Paul Dunmall (tenor, C and Bb soprano saxophones, penny whistle) first came to prominence when he joined Marsupilami in time for their second album, 1971’s ‘Arena’, since when he has been both a sideman (for the likes of Elton Dean, Keith Tippett, Barry Guy, Johnny “Guitar” Watson and countless others) as well as leading his own outfits for 40 years. Here he is delivering his sixth album in two years for Discus Music, with all tracks recorded on 12th March this year apart from “Blues For Truth” which was recorded last year with the same line-up as part of ‘Red Hot Ice’ session. There are nine musicians in the core band, plus another four who played on some of the tracks as well, so there is a lot going on in the studio, and there is a requirement for some serious sight reading as this is complex music which is taking jazz into different areas with a large amount of improvisation as well as a great deal of harmonies.
I listen to a great deal of free jazz these days, so I find this fascinating as while there are times when this music fits into that genre, there are others where it is quite structured with harmonies as the music builds and develops, providing a result which is always intriguing as one never knows where the listener is going to be taken. It is a path less travelled to be sure, and there are times when it is rocky and steep, but there are also times when the vistas open up and the trekker understands that it is the combination and juxtaposition of the two which provides the real beauty. This is not for those who want their path to be concrete and easy, but for those how understand the rugged beauty of not following the crowd and becoming enriched by the experience.
He may be well into his seventies now, but Dunmall shows no sign at all of slowing down.
Rating: 8/10
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100027199076241
https://discus-music.org/