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CD
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ROG 148LP
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"This music, as you will hear, is indeed expressive of a profound depth of feeling, a common thread throughout Paul's work. Naturally, when you look at the situation in Afghanistan, and this oppression that they are subjected to by these patriarchal societies, there is a major concern for women and children. Freedom is the very core of this music, free improvisation; the spontaneous expression of spirit not trapped by form, a joy of the moment, allowance of surprise and response, played here with deep passion and commitment by a quartet of its finest exponents, all masters of their craft. Paul Dunmall is a supreme master of modern improvising, a creative artist of the highest rank. Sophia Domancich, too, possesses sublime artistic gifts and abilities. The fellowship of James Owston (bass) and Miles Levin (drums) have worked with Paul on many outings and have a musical relationship that is as harmonious as it is exciting. The inherent nature of creation is to express itself. You have to develop the will to experiment. Experimentation is the source of creativity, you need to be willing to imagine, to conceptualize, a state that is not manifest now. This is the essence of creativity. True, the integrity of art lies in its traditions, but sincerity is the artist pleasing one's self through sincere attempts at creation rather than imitations or elaborations. Freedom from limited form and self, expanding the inner sense of connection with a higher self or power, realizing the flow from above to below. To transcend the identity with human ego and directly experience spirit, the God reality behind all appearances, oneness perception, this is liberation. And so here is the recording of Afghan Women, the summit of technical mastery and emotional power spontaneously expressed. A tidal flow of creative freedom with no allegiance to form, communicating Universal truth with purpose vitality and organic unity."
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CD
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ROG 139CD
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"In the quartet on this album with Liam Noble on piano, John Edwards on double bass and Mark Sanders on drums, Paul has returned to his first love: free improvisation based on interaction between the four players. The quartet is a worthy successor to the Mujician quartet, and must be one of the finest working free improvising groups in the world. His approach is to listen very carefully to what is happening around him and to react to it. In general terms, there are two broad approaches to soloing in free music; one is where musicians develop their own lines in a method that can be defined as independent simultaneous action, and which John Corbett (2016) has described as 'skiing down the slopes separately', the other is interactive where the musicians listen carefully and react to the other players in a kind of musical conversation. Of course, there is a grey area between these two approaches. Paul Dunmall's playing falls very definitely into the interactive category. If you see him play live, you will see how he concentrates on the flow of the music, often stepping back and allowing the music to develop before choosing the right moment to enter or re-enter. At times his playing is foregrounded, while at others it is an equal partner in the mix of sound. His solos always develop original melodic lines, free of the clichés of both straight-ahead and free jazz. The other three musicians make equally important contributions to the music. Liam Noble plays in many different contexts from solo piano to more mainstream quartets; he has a highly original approach to free improvisation based on short melodic ideas and clusters of notes that weave in and out of Dunmall's lines. John Edwards and Mark Sanders are longstanding partners in free music and they create intense swirling rhythms that react with and set off the improvisations of Dunmall and Noble. They are, in fact, equal partners in the quartet, free to influence the development and flow of the music."
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