Frank Walden (Album Launch)
Frank Walden’s wonderfully fluent and creative sax playing has been heard with an impressive array of high-profile International artists. It’s a reflection of his talent that after touring and recording extensively with Amy Winehouse he went on to a lengthy association with the great Sir Tom Jones, working alongside Tom and the band live and in the studio for almost 10 years. These days he’s a busy studio musician and educator as well as a regular here at the Club, most notably with the Simon Mulligan quartet. Now, after many years as a mainstay with other people’s bands, Frank has finally recorded his own album, ‘Objets Trouvés’, which he is launching this evening. Featuring the musicians from the album, Andrew Noble–piano, James Fenn–guitar, Phil Donnelly–bass & Darren Beckett-drums Frank describes the music as “an ode to music that I have loved throughout my career and includes re-imaginings of material by Amy and Tom Jones, as well as songs from the likes of Stevie Wonder, Keith Jarrett & Pat Metheny” - and not forgetting the odd original from Frank as well. This promises to be a standout evening of great music from some of the finest musicians in the UK.
The liner notes for 'Objets Trouvés', written by Frank are well worth a read in themselves: Liner Notes
And here's an excerpt: ‘Just Friends’ is not the great jazz standard, but Amy Winehouse’s song of the same name. I joined Amy’s band shortly after the release of Back to Black; her music by now feels a part of my musical DNA, and ‘Just Friends’ I’ve always particularly liked. A song of doomed love, it captures the rapturous delirium of an infatuation bound to be thwarted. The musical conundrum was how to escape the psychedelic reggae of the original. Amy’s sinuous, push-and-pull vocal offered a way out. She consistently phrases the melody in triplets, suggesting to me an Elvin Jones 12/8 feel, which Darren makes his own.