Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Peter Lemer Quintet: Local Colour

Peter Lemer Quintet: Local Colour

By Glenn Astarita
December 2, 2013
View read count

British keyboardist Peter Lemer is highly regarded for his contributions to the fabled 1970s Canterbury progressive rock scene via his work with Gong, Gilgamesh and other bands of that bygone era and beyond. However, Local Colour originally released in 1968, is a free-form jazz outing that signifies Lemer's first and only solo venture. Moreover, this album denotes his fellow countryman and time-honored reedman

John Surman

saxophone
b.1944

" data-original-title="" title="">John Surman's recording debut.

Reissued in 2013 as part of ESP's 50th anniversary, Lemer leads the band through a vibrant set with a trajectory that is underscored by perpetual motion, also featuring the always powerful drumming hero

Jon Hiseman

drums
b.1944

" data-original-title="" title="">Jon Hiseman, recognized for his cutting- edge jazz-rock ensemble Colosseum, which was established in 1968. On a side-note, the album credits misspell his name as 'John.' Otherwise, the band opens with a loose and rather garrulous cover of

Carla Bley

piano
1938 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Carla Bley's "Ictus," as the musicians circle around the primary theme, intensified by Surman and tenor saxophonist Nisar Ahmad Khan's fervently executed choruses. Amid a few highs and lows, Lemer's rhythmic voicings provide additional impact.

The quintet gels to an asymmetrical pulse during "Flowville," as Hiseman pushes and prods the frontline with his sweeping snare drum patterns and rapid cymbals hits. Lemer's vigorous phrasings spawn a gradual buildup that intimates foreboding circumstances, followed by Surman's barrelhouse baritone sax lines. Hence, the artists render a gusty aura. But Surman's pensive bass clarinet work on "Carmen," summons an unsettling climate atop a changeable metric, where the pianist and saxophonists improvise behind the beat, generating numerous contrasts along the way. Towards the finale, Lemer's trickling single note flurries, crosscut a somber theme. Overall, this gem has not aged one iota since its initial release. Besides the historical implications, there's a lot going on under the hood, so to speak. It's an exhilarating joy ride...

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Ictus; City; Flowville; In The Out; Carmen; Enahenado.

Personnel

Peter Lemer

keyboards

Nisar Ahmad Khan: tenor saxophone; John Surman (baritone saxophone, bass clarinet, soprano saxophone; Peter Lemer: piano; Tony Reeves: bass; Jon Hiseman: drums.

Album information

Title: Local Colour | Year Released: 2013 | Record Label: ESP Disk

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Christian Pincock: Plentiful Excite...
< Previous

loos
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.