Join
now to receive all the new
music
Whirlwind Recordings releases,
including
57 back-catalog items,
delivered instantly to you via the Bandcamp app for iOS and Android.
Learn more.
Phil Robson - guitars & compositions
Mark Turner - soprano & tenor saxophones
Gareth Lockrane - flutes
Michael Janisch - double bass
Ernesto Simpson - drums
ALBUM CREDITS
Phil plays 'Case Guitars'
Recorded live at The Vortex & Hawth Theater
Mixed & Mastered by Chris Lewis, London
Produced by Phil Robson
Executive Producer - Michael Janisch
credits
released November 7, 2011
ABOUT THE ALBUM
Phil Robson's IMS (Instant Message Service) Quintet, featuring the iconic NYC-based saxophonist Mark Turner, were captured live during their inaugural January 2011 European tour. All but two of the tracks on The Immeasurable Code have been composed by the award-winning guitarist Robson, based around the concept of communication methods- ancient to modern- with titles referencing this such as 'Telegram', 'Telepathy & Transmission', 'Fire & The Drum', 'The Instant Message' and 'The Net'. The album also features a joint composition by Robson and bassist Michael Janisch, as well as Phil's cunning arrangement of that delightful form of communication 'Happy Talk' by Rodgers and Hammerstein.
The music was commissioned by Derby Jazz (a non-profit jazz consortium based in Derby, England where Phil is from) in the autumn of 2010 and Phil wrote the music with this combination of musicians in mind, conceived specifically to play with Mark Turner again, as well as with his favorite contemporaries Michael Janisch and Gareth Lockrane plus a new associate in Ernesto Simpson, in an intimate, small-group setting. These are musicians with whom he knew could develop a quick rapport around the challenging compositions.
Phil first met Turner in 1998 when both appeared together on Christine Tobin's Deepsong and have since played together on several other occasions. Mark has garnered enormous respect over the years and is considered internationally as an outstanding musician.
The band gelled instantly and within a few concerts sounded as though it had been together for years, with each player having enough space in the compositions to bring their unique qualities to the overall sound, a consistent feature of Robson's approach over the years with his other bands including 'Partisans' and '6 Strings & The Beat'. The compositions reflect the breadth of Robson's experience & influences, made cohesive by the depth of feeling of the pieces and playing, with a love of groove at the center. The album also contains some rarely captured (and outstanding) examples of Turner playing the soprano sax as well as, of course, his formidable searing tenor playing.
PRESS HIGHLIGHTS
"Every number is elegantly developed by Robson. His probing streams of consciousness touch corners of the jazz mind lesser guitarists cannot reach."
★★★★ Album of the Week, Evening Standard
"The Immeasurable Code is a very eclectic album, almost a soulful strut but very much anchored in jazz, superbly led by the guitar talents of Phil Robson."
JazzTimes Magazine
"British jazz guitarist Robson is no stranger to transatlantic partnerships, but this one with the understatedly persuasive American postbop saxophonist Mark Turner – a recording caught live on tour this year – might be the best of them. The quintet mix rhythmically devious originals, a world-jazzy idiomatic openness, and a rare chance to hear Turner cut loose on soprano sax."
The Guardian
"A stunning live album, combining inventive writing with superb musicianship."
All About Jazz
"This is the music of today - it swings, it explores, it looks over the edge."
Bebop Spoken Here
"On Immeasurable Code, Robson proves himself to be a master of every mood...he has released a series of albums to date, and The Immeasurable Code is probably his best."
The Metro
"The Immeasurable Code reveals Robson not only as guitarist, but even more pertinently as accomplished writer...the roots for this music go deep... This is music to return to time and again."
★★★★ Jazzwise Magazine
"Much-admired US saxophonist Mark Turner, in particular, takes Robson’s excellent compositions in a variety of unexpected directions... Consummate."
Irish Times
"Much of the listening pleasure on The Immeasurable Code stems from the sense of Robson, Mark Turner on saxes and Gareth Lockrane on flute really stretching out, using the extended space afforded to them to craft some elegant, engaging improvisations."
London Jazz
Vibrant, playful jazz in the chordless tradition from this new Australian quartet, who embrace both freedom and swing. Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 9, 2021