Ascending The Morning
A critically acclaimed debut release from ALATI, presented as a CD on the 33Jazz with artwork made in a workshop with Norwich-based charity Musical Keys, and also in a booklet (including CD) with artwork by Morris English, the original poems, and the notation of the eight songs.
I led a workshop with Norfolk-based artist Annie Brundrit, with a group of young people from Musical Keys, cutting and pasting images of migrating birds. Several years later, these images were combined with drawings by Morris English to create this end product.
“Although combining poetry and jazz can sometimes be as thankless as mixing oil and water, ALATI has come up with a near perfect formulation.” (John Sharpe, All About Jazz)
“The writing and arrangements are very much in service to the text. In that spirit, Dowding’s own horn playing is often restrained, his breath as much part of the accompaniment as the notes he plays, so intimate is the recording.” (Andy Robson, Jazzwise)
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