Proverbs and Songs

1997 live album by John Surman

Proverbs and Songs

Live album by

John Surman

Released| 1997
Recorded| 1 June 1996
Genre| Jazz
Length| 49:28
Label| ECM
ECM 1639
Producer| Derek Drescher
John Surman chronology
| A Biography of the Rev. Absalom Dawe
(1995)  | Proverbs and Songs
(1997)  | Coruscating
(1999)

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Proverbs and Songs is a live album by the English saxophonist John Surman recorded at Salisbury Cathedral on June 1, 1996 with organist John Taylor and the 75-strong Salisbury Festival Chorus and released on ECM the following year, consisting a suite of choral settings of Old Testament texts.[1][2]

## Background

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It was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 1998.[3] Surman performed the suite several times after the 1996 performance.[2]

## Reception

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Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [4]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings| [5]

The AllMusic review awarded the album 2.5 stars.[4] Alyn Shipton wrote that Surman's "unaccompanied choral writing was rich and unusual and elsewhere the sense of jazz rhythm and forward motion came almost exclusively from his saxophone, creating rich ostinatos, or swirling aggressively among the choral parts."[2]

## Track listing

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All music by John Surman; all lyrics from the Old Testament

1. "Prelude" - 3:11
2. "The Sons" - 4:55
3. "The Kings" - 6:41
4. "Wisdom" - 7:39
5. "Job" - 4:50
6. "No Twilight" - 7:42
7. "Pride" - 5:00
8. "The Proverbs" - 4:06
9. "Abraham Arise!" - 5:24

## Personnel

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* John Surman – soprano and baritone saxophones, bass clarinet
* John Taylor – organ
* Howard Moody – conductor
* Salisbury Festival Chorus

## References

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1. ^ ECM discography accessed November 7, 2011
2. ^ a b c Sabbatini, Mark (3 February 2009). ""Proverbs And Songs" by John Surman, Howard Moody and the Ultime Thule Choir at the 2009 Nordlysfestivalen, Tromso, Norway". All About Jazz. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
3. ^ "Mercury Rising: Gomez Win '98 Album Prize". NME. 17 August 1998. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
4. ^ a b " John Surman Proverbs and Songs", Allmusic. Retrieved November 7, 2011
5. ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1365\. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.

* v
* t
* e

John Surman

Studio albums|

* John Surman
* How Many Clouds Can You See?
* Way Back When
* Glancing Backwards
* Tales of the Algonquin
* Westering Home
* Upon Reflection
* The Amazing Adventures of Simon Simon
* Such Winters of Memory
* Withholding Pattern
* Private City
* Road to Saint Ives
* Adventure Playground
* The Brass Project
* Stranger than Fiction
* Nordic Quartet
* A Biography of the Rev. Absalom Dawe
* Coruscating
* Rain on the Window
* The Spaces in Between
* Brewster's Rooster
* Saltash Bells
* Songs About This and That
* Invisible Threads

Live albums|

* Proverbs and Songs
* Invisible Nature
* Free and Equal

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

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