Every Day (Ninja Tune)
The Cinematic Orchestra
Released May 13, 2002
The Guardian 50 Highest Rated Jazz Albums of All Time
YouTube: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lgCHqexgmHuyAc__0HEE-3TXSntaFwyeQ
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1EUXHvyflL27HwOTQgaVuh?si=LQWGWs5_RlS3xIHt61KtWg
About:
At a time when
‘chill out’ substituted maturity for blandness and mainstream dance music
seemed to be searching for its dummy again, J. Swinscoe’s Cinematic Orchestra
returned to blow all our expectations.
Back in 1999, the group’s debut record ‘Motion’ set tongues wagging with its
unique take on modern dance music production techniques and the sheer visual
energy of its sound. Its follow-up ‘Every Day’ is deeper than the ocean and
packs a tremendous emotional punch, by turns mournful and celebratory with a
rigour that is so often lacking in contemporary cut and paste.
Across seven sweeping, dramatic tracks, the group take you on a journey through classic soul, jazz, choral pieces, sinking horn riffs, throbbing harp b-lines, minimalism and more, all imbued with a contemporary edge and an intellect that keeps things as far as possible from lazy wallpaper wank. And with guests of the calibre of Fontella Bass (the writer and performer of ’60s soul masterpiece ‘Rescue Me’ and member of free jazz renegades the Art Ensemble of Chicago) and Roots Manuva (whose contribution to ‘All Things To All Men involves the kind of lyrics that stay in your head for weeks), you know that you’re in for something special. So sit back, close your eyes and prepare to enjoy a stunning home movie from J. Swinscoe and his associates. It’s anything but everyday…
Track Listing:
1. All That You Give (Phil France / Jason Swinscoe) 6:10
2. Burn Out (Phil France / Jason Swinscoe) 10:13
3. Flite (Phil France / Jason Swinscoe) 6:35
4. Evolution (Phil France / Jason Swinscoe) 6:38
5. Man With the Movie Camera (Phil France / Jason Swinscoe) 9:09
6. All Things to All Men (Phil France / Rodney Smith / Jason Swinscoe) 11:04
7. Everyday (Phil France / Jason Swinscoe) 10:18
8. Oregon (Tom Chant / Jason Swinscoe) 3:55
9. Horizon (Phil France / Niara Scarlett / Jason Swinscoe) 4:46
Track 1 incorporates elements of the composition “Angel of Air” written by D. C Santana and T. Coster, published by Light Music (BMI).
Track 3 contains a sample of “Quiet Departures” performed by Eberhard Weber, original sound recording licensed from ECM Records.
Track 6 incorporates elements of “Petulia” by John Barry and Carolyn Leigh, published by Harwin-Music Corp/W-Seven Music Corp/Warner/Chappell Music Ltd.
Track 7 incorporates elements of “Katumbo” performed by Les Troubadours du Roi Baudouin and arranged by Pater Guido Haazen, published by Warber/Chappell Belgium/Warner Chappell Music Ltd.
Personnel:
Phil France: acoustic bass, electric bass, Fender Rhodes, piano
Luke Flowers: drums
John Ellis: electric piano, piano, synthesizer
Patrick Carpenter: electronics, turntables
Rhodri Davis: harp
Milo Fell: percussion
Tom Chant: soprano saxophone
Fontella Bass: vocals (1, 4)
Roots Manuva: vocals (6)
Niara Scarlett: vocals (9)
Kiesha Johnson: backing vocals (9)
All tracks recorded at Blows Yard Studios, except vocals on tracks 1 and 4 recorded at 4 Seasons Media Productions L.L.C., St, Louis; drums on track 3 recorded at Moolah Rouge Studios, Stockport; electric piano on track 4 recorded at Aim Studios, London; electronics on track 4 recorded at Soho Recording Studios, London.
Produced by Phil France (tracks: A1, B3 to C5) and Jason Swinscoe
Recorded by Jamie Finch
Mixed by Jason Swinscoe
Mastered by John Davis
Mixed by Alan Maudsley
Design by Openmind
Photography by Carl Fox
Review:
As music veers ever closer to the condition of interior design, a sense of space and a feeling for texture are among the qualities that distinguish the Cinematic Orchestra’s recordings from the fluffy and bland. Immaculately proportioned, their latest batch of elegant soundscapes unfurls at a pace that appears to have been dictated by the music itself – no mean achievement for musicians making full use of the available technology, which the composer/producer Jason Swinscoe and his colleagues certainly do. A powerful sense of the organic is at work, expressed in a thoughtful use of strategies borrowed from the jazz of the 1960s, the time between bop and fusion. Deeply chilled rhythm tracks feature active bass lines reminiscent in their suppleness and strength of Charlie Haden and Ron Carter, and drumming that is big on the sort of circular triplet-based feeling introduced by Elvin Jones in his work with John Coltrane’s classic quartet. Highlights include two appearances by the great Fontella Bass, a hit-maker with the soul classic Rescue Me 37 years ago, and Roots Manuva’s rap on All Things to All Men, maybe the most chilling piece of urban poetry since Robert De Niro and Bernard Herrmann collaborated on Diary of a Taxi Driver.
Richard Williams (The Guardian)
