''At the Vortex'' is a live album by saxophonist

Evan Parker Evan Shaw Parker (born 5 April 1944) is a British tenor and soprano saxophone player who plays free improvisation. Recording and performing prolifically with many collaborators, Parker was a pivotal figure in the development of European free ja ...

, bassist

Barry Guy Barry John Guy (born 22 April 1947, in London, England) is an English composer and double bass player. His range of interests encompasses early music, contemporary composition, jazz and improvisation, and he has worked with a wide variety of or ...

, and drummer

Paul Lytton Paul Lytton (born 8 March 1947, London) is an England, English free jazz and free improvisation, free improvising percussionist. Lytton began on drums at age 16. He played jazz in London in the late 1960s while taking lessons on the tabla from ...

. It was recorded on June 26, 1996, at

The Vortex ''The Vortex'' is a play in three acts by the English writer and actor Noël Coward. The play depicts the sexual vanity of a rich, ageing beauty, her troubled relationship with her adult son, and drug abuse in British society circles after the ...

in London, and was released by

Emanem Records Emanem Records is a record company and independent record label founded in London, England in 1974 by Martin Davidson and Madelaine Davidson to record free improvisation. Its headquarters moved to New York City (1975–76), New Jersey (1979 ...

in 1998. In his liner notes, recording engineer Martin Davidson stated that the recording was made before a "large enthusiastic audience," and noted: "Such an audience generally feeds-back to the musicians, spurring them on to even greater heights than usual, as happened on this occasion, resulting in music that is more outgoing than would probably occur in a studio situation."

Reception

In a review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, François Couture called the album "an essential recording," and wrote: "There is no shortage of albums by this band, but ''At the Vortex'' ranks as one of, if not downright, its strongest recording. Why? Because it was done in perfect conditions, with all musicians in astonishing shape, on home court, so to speak... The strength, the inspiration, the spirit, the simple joy of playing together: That's what this music is all about... Strongly and heartily recommended." The authors of ''

The Penguin Guide to Jazz ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which were (at the time of publication) currently available in Europe or the United States. The first nine editions were compiled b ...

'' awarded the album a full 4 stars, and stated: "Those who were there still talk about this mid-summer encounter at North London's 'listening jazz club'. Those who weren't will probably have tired of hearing about it and will be relieved that they too can now sample this extraordinary session." Writing for ''

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

'', Robert Spencer commented: "This was one great night for all three: Both sets are tapestries of moods and textbook examples of how free playing can remain fresh and imaginative. For the attentive listener, ''At the Vortex'' will become one of this deservedly celebrated trio's most rewarding recordings."

Peter Margasak Peter Margasak is a music critic, journalist, and artistic director of the annual Frequency Festival in Chicago, an event that grew out of his longstanding work programming the weekly Frequency Series for experimental, improvised, and contempora ...

of the ''

Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. The ''Reader'' has been ...

'' singled out Lytton's playing for praise, noting that he "contributes a frenetic sprawl of metallic clangs, crashes, thwacks, and patter, shifting from violent to delicate in a flash and perpetually driving the others into unexpected territory."

Track listing

# "At the Vortex (First Set)" – 38:14 # "At the Vortex (Second Set)" – 40:21

Personnel

– tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone *

– bass *

– drums, percussion, cymbal

References

{{Authority control 1998 live albums 1998 collaborative albums Live free jazz albums Evan Parker live albums Barry Guy live albums Paul Lytton live albums Emanem Records live albums