Son of Local Colour

The core of this group – four of the five musicians listed below – recorded an LP for ESP-Disk' in 1966. The plan, conceived the year after the 50th anniversary of the recording session, was to reunite the original quintet, which had existed for six months back in '66, but unfortunately Nisar Ahmad (George) Khan, tenor saxophonist on the original album, came down with something and couldn't appear. Alan Skidmore (Lemer bandmate in SOS) was deputized and, as all familiar with his career would expect and you will hear, came through with flying local colours at the concert on February 20, 2018 at noted London jazz club Pizza Express. Four months later, Jon Hiseman passed away at age 73 after battling a brain tumor. Five of the original album's six compositions are reprised, but with more room to stretch out on them in the concert context. New to Lemer's ESP discography are Lemer's tribute to British saxophonist/frequent Lemer bandmate Dick Heckstall-Smith, "Big Dick"; Surman's "URH"; and a wild interpretation of Coltrane's "Impressions."

Personnel: John Surman, baritone and soprano saxophones; Alan Skidmore, tenor saxophone; Peter Lemer, piano; Tony Reeves, double bass; Jon Hiseman, drums

Track Listing:

01. Ciudad Enahenado     9:50

02. Ictus                                 8:56

03. Flowville                        9:18

04. Carmen                           7:08

05. Impressions                  9:11

06. Big Dick                            9:26

07. URH                                 6:05

08. In the Out                      9:05

Compositions by Peter Lemer, except "Ictus" (Carla Bley), "URH" (John Surman), and "Impressions" (John Coltrane).

Press for the original album: "...another ESP-Disk gem back from the massive archives of one of the finest labels in avant-garde jazz." – Forced Exposure

Press for the reunion: "Reading from demanding scores, Surman and Skidmore welded an inspired, rock-solid brass section alongside the nuanced bass dialogues from Reeves, Hiseman’s structurally intense percussion and Lemer’s keyboard effervescence. ... Spells of tough, tight synchronisation, expressive solos from Surman and Skidmore deep in to their power station delivery, Reeves’ sensitively syncopated bass lines and discreet pummelling by Hiseman complemented Lemer’s brightly illuminated piano flights." -  Geoff Winston, London Jazz News https://londonjazznews.com/2018/02/22/review-peter-lemer-quintet-son-of-local-colour-at-pizza-express/

"Peter had conceived his compositions in era before the term jazz-fusion had come into common currency and their success lies in the clever blending of arrangements and definable themes while allowing space for cutting edge improvisation. ... But it was on John Coltrane’s high-flying 'Impressions' that the group moved into top gear with brilliant soprano solos from Surman an[d] ever more heated tenor from Skidmore, not to mention an explosive Hiseman interlude." - Chris Welch http://chriswelchonline.com/peter-lemer-quintet/

Musicians: Peter Lemer