Issie Barratt & Meinrad Iten Quartet - Issie Barratt's Meinrad Iten Suite

Breathtakingly beautiful and highly evocative programmatic pieces, inspired by 11 pictures by Swiss artist Meinrad Iten, combining contemporary harmonies and non jazz based improvisation. A suite of breathtakingly beautiful and highly evocative programmatic pieces for a quartet of flutes, clarinets, baritone sax and piano, inspired by 11 pictures, painted and drawn by the composer's maternal great grandfather (Swiss artist Meinrad Iten), combining beautifully crafted compositions, drawing on warm, contemporary harmonies that compliment the style and content of the pictures, often providing an inspirational backdrop for equally evocative moments of non-jazz based improvisation. From the sublime through composed solo piano setting of Meinrad's pencil portrait of his wife, Wilhermene, to the playful quartet setting of The Man With The Gun He Tangos, the cool expansive sonorities of Snow Scene and highly moving prayer of Unser Vater, these beautiful vignettes provide a highly evocative accompaniment to the slide show of 11 pictures available on www.issiebarratt.comA great, great composer, who writes beautiful, beautiful music. Julian Joseph: Pianist and broadcasterA proper, grown-up jazz composer, like Maria Schneider, Gary McFarland or Mike Gibbs. The GuardianA remarkable composer, conductor, arranger and baritone sax player. Mo-Jo Magazine The orchestration is simply breathtaking and the soloists fill out the picture beautifully. The Observer Highly original writing, not lending itself to helpful comparisons. Jazz Uk It's powerful stuff. The Independent