ProJazz.net

This is the second album of Paul’s that we’re pulling “from the vault” in the barn here at Living Music HQ. Something in the Wind, released on A&M in 1969, is the second album recorded by The Winter Consort. It’s a further exploration of their unique blend of classical and jazz backgrounds while still exploring the folk and pop sensibilities of the time. Within the span of side A alone you’ll hear one of Bach’s Cantatas, a version of Mr. Bojangles, and a unique arrangement of a composition by Charles Ives.

From a review of the Consort at the time, “The Winter Consort is a 20th-century model of the English Renaissance consort, one of the first instrumental ensembles. The name “consort” meant “family” of instruments, and the ideal of the 16th-century consort was to achieve an organic blend of instrumental timbres, with warm and resonant woodwinds, strings, and percussion…They were, in a sense, the Rock bands of Shakespeare’s day.”

“The Consort assumes liberation as a working concept: liberating audiences from the inhibiting formality of concerts; liberating musical idols from the curse of categories and liberating their respective instruments from the limitations of stereotyped roles…A coming together, on every level, is what the Winter Consort tries to bring about. They have proven in performance for the whole gamut of audiences, from young rock fans to devout “classicists,” that their music can bridge any gap, and can open doors, for many listeners, to paths they have never travelled before.”

This is one of the relatively “rare” to find early albums of The Consort and is a unique look into a period of a group still fully exploring what’s possible. This is an original vinyl pressing of the album from 1969, still in its protective wrapping (bandcamp).

Track listing:

A1 Romeo And Juliet
A2 Cantata 127
A3 Mt Bojanges
A4 The INdians
A5 Poorvi
A6 Jenny
B1 Everybody’s Talking
B2 Thedora Is Dozing
B3 Le Tombeau De Couperin
B4 My Horse KNows The Way
B5 Ayre On A G String
B6 Point Counterpoint
B7 The Famous Pirate

Personnel:

Alto Flute – Virgil Scott
Bass – John Beal
Cello – Richard Bock
Classical Guitar – Gene Bertoncini (tracks: A1), John Stauber (tracks: A4, B3)
Classical Guitar, 12-String Acoustic Guitar – Sam Brown  (tracks: A2, B4)
Drums – Steve Booker
English Horn – Paul McCandless
Guitar [Steel-String] – Paul Prestopino (tracks: A3, A6, B1)
Lute [Baroque] – Karl Herreshoff (tracks: A1, B7)
Saxophone – Paul Winter
Tap Dance – Chuck Green (tracks: A3)
Voice – Hal McKinney (tracks: A5)

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Label: A&M Records – SP-4207
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo, Pitman Pressing
Country: US
Released: 1969