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Floating Circles Quartet: Humble Travelers
ByIf one had to pin a label on FCQ, chamber music is probably the most accurate off-the-peg description, though it is inadequate and oversimplified as are all such labels. Chamber music captures the instrumentation well enoughclarinet/bass clarinet, effects-free guitar, double bass, drumsbut it does not suggest the energy of the music, which is driven by
Arthur Newell
drumsIn their publicity material, the band cites

Shabaka Hutchings
woodwinds
Sons of Kemet
band / ensemble / orchestra
Oregon
band / ensemble / orchestraAll the material on Humble Travelers was written by FCQ's leader, clarinetist and bass clarinetist
Aidan Pearson
clarinet
Yazz Ahmed
trumpetIf there is one area that Pearson and the band might usefully explore next time out, it is harnessing the recording studio as another instrument. The sound design of Humble Travelers is unadorned and unmediated by technology. This may, of course, be a conscious and deliberate decision by FCQ. But in 2020 the result sounds a little anachronistic in its denial of opportunities. Just saying. ">
Track Listing
Brockley ‘N’ Peas; Beyond The Mountains Of Aria; Caravan Curtains; White ‘N’ Fluffy; Wading Through The Mist; Galactic Pedalboat Rescue Trip.
Personnel
Additional Instrumentation
Aidan Pearson: clarinet, bass clarinet; Matt Hurley: guitar; Jonny Wickham: double bass, percussion (1, 3); Arthur Newell: drums; Johanna Burnheart: violin (1, 3, 5).
Album information
Title: Humble Travelers | Year Released: 2020 | Record Label: Self Produced
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