 3, 1989, 10 years after his death, and issued as a live album. It was performed again at several concerts in 2007.

<i>Both Sides Now</i> (Joni Mitchell album) 2000 studio album by Joni Mitchell

Both Sides Now is a concept album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell that was released in 2000. It is her 17th studio album. The album won two Grammy Awards in 2001 for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album and Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) for the song "Both Sides, Now" and a Juno Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year.

The Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Symphony Orchestra was a group of Hollywood session musicians organized by Frank Zappa in 1967 to record music for his first solo album Lumpy Gravy. Some of these musicians are thought to have worked together in various combinations under the leadership of Ken Shroyer as far back as 1959. However, it was Zappa who gave them the name several years later.

The First Suite in E♭ for Military Band, Op. 28, No. 1, by the British composer Gustav Holst is considered one of the cornerstone masterworks in the concert band repertoire. Officially premiered in 1920 at the Royal Military School of Music, the manuscript was originally completed in 1909. Along with the subsequent Second Suite in F for Military Band, written in 1911 and premiered in 1922, the First Suite convinced many other prominent composers that serious music could be written specifically for band.

<i>Miles & Quincy Live at Montreux</i> 1993 live album by Miles Davis and Quincy Jones

Miles & Quincy: Live at Montreux is a collaborative live album by American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis and conductor Quincy Jones. It was recorded at the 1991 Montreux Jazz Festival and released by Warner Bros. Records in 1993.

<i>Concert in the Garden</i> 2004 studio album by Maria Schneider

Concert in the Garden is the fourth studio album by American jazz composer Maria Schneider. The album was released in 2004 by ArtistShare and won the Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album in 2005.

<i>Intents and Purposes</i> 1967 studio album by Bill Dixon

Intents and Purposes is an album by American jazz trumpeter Bill Dixon, which was released in 1967 on RCA Victor. Despite critical acclaim at the time, it was soon out of print except for appearances in 1972 on Japanese RCA and later in 1976 on French RCA. The album was reissued on CD by International Phonograph in 2011. The album's title is an example of a Siamese twins idiomatic expression.

<i>17 Musicians in Search of a Sound: Darfur</i> 2008 live album by Bill Dixon

17 Musicians in Search of a Sound: Darfur is a live album by American jazz trumpeter Bill Dixon. The project, a tour de force of orchestral composition, conduction and improvisational exploration, was specially commissioned by Arts for Art, recorded at the 2007 Vision Festival and released on AUM Fidelity.

<i>Tapestries for Small Orchestra</i> 2009 studio album by Bill Dixon

Tapestries for Small Orchestra is an album by American jazz trumpeter Bill Dixon, which was recorded in 2008 and released on Firehouse 12 Records. The triple disc set includes two audio CDs of specially commissioned original music plus a documentary film featuring interviews and session footage. The small orchestra is a nine-piece group with personnel drawn, for the most part, from the large ensemble that recorded 17 Musicians in Search of a Sound: Darfur a year before.

<i>The Blues Roar</i> 1965 studio album by Maynard Ferguson

The Blues Roar is an album released by Canadian jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson featuring tracks recorded in 1964 and originally released on the Mainstream label.

<i>Certified</i> (Herb Robertson album) 1991 studio album by Herb Robertson

Certified is the fourth album by trumpeter Herb Robertson which was recorded and released in 1991 on the JMT label.

<i>Creative Construction Company Vol. II</i> 1976 live album by Creative Construction Company

Creative Construction Company Vol. II is a 1976 album by the jazz collective Creative Construction Company, originally released on the Muse label.

<i>Sylva</i> (Snarky Puppy album) 2015 live album by Snarky Puppy and Metropole Orkest

Sylva is an album by American jazz fusion group Snarky Puppy that was released on May 26, 2015. It was a collaboration between the band and the Metropole Orkest from the Netherlands. It won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. According to Michael League, each song on the album is about a different forest.

<i>Lovers</i> (Nels Cline album) 2016 studio album by Nels Cline

Lovers is an album by guitarist Nels Cline which was released in August 2016 on the Blue Note label. Cline stated " I hope Lovers offers something of an update of the 'mood music' idea and ideal, while celebrating and challenging our iconic notion of romance".

<i>The Complete Braxton</i> 1973 studio album by Anthony Braxton

The Complete Braxton is an album by American jazz saxophonist and composer Anthony Braxton recorded in 1971 and released on the Freedom label.

Data Lords is an album by the Maria Schneider Orchestra that was released in 2020. The tracks of the album are thematically organized in two sections, which the liner notes call "a story of two worlds" and are much like a two-disk release. The two sections are named "The Digital World" and the "The Natural World".

References

  1. 1 2 Hazell, Ed. "Bill Dixon: Envoi". Moment's Notice. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  2. ↑ AAJ Italy Staff. "Bill Dixon: Envoi". All About Jazz. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  3. ↑ Broomer, Stuart. Envoi review at Musicworks
  4. ↑ Sumner, Dave (2012). "Bill Dixon – 'Envoi'". Bird is the Worm. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  5. ↑ Davis, Francis (July 13, 2011). "Bill Dixon's Dance Notation". The Village Voice. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  6. ↑ Wetzel, Florence (September 26, 2011). "Bill Dixon: Envoi". The Squid's Ear. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.