Spring Heel Jack Sweetness Of The Water CD

The British duo of John Coxon and Ashley Wales have come a long way since their drum-and-bass beginnings in the mid-1990s. Back then Spring Heel Jack was an electronic-oriented project that put a new slant on the IDM sounds of the day. Around the time they signed to Thirsty Ear at the century's turn, they began expanding their sound in an infinite number of directions, ultimately becoming a largely acoustic-oriented, avant-garde free-jazz/modern-improv project. The version of the band that inhabits THE SWEETNESS OF THE WATER ventures even further in the aforementioned experimental direction.

Coxon and Wales had been working with saxophonist Evan Parker and bassist John Edwards (among other free jazzers) for a while, but here they crucially add legendary trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, who brings both grace and grit to the frequently stark, severe electro-acoustic settings. Space and time are suspended as Smith's trumpet and Parker's sax jab and tug at the abstract, rubato framework provided by the rhythm section. In the thick of it all, Coxon and Wales--mostly contributing guitars, keyboards, and extremely organic electronics--dab painterly touches in a highly impressionistic manner, skirting the lines between jazz, New Music, and ambient electronica with considerable prowess.

Live Recording

Spring Heel Jack: John Coxon, Ashley Wales.

Personnel: Ashley Wales (guitar, acoustic guitar, trumpet, piano, congas, electronics, sampler); John Coxon (guitar, electric guitar, harmonica, organ, vibraphone, bass drum, cymbals, electronics, sampler); Evan Parker (saxophone, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, piano); Wadada Leo Smith (trumpet); John Edwards (double bass, upright bass, drums); Mark Sanders (drums, timpani).

Audio Mixer: Guy Massey.

Recording information: Gateway Studios, Kingston, Jamaica.

Spring Heel Jack: Ashley Wales (acoustic guitar, trumpet, congas, samples, electronics); John Coxon (guitar, organ, harmonica, vibraphone, samples, electronics).

Additional personnel: Evan Parker, John Edwards , Mark Sanders , Wadada Leo Smith.

Additional personnel: Wadada Leo Smith (trumpet); Evan Parker (soprano & tenor saxophones, piano); John Edwards (bass); Mark Sanders (drums, timpani).

Magnet (p.118) - "[T]he players real-time responses to each other are exquisite."
Down Beat (p.67) - 3 stars out of 5 - "Smith gives THE SWEETNESS OF WATER its center of gravity. His use of space is one of his strengths, and perhaps his greatest debt to Davis."