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Apollo Saxophone Quartet

© Chris Mindel

I must admit, I was once a member of one of those CD-a-month clubs. I joined to get the twelve CD's for the price of one. There were only two saxophone CD's listed, so I bought both. Luck has a way of opening one's eyes sometimes. One of the two CD's I purchased was First & Foremost, by the Apollo Saxophone Quartet.

The four members are Tim Redpath, Rob Buckland, Andrew Scott, with John Harle as the artistic advisor. John Harle also plays on a few pieces, as do Mike Hamnett, Roy Powell, and Will Gregory. This is one of the greatest groups I have heard. Their intonation and phrasing are tight; they express such a variety of emotions during this recording. And the pieces they have selected are incredible. Let's go down the playlist.

The first eight tracks are "Children's Songs" (numbers 16 & 4, 9, 3, 11, 2, 6, 7, 18) by Chick Corea. I have always enjoyed Mr. Corea's music. It is very passionate about its subject matter. The subject for these songs are, indeed, children. You can close your eyes and remember your own childhood through the music very vividly. Particularly striking is the use of the teasing minor third, with the stormy background. I was reminded of bullies and battles, conflicts and thunder. You'll feel old after reliving this childhood path, but you'll also feel very wise.

The second four, "Songs for Tony," by Michael Nyman. The liner notes explain that as Mr. Nyman was working on a sax quartet, his friend and business manager finally succumbed to cancer. His name was Tony Simons. It is very easy to tell that Tony and Michael's souls are in this piece of music. There is one song with a tenor solo, where you can hear and feel the pain caused by the loss of such a good friend. The music pleads for its companion. I am breathless and solemn even remembering this wonderful tribute quartet.

The next piece on the list is David Bedford's "Fridiof Kennings." A 'kenning' is an Icelandic expression, such as "Odin's Wrath" to indicate thunder. This is a very interesting piece. It is mostly rhythmic, with a tambourine beating out a steady beat. "There are four bars grouped as follows: 12312312/123123/12312312/121212." And each player plays at his own speed. This leads to some very fascinating overlaps, and times where the listener holds onto the tambourine beat for fear of being rushed down the syncopated river. The other wonderful part of this piece is the finale, where all the saxophonists start on soprano and work their way down to baritone. Wonderful.

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