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Norma Winstone


ghost of miles

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I'm more of a fan of her earlier, more experimental vocal side.

She used to be with an ensemble called Azimuth and before that

did a quite good album called Edge of Time. I may not

have given her a fair shake when it comes to her singing of standards

because it was a bit of an unexpected direction - one that I wasn't

prepared for, so maybe I need to sit with Well Kept Secret some more.

Rod

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I'm more of a fan of her earlier, more experimental vocal side.

She used to be with an ensemble called Azimuth and before that

did a quite good album called Edge of Time. I may not

have given her a fair shake when it comes to her singing of standards

because it was a bit of an unexpected direction - one that I wasn't

prepared for, so maybe I need to sit with Well Kept Secret some more.

Rod

Yeah--I got the sense from reading the AMG entry on her that this probably isn't representative of her work in general.

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Yeah--I got the sense from reading the AMG entry on her that this probably isn't representative of her work in general.

I think that if you're a fan of the kind of 'wordless vocal" that would appear on an ECM date,

then you may want to search out the Azimuth discs.

Kenny Wheeler's on them too.

I think that there was an Azimuth "reunion" disc

that was released recently that may be worth checking out,

(I haven't heard it).

Rod

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Guest akanalog

the first azimuth disc is very nice. i would look for that one.

she is also nice on nucleus' "labyrinth" and mike westbrook's "metropolis" and "love songs".

those are some of my favorite albums.

"edge of time" is ok. not as good as these other albums, IMO.

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Sure (was watching TV last night :D )

Her debut album 'Edge of Time' on Argo for starters, no brainer. (Reissued on CD by Disconforme).

Lots of great recommendations for her work with Mike Westbrook on 'Love Songs' and 'Metropolis' and Kenny Wheeler on 'Song For Someone' and 'Music For Large and Small Ensembles'. Also some of the tracks with John Taylor on 'Pause and Think Again'. Oh - and Neil Ardley's 'Symphony of Amaranths' of course.

My favourite Norma Winstone performance - 'Nothing Changes' on Wheeler's 'Song For Someone'. Absolutely wonderful.

I'm also quite partial to the various Azimuth LPs.

Have seen Norma in performance quite a few times over the years and its always a great enjoyment. The Wheeler/Winstone/Coe group back in the 1980s, a tour she did with Fred Hersch and Wheeler a few years ago, her Wayne Shorter tribute 'Shorter Stories' (with Robert Mitchell) and the fine performance at the Barbican for Jazz Britannia.

Edited by sidewinder
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I'm unfamiliar with her...

Any idea if Michael Garrick/Norma Winstone 'Heart Is a Lotus' is a representative disc.

Saw a copy of it recently. Worth picking up?

Oh, I'd wonder about that, too! Only that I have the disc, but not played it yet...

I think this and "Love Song" may be the only Winstone things I got.

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Guest akanalog

i do not like that "heart is a lotus" garrick disc. i would not recommend it.

i would recommend the azimuth/nucleus/mike westbrook stuff a lot more, as well as her "edge of time" album.

hmm-actually she is on garrick's "troppo" too, isn't she? that IS a good album and i didnt' mention it before. so if you see that garrick, i would recommend it though it is less vocal heavy.

but the lotus one is a bit cheesey and also has some uninteresting and obvious sounding compositions, IMO-from what i remember.

ubu, didn't you buy my copy?

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Well, I've got to vote for her as she's English! But still...wordless vocal is where I first became interested in her. But really she's a proper stylist. Light toned, quite expressive with a concept that works (deep enough to) from (I think) early ish Brit big-band avant to a nice record (under her own name) with Jimmy Rowles (one of his last).

IMHO, she's the real thing.

What is that Rowles record called?

Simon Weil

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