The Cort猫ge

by Mike Westbrook Orchestra

The Cort猫ge cover art
  • Type: Album
  • Released: 1982
  • Label: Original
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Length: 2:17:09
  • Community rating: 4.03/5 from 5 ratings

Artists on this release: Guy Barker, Fiachra Trench, Chris Biscoe, Chris Hunter, Dave Barry, Lindsay Cooper, Dave Plews, Brian Godding, Phil Todd, Alan Sinclair, Laurence Aston, Mike Westbrook Orchestra, Malcolm Griffiths, Georgie Born, Dick Pearce, Steve Cook, Phil Minton

Album Notes & Community Reviews

Originally commissioned by the Bracknell Jazz Festival, this monumental double-album is widely considered Westbrook's magnum opus. The three-part suite sets the poetry of Rimbaud, Hesse, and others to an incredibly ambitious, mournful blend of big band jazz, European classical forms, and avant-garde exploration. It features stunning vocal performances by Phil Minton, anchoring the deeply emotional meditation on mortality and the human condition.

Genres

Descriptors: Avant Garde, conceptual, complex, death, avant-garde, ensemble, orchestral, theatrical, suite, improvisational

Tracklist

  1. It Starts Here (5:20)
  2. Democratie (7:55)
  3. Berlin 16.2.79 (9:25)
  4. Erme Estuary (11:13)
  5. Knivshult / Ash wednesday (4:56)
  6. Ruote Che Girano (6:50)
  7. Piano (3:06)
  8. Le帽ador (11:30)
  9. July '79 (12:57)
  10. Enfance (14:07)
  11. Cordoba (8:11)
  12. Santarcangelo (16:55)
  13. Kyrie (5:22)
  14. A Hearth Burns (11:10)
  15. Graffitti (8:05)

Credits

  • Mike Westbrook Orchestra - primary artist, voice [voices]
  • Chris Hunter - alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, flute, soloist, alto saxophone, soloist, tenor saxophone
  • Chris Biscoe - baritone saxophone, alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, alto clarinet, flute, ensemble [trio], alto clarinet, soloist, alto saxophone, soloist, baritone saxophone
  • Steve Cook - bass, soloist, bass guitar, ensemble [trio], bass guitar, written-by
  • Lindsay Cooper - bassoon, oboe, sopranino saxophone, soloist, bassoon, ensemble [trio], bassoon
  • Georgie Born - cello, ensemble [trio], cello
  • Dave Barry - drums, percussion, written-by
  • Brian Godding - guitar, soloist, guitar, written-by, ensemble [trio], guitar

More from Mike Westbrook Orchestra: full discography