AT SWING, TWO BIRDS, from innovative bassist Ronan Guilfoyle with seven original compositions. Completing the quartet are alto saxophonist Sam Norris, guitarist Chris Guilfoyle (Ronan’s son) and highly experienced drummer Darren Beckett.
The compositions feature typical jazz characteristics – swing, groove, blues, standard form, chord changes, solos, drum trades, shout choruses etc. within atypical rhythmic shapes, showing that innovation and jazz tradition are compatible, and the music can swing with non-standard time signatures and structures.
The album title references Irish humourist Flann O’Brien’s classic book, At Swim Two Birds, while blending rhythmic and harmonic ideas from two Charlie Parker tunes.
About the Compositions:
Diversionary Tactics is based on George Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm, with some diversions from it.
Lenniesphere’s melody is redolent of Lennie Tristano’s note-rich melodic approach, played over the changes of Jerome Kern’s All the Things You Are.
At Swing Two Birds plays on words, referencing Irish humourist Flann O’Brien’s classic book, At Swim Two Birds, and blends rhythmic and harmonic ideas from two Charlie Parker tunes.
Two Blues connects a classic slow, walking blues, and a blues based on a boogaloo groove redolent of Lee Morgan’s classic Sidewinder. However, both take a different approach to the rhythmic structure of the form which adds a couple of nice surprises.
Dulcettia uses constantly changing metres to stretch the melody, and is a lyrical tune dedicated to Ronan’s granddaughter.
Languorous references the laid-back energy that Coltrane’s quartet were so adept at.
Blue Angles is a blues that features a melody that takes two choruses to unspool and that drops a couple of beats along the way.
Tracklist:
1. Diversionary Tactics [06:15]
2. Lenniesphere [05:00]
3. At Swing Two Birds [06:13]
4. Two Blues [07: 50]
5. Dulcetti [05:42]
6. Langorous [08:43]
7. Blue Angels [10:05]
