Elton Dean, alto sax,
saxello
Paul Dunmall, tenor
sax
Paul Rogers, double
bass
Tony Levin, drums
1. Two and eleven
41.16
2. Eeedy Peedy 25.18
Recorded live at the Vortex, London. September 28th 1997
DUNS Limited Edition DLE 051
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ELTON
That unique sound played with passion and spirit. A dear friend. A good laugh. Generous and unfazed by anything. His band-leader skills. His compositions. His commitment to free playing.
His Shamanist beliefs.
His encouragement for any good musician he heard and not afraid to tell
them. His flat in Stoke Newington,
London, a gathering place and watering hole for musicians and friends for
thirty years or more. His gallery of
photographs on the wall, some very faded.
His love of sport and getting high.
Family, friends, musicians - we will all miss him greatly.
Paul Dunmall
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Maybe you too were drawn to the jazz spirit by Elton Dean
playing with Soft Machine thirty five years ago! Elton's fabulous solo at the end of Slightly
All The Time on Third still sounds fabulous but it never moved me as much as
listening to it after learning that he was no longer with us.
Elton Dean only ever sounded like himself, which was always
heartfelt and beautiful. The vitality of
this thing we call jazz, improvised music, is so great, so inspiring and so
useful that we must embrace and treasure it.
Like any sax player on the scene, Elton recognised Paul
Dunmall to be the giant that he is, and once said he thought Mujician was the
best band since Coltrane's. So to play
in the grouping presented here with Paul and the superlative Paul Rogers and
legendary Tony Levin, I know was special to him.
And the music was happening, like it always did when Elton
played. Everyone plays great and is
great.
So please forgive a bit of pre-echo from my cassette and be
thrilled by four men reminding us there's a whole other dimension out there!
Thank you Elton.
Andy Isham Feb 2006
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