‘Procession’ solo alto saxophone (FMR) 2006

‘There are solo saxophone records, and then, there are the solo saxophone records that transform the instrument into an orchestra; effect is superseded, or rather transmogrified, moving away from virtuosic display and becoming an essential part of the instrumental language.

‘Procession’ is one of the finest statements from the saxophone I have ever had the pleasure to experience. Over three extended pieces, recorded in concert, Simon Rose proves himself a student history, but not a slave to it. Each piece is encyclopaedic and grandiose without pretence, as witnessed in the opening of the aptly named ‘Ground Effect’. Ayleresque vibrancy, honks and controlled shrieks are tempered by multiphonics akin to those of more recent John Butcher ventures, the overtones finally pervading the texture, themselves forming shards of sub melody. Beyond all that I never knew a D-flat could contain so many colours, returning at the end of the piece with new clarity.

‘Still’ begins on exactly the opposite side of the sonic spectrum, short sharp cascades of notes precipitated by hollow clicks, giving way to subtle streams of liquefied air. The mushy trills of ‘Wind Conditions’ exemplify just how much can be contained in a small interval, whether in pitch or timbral space. Rose darts between these universes with ease and consummate skill.

However, none of these descriptors can ever even approximate each journey, free but absolutely logical, the best blend spontaneity and improvisation imaginable. Rose seems to be able to turn on the creativity without any warm up, if indeed these recordings represent complete sets of music. The recordings retain the ambiance of the respected venues, complete with applause from fairly small but appreciative audiences.

A follow up disc would be appreciated, but asking for one almost feels like looking the proverbial gift horse in the mouth.’

Marc Medwin, CADENCE, September 2007

badland CD ‘Society of the Spectacle’ (2003) Emanem

‘Outstanding in its level of sustained excitement, the group combine assured musicianship and adventurous temperament, their decisive execution coupled with a wholehearted dedication to improvised music's intrinsic precariousness. An energetic kit player, Noble also sounds metallic percussion with great sensitivity. Fell is a powerful generative presence and a source of subtle enhancements. Rose wails with ferocity or teases away at convoluted lines that have an almost folky feel. Together they convey a sense of a creative process unfolding into genuinely dramatic music. A gripping release from start to finish.’

Julian Cowley, THE WIRE, 2006

‘The first two pieces are studies in controlled refinement. Pinpoint percussion, looping alto lines shaded with burred overtones, and scumbled arco are pushed to a simmer; ready to boil over at any minute, yet held right at that edge. The trio toys with conventions of the sax, bass, drums format as, for instance, the patterns of Rose's circularly breathed lines propel the music along rather than drums or bass. On the two-part title piece The Society of Spectacle, the surging Mia, or the searing intensity of the closing Reeds in the Western World, the three drive the improvisations along with arresting sheets of energy. Noble is in his element, prodding at the flow of the pieces, whether diving in with a well placed snap or crash or thundering along with an elastic sense of momentum. Fell seems to revel in this setting where, like his trios with drummer Paul Hession, he gets to flex within the context of explosive group playing. Even here, though, his keen ear toward careful placement and balance of timbres and density comes through. Rose's playing comes off particularly well. Here is a player who has absorbed the extended reed techniques of free improvisation, and channeled those rippling waves into a focused approach to phrasing and pacing that never falls in to showcasing or bluster.’

Michael Rosenstein,  SIGNAL TO NOISE, 2006

‘The trio's newest offering is concentrated and expansive, tipping the nod to multiple influences with a series of microhistorical moments that still exude unified individuality. No proof is necessary beyond the opening moments of Part One of the title track, sequenced, Boulez style, after Part Two. The 'classical' connection is appropriate, as the patterns with which percussionist Steve Noble opens the proceedings are focused, loosely proportional and juxtaposed with authoritative silences in the manner of Varese or even of Zappa; a vague Orientalism deepens the illusory mystique of early 20th century panglobalism. A reflective silence ensues, only to be shattered, irreparably, by a jump-cut into some uhr-swing, implied but never completed by a quasi-rhetorical pattern on ride; bassist Simon Fell doesn't exactly walk, but his rhythmic spikes belie deep listening and the half-homage of improvisational camaraderie. Simon Rose breathes Ayleresque fire through a saxophone soaked, but not drowning, in vibrato and collective musical recollection. The slow build to fury is one of the things for which Badland has been justly praised, and Part Two of the title track rumbles and rises to a brilliant frenzy. More than anything though, SOCIETY OF THE SPECTACLE exudes luminous silence, huge vistas of space through which structures appear and submerge. Reeds in the Western World, a stunning vehicle for Rose, begins with such vast plains of no-sound. Rose is panned to the right, so that even when his Coltranesque utterances begin to shrill, blat and growl, silence hovers expectantly in the wings, only to be completely dispelled when Fell and Noble kick in, jazz style, at the zenith of Rose's solo. This disc is the most satisfying Badland offering so far, both for the excellence and commitment in the playing and for the freshness with which each moment moves to the next. Sixty-six minutes flew by, and I'm eagerly awaiting more entries in this trio's brief discography.’

Marc Medwin,  DUSTED MAGAZINE, 2006

‘Splendidly moody, often quite aggressive stuff from a trio whose work seems to have undergone several stages of fermentation to arrive at this highly concentrated and heavily fortified result. This is improvised music at its most tensile, with the emphasis being on music (rather than sonic art or degenerate sound effects) as much as on improvisation; Rose's booklet notes imply a frame of reference which incorporates both free jazz and free-but-not-jazz, and he's damn right. Quite apart from that, I'm always in favour of anyone who sticks up for the improvisational usefulness of the sniping, whinging alto sax as opposed to its nearest relatives. I also like strident, close-captured arco bass and percussion which is played rather than flailed at. All in all, then, I'm doing well here. As a free player Noble is possibly the only drummer of his generation to underpin his exploratory approach with the kind of fearsome chopsiness I associate with Tony Oxley; indeed, if asked to chuck in my two penn'orth I'd say he falls back on controlled technical precision rather too often for my taste, but his reasons for doing what he does are probably better than any reason I might have for suggesting otherwise. To be bought at once, then played loudly and very often.’

Roger Thomas, JAZZ REVIEW, 2006

‘Powerful and twisted as he may be (he really knows how to bend notes out of shape), Rose can display an uncanny sensitivity, not unlike Paul Dunmall. Simon H. Fell's playing always seems to have two or three agendas; even the most instinctive bass lines hide alternate trains of thoughts that will surface later. Steve Noble's drumming is intense and multifaceted, an attention grabber from start to finish. Highlights include the short pieces Kittiwake and Elka, the raging Mia and the concluding Reeds in the Western World, featuring a gripping sax solo and a development that takes us very close to the American Free Jazz tradition.’

Francois Couture,  ALL MUSIC GUIDE, 2005

‘badland’ CD ‘Axis of Cavity’ (Bruce’s Fingers) 2002

‘Axis of Cavity’ is their second release and eight years on, the three have dug into the sax/bass/drums free jazz setting and carved out their own take. Though they can roar along with full bore authority, there is far more at play here. The three morph the usual notion of horn against rhythm section into a setting for shifting fields of sonic events that still manage to careen along with rolling momentum. Rose tears into the improvisations with a quavering, molten tone, spraying sheets of notes punctuated with keening cries and hoarse, blasting overtones. But he can also lay out breathy, spluttering, percussive flurries during sections of sonic abstractions. Noble continues to prove himself to be one of the more inventive drummers on the improv. scene….. Here his drumming rumbles with peals of thunder and then breaks apart into pinpoint cracks and slashing punctuation. Fell’s bass playing is masterful, whether goading things along with vigorous, walking lines, churning out agitated lines of arco, or scraping scrubbed, free situations…
Each of the nine spontaneous improvisations is a compact study in the balance of brazen intensity and nuanced detail.’

Michael Rosenstein, SIGNAL TO NOISE

‘What’s most impressive on the album, perhaps, is how much musical range is packed into each track, and how different and eventful they all seem: some  contain quiet passages examining a particular sonic texture at length (for  instance, the first half of “The Scapula Angles”, where Rose’s saxophone  flutters over the oozing drums and bass); some are sprightly, rapid-fire  free-jazz (“Spinous Process”); there’s even one track (“Bow, Stick and Reed”)  which if it were unkinked a bit further would sound positively mainstream…A similar process of encompassing musical extremes is also audible in  miniature within each track: this is most obvious on the CD’s one extended  track, “Surface for Talice,” which ranges from quiet insect-music improv to an  exhilirating climax on which Rose plays with acetylene-torch heat.’

Nate Dorward,  CODA

‘Altoist Rose is the dominant voice. He has some of the English reserve which John Butcher specialises in, but he hasn’t totally eliminated the melodic fervour and gospel excess of the black American free players. However what he plays is no forced compromise: he has his own rather dignified sound. The music is linear and fluid, with Fell and Noble suggesting sonics and textures which provide alternative environments for Rose’s central voice. Some of Noble’s clattering inventions and Fell’s spuming ‘walking bass’ are priceless. Extraordinary how clean and sober jazz can become and still remain, essentially, jazz. Special. A:1’ 

Ben Watson, HI-FI NEWS, December 2002

‘These British improvisers move forward with the intentions, audacity and forcefulness of a high powered rock trio, as they demonstrate a proclivity to mimic each others movements while exploring various angles amid blustery choruses and gushing crescendo…what sets this outing apart…resides within the bands subliminal rhythmic structures…bassist Simon Fell and drummer Steve Noble provide reverberating, at times oscillating undercurrent for the saxophonists macrobiotic tone poems and abstract discourses. Needless to say this band is having a blast - and it shows. They convey a profusion of thought-provoking sentiments to coincide with a brooding methodology that signifies an air of elusiveness in concert with a distinct sense of the dynamic. Overall, this 2002 release has quite a bit to offer, especially for those who think they’ve heard it all.’

Glenn Astarita,  ALL MUSIC GUIDE

They can strut and burn, then shift to contemplative mood; line up small gestures then roll at full tilt; lock smoothly and glide, or grate and spark. Despite their menacing name, a lot of fine grained interplay and skilful dovetailing goes into the careful collective shaping of ‘badland’s’ music.’

Julian Cowley, THE WIRE, August 2002

The music fair blisters along, all three participants being on pretty fearsome form, and when you’ve heard it, it stays heard…Groups like this are about interaction, the on-going group dynamic. Badland keeps everything together but on the edge.

Barry Witherden, JAZZ REVIEW, Editor’s CD of the month September 2002