Exaltation - Live In Athens Vol. 1 | Nat Birchall Sextet

Exaltation - Live In Athens Vol. 1

by Nat Birchall Sextet

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Torsten If you want to know what Nat Birchall is all about, listen to this sextet live set. Inspiring, spiritual compositions intermingled with exciting improvisations. When musicians take their time, getting lost in their own play and are just there, in the moment. Hopefully, there will be a Vol. 2 soon. Favorite track: Humility.

Michael Schumann The new coltrane…

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Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of NEW WORLD, SONGS OF THE ANCESTORS (AFRO TRANE CHAPTER II), The Infinite, Spiritual Progressions, AFRO TRANE, Ancient Africa, Exaltation - Live In Athens Vol. 1, Upright Living - Nat Birchall meets Al Breadwinner, and 11 more. , and , .

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Limited edition 12" vinyl LP
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Limited edition of 500 copies, 180g black vinyl LP

Includes unlimited streaming of Exaltation - Live In Athens Vol. 1 via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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EXALTATION WHITE LABEL TEST PRESSING
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White label test pressing of the Exaltation - Live in Athens LP. In white card die-cut sleeve. ***ONLY 1 COPY PER PERSON PLEASE!!***

Includes unlimited streaming of Exaltation - Live In Athens Vol. 1 via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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1.	For Michalis 19:47	buy track
2.	Exaltation 11:12	buy track
3.	Humility 08:56	buy track

about

In October of 2018 Nat Birchall took his quartet to Athens for a series of three concerts. On the final night they were joined by two Greek musicians, ney player Harris Lambrakis and drummer Nikos Sidirokastritis. (The ney is an ancient end-blown flute which is at least 4,500 years old and was played in Ancient Egypt.) Both musicians play together regularly in the Harris Lambrakis Quartet, which operates in a musical area not dissimilar to that of Nat’s groups, so their coming together was a natural occurrence and produced music of a particular beauty. The sextet played compositions both by Nat and also by Harris and Nikos, this first volume of recordings from that night showcases one by Nikos and two by Nat.

Side 1 has Nikos’ ‘For Michalis’, which was composed as a eulogy for a lost friend. The side-long track opens with a sensitive drum duet before Harris’ ney introduces the haunting melody. The song features all the musicians in turn, moving through many different moods of varying intensity, giving the piece a suite-like quality.

Side two opens with Nat’s ‘Exaltation’ which is a new, previously unrecorded song which beautifully conveys a feeling of elation. The exalted mood is upheld throughout the song and the tumbling, free meter adds to the sense of joyous abandon. The final song, ‘Humility’, is more intense in its execution, the title of the song refers to the need to let go of the ego in order to allow the music to speak for itself.

All the musicians in the sextet play with the confident yet humble approach needed to create music of such stately beauty. They allow the music to find its own level and respond to its demands as the energy swells and diminishes as each song develops. This is music of subtlety, strength, happiness, sadness, and all the other human emotions that we experience in our lives. It’s a celebration of the triumph of the human spirit and a search into our innermost feelings in the form of wordless songs, played in the company of a listening audience who, by their presence and rapt attention, added to the power of the music as it unfolded before them.

This is a strictly limited edition of 500 copies, pressed on 180g vinyl.

credits

released December 4, 2020

Nat Birchall – Tenor saxophone; Harris Lambrakis – Ney; Adam Fairhall – Piano; Seth Bennett – Bass; Andy Hay – Drums/percussion; Nikos Sidirokastritis – Drums
Recorded live in concert in Athens, October 20th 2018

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about

nat birchall Manchester, UK

Hailed by Gilles Peterson as “one of the best musicians in the UK”, saxophonist Nat Birchall remains one of the UK’s hidden jazz treasures. Playing tenor and soprano saxophones, he is a band leader, composer and arranger ( and occasional DJ ) who has grabbed listeners attention with his soulful sound and inspirational spiritual music. ... more

natbirchall.com

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