The NOW Orchestra - WOWOW (1999)

1. WOWOW (Coat Cooke)
"WOWOW is a five-section piece that reflects my influences, from the earliest jazz in the 20th century right up to our present time of the eve of the 21st century. This piece is dedicated to Duke Ellington"

2. The Yellow Sound (Ron Samworth)
"The Yellow Sound, a seven-section piece written for the NOW Orchestra, is a loose interpretation of a text from the Blake Reiter Almanac (1912), by visionary Russian artist Wassily Kandinsly, whose writings on the aesthetics of art, the problems of form, and the integration of universal elements (the correlation of colour and sound) have been an inspiration to me"

3. The Tyranny of Interest (Paul Cram)

"Several years ago I was sitting with Lisle Ellis in Parrsboro, Nova Scotia, with the Bay of Fundy stretching out beneath our feet. Someone said "That´s interesting" about something or the other, and Lisle said "I guess I'm not so interested in interesting anymore". There began for me long meditation on the nature of interest and the various ways we are manipulated and distracted from investigating our selves. The piece is an installment from that train of thought."

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"Incorporating three very long pieces of multiple sections -- by mainstays Cooke and Samworth, as well as by guest soloist Paul Cram -- this date demonstrates the NOW Orchestra's synergy as well as its knowledge of the large ensemble continuum that stretches from Ellington, Fletcher Henderson, and Basie to Sun Ra, the AACM Experimental Band, and Braxton's Creative Orchestra, all the way to Globe Unity, LJCO, and ICP. Yes, I mean that. Yes, they're that good. Coat Cooke's "Wowow" is one of the best performances I've heard all year ... And perhaps the finest compliment I can muster, this music had me itching to pick up my own instrument and join in. By all means, listen to this."

Jason Bivins, Cadence

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Personnel:

Coat Cooke: tenor, alto, baritone saxes, flute.
Ron Samworth: guitar.
Paul Plimley: piano.
Kate Hammett-Vaughan: voice
Graham Ord: tenor, alto, soprano saxes, flute, piccolo.
Mark Nodwell: soprano sax.
Ralph Eppel: trombone.
Rod Murray: trombone.
Brad Muirhead: bass trombone, tuba.
John Korsrud: trumpet, flugelhorn.
Bill Clark: trumpet, flugelhorn.
Peggy Lee: cello.
Paul Blaney: bass.
Clyde Reed: bass.
Dylan van der Schyff: drums

Special Guests:
George Lewis: trombone.
Vinny Golia: clarinets, flutes, saxes.
Paul Cram: clarinet, tenor sax.

Recorded at the New Orchestra Workshop's 20th anniversay in November 1997.
Released by Spool Record in 1999.

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