Description
TRANSFERRED & REMASTERED in HI-RESOLUTION
“It could well be his [Mayer’s] finest achievement.” (All Music Guide)
Released: 16 Dec 2016
John MAYER (1929-2004)
1-8. Dhammapada (1976) – 40th anniversary edition
London Music Fusions:
Chris Taylor flute
Henry Lowther trumpet
Tony Coe sax, clarinet
Clem Alford sitar
Dreschen Theaker tabla
Neil Colon sarod, tanpura
John Leach koto, cheng
Zack Laurence piano
Toni Campo bass
Harold Fisher drums
Tristan Fry percussion
Gary Kettel percussion
Terence Emery percussion
John Mayer director
Recorded at Landsdown Studios, London, 1976
Engineered by John Mackswith • Produced by Denis Preston
9-17. Portraits of Bengal (1974) (published for the first time)
18-20. Tantric Dances (1974) (published for the first time)
London Music Fusions:
Chris Taylor flute, piccolo
Philip Hill oboe, cor anglais
Thomas Kelly clarinet, bass clarinet
Clem Alford sitar, tanpura
Keshav Sathe tabla, tanpura
Catherine Sathe, Neena Guppa tanpura
Jan Latham-Koenig piano
Christopher Lawrence double bass, electric bass
Terence Emery percussion
John Mayer director
Recorded 11 July 1974 at Pittville Pump Rooms, Cheltenham
The dramatic and atmospheric suite Dhammapada, by Anglo-Indian composer John Mayer, reissued by FHR 40 years after the album was recorded. New hi-resolution transfers and remastering, improve what was already a brilliantly recorded album and features a stellar group, including some of the leading figures of 1970s UK jazz-scene such as Tony Coe and Henry Lowther. Dhammapada has previously been out of print on CD for a number years and currently not available in any format.
This release also includes two other works by John Mayer, Portraits of Bengal and Tantrik Dances, which were recorded at the 1974 Cheltenham Festival and are published by FHR for the first time. Both works feature Mayer’s characteristic East-West fusion style, giving an excellent complimentary album coupling to Dhammapada.
“Dhammapada is a John Mayer work that was commissioned by EMI in 1976…. His work with Joe Harriot on Indo-Jazz Suite and Indo-Jazz Fusions is justifiably lauded, but Dhammapada expands on his East-West fusion by adding instrumentation not just from India (sitar, sarod, tabla) but also from Japan and China (koto and cheng, respectively) to his British jazz combo (sax/clarinet, trumpet, flute, piano, bass). In addition to drums and tabla, he utilizes a trio of percussionists who play everything from glockenspiel to marimba to temple bells. He also makes use of Japanese and Chinese scales in addition to his Indian classical influences. The results are amazing…. It could well be his finest achievement.” [All Music Guide]
Press Quotes
“As you can hear on this excellent reissue, the music was like nothing else then or now… All in all, Mayer’s music really does inhabit its own unique sound-world, and this CD is a unique and precious document of one of the most intriguing and eclectic composers of his time.” [Artmusiclounge, 2017]
“East and West find themselves in a perfect blend, ultra joyful and always current” [**** voir.ca, 2017]