Summary
Daylight Ghosts is an album by Craig Taborn, with Chris Speed (tenor saxophone, clarinet), Chris Lightcap (double bass, bass guitar), and Dave King (drums, percussion). It was released by ECM Records in 2017.
| Daylight Ghosts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 3, 2017 | |||
| Recorded | May 2016 | |||
| Studio | Avatar, New York City | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 54:41 | |||
| Label | ECM | |||
| Producer | Manfred Eicher | |||
| Craig Taborn chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| All About Jazz |   [1] |
| AllMusic |  [2] |
| Blurt | [3] |
| Financial Times | [4] |
| The Guardian | [5] |
| The Irish Times | [6] |
| Pitchfork | 8.2/10[7] |
| PopMatters | 8/10[8] |
| RTÉ.ie | [9] |
| The Times | [10] |
Background edit
Taborn's previous releases as leader for ECM Records were the solo piano Avenging Angel from 2011 and the trio recording Chants, released two years later.[11] For Daylight Ghosts, Taborn wanted to record something "simple and clear".[12]
Recording and music edit
All of the compositions are by Taborn, except for "Jamaican Farewell", a 3/4 waltz by Roscoe Mitchell.[12] "'The Shining One' mixes quick, boppish exchanges of motifs with twisting, written-unison lines. 'New Glory' is exhilarating free-jazz with a Chick Corea-like Latin vamp in it, and there are deep clarinet and bass interludes, brief bursts of rock-piano riffing and subtle minglings of electronic loops and long-tone sax sounds on 'Phantom Ratio'."[5] On "Ancient", "the quartet snakes around a bass vamp in C, in a series of contrapuntal variations, before (in Taborn's words) 'falling together', as if the four instruments had fused into one".[12] Taborn also used a Farfisa organ and synthesizers (including Prophet 6) on the album.[12]
Release edit
Daylight Ghosts was released on February 3, 2017, by ECM.[13]
Reception edit
Critic John Fordham wrote that, "Only players with deep jazz insights and wide musical references could have made this fine album."[5] Writing for JazzTimes, Colin Fleming stated, "the challenge in making a hybrid acoustic/electronic album sound like a genuine blend rests in large part with ensemble play, from which solos emerge—tendrils as extensions of the whole. This four-piece unit, led by Craig Taborn on piano and various electronic accouterments [...] proves itself befitting of the specters of the title, moving in diaphanous forms with haunting presence."[14] RTÉ.ie's Paddy Kehoe stated, "At times you sense here solid, cerebral cubes of sound being made to melt in the heat of performance, yet it’s not as simple as that, as Taborn and company do so much more. Recommended."[9] Michael Toland of Blurt commented, "A remarkable work that takes his artistry to the next level, Daylight Ghosts puts Taborn in the league of the jazz greats."[3] Cormac Larkin of The Irish Times added, "Eclectic and episodic, like a vaguely unsettling art movie, Daylight Ghosts glows with the heat of invention, but it’s couched in language that Taborn’s predecessors would have understood."[6]
Track listing edit
ECM – ECM 2527
All music is composed by Craig Taborn, except track 7, which was written by Roscoe Mitchell
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Shining One" | 3:34 |
| 2. | "Abandoned Reminder" | 7:46 |
| 3. | "Daylight Ghosts" | 7:36 |
| 4. | "New Glory" | 3:14 |
| 5. | "The Great Silence" | 5:37 |
| 6. | "Ancient" | 8:15 |
| 7. | "Jamaican Farewell" | 5:39 |
| 8. | "Subtle Living Equations" | 4:31 |
| 9. | "Phantom Ratio" | 8:29 |
| Total length: | 54:41 | |
Source:[13]
Personnel edit
- Craig Taborn – piano, electronics
- Chris Speed – tenor saxophone, clarinet
- Chris Lightcap – double bass, bass guitar
- Dave King – drums, percussion
Charts edit
| Chart | Peak position (2017) |
|---|---|
| US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard)[15] | 7 |
References edit
- ^ Georgievski, Nenad (July 10, 2017). "Craig Taborn: Daylight Ghosts album review @ All About Jazz". All About Jazz. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
- ^ Collar, Matt. "Daylight Ghosts - Craig Taborn | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
- ^ a b Toland, Michael (February 10, 2017). "CRAIG TABORN - Daylight Ghosts". Blurt Magazine. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
- ^ Hobart, Mike (17 February 2017). "Craig Taborn: Daylight Ghosts – 'mysterious forces and spectral shapes'". Financial Times. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
- ^ a b c Fordham, John (2 February 2017). "Craig Taborn: Daylight Ghosts review – deep jazz insights". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
- ^ a b Larkin, Cormac (23 February 2017). "Craig Taborn – Daylight Ghosts review: glows with heat of invention". The Irish Times. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
- ^ Seth Colter Walls (16 February 2017). "Craig Taborn: Daylight Ghosts". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
- ^ Layman, Will (9 March 2017). "Craig Taborn: Daylight Ghosts". PopMatters. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
- ^ a b Kehoe, Paddy (15 March 2017). "Craig Taborn - Daylight Ghosts". RTE.ie. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
- ^ Pearson, Chris (10 February 2017). "Jazz: Craig Taborn: Daylight Ghosts; Ralph Towner: My Foolish Heart". The Times. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
- ^ Dostert, Troy (February 5, 2017) "Craig Taborn: Daylight Ghosts". AllAboutJazz.
- ^ a b c d Shatz, Adam (June 22, 2017). "The Ethereal Genius of Craig Taborn". The New York Times. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
- ^ a b "Daylight Ghosts – Craig Taborn". ECM Records. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
- ^ Fleming, Colin (30 March 2017). "Craig Taborn: Daylight Ghosts (ECM)". JazzTimes. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
- ^ "Craig Taborn Chart History (Top Jazz Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 28 January 2022.