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Knee Deep in the North Sea
 
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Knee Deep in the North Sea

~ Portico Quartet
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
Price: £9.98 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Customers buy this with Isla ~ Portico Quartet

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  • This item: Knee Deep in the North Sea ~ Portico Quartet

    Usually dispatched within 1 to 3 weeks.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

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Product details

  • Audio CD (5 Nov 2007)
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Vortex
  • ASIN: B000X3SZ38
  • Other Editions: MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,780 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

    Popular in this category:

    #92 in  Music > Jazz

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Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s

Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or view the MP3 Album.

Samples
Song Title Time Price
Listen  1. News From Verona 4:24£0.79
Listen  2. Zavodovski Island 4:22£0.69
Listen  3. Knee-Deep In The North Sea 4:52£0.69
Listen  4. Too Many Cooks 5:32£0.69
Listen  5. Steps In The Wrong Direction 6:09£0.79
Listen  6. Monsoon: Top To Bottom 4:14£0.69
Listen  7. The Kon Tiki Expedition 4:29£0.69
Listen  8. Cittàgazze 4:47£0.69
Listen  9. Pompidou12:02Album Only

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

This year's jazz nomination for the Mercury Music Prize, Knee-Deep in the North Sea deserved all the praise thrown its way. From veterans it would have impressed, but coming from a group of young men making their debut, it's simply outstanding. Jack Wyllie's saxophone is distinctive enough, especially the soprano, ranging from the wistful to the dissonant. But the ear is repeatedly drawn to some unusual tones, sometimes harp-like, sometimes closer to a bell, that make up the tinkling arpeggios of the title track and the percussive strikes on "Steps in the Wrong Direction". These are produced on a modern percussion instrument called a Hang (the Quartet does not include a pianist), perhaps best compared to a tuned steel drum and invented in 2000 by a couple from Berne in Switzerland. ("Hang" is the local dialect word for "hand", the appendage used to play the thing). Drummer Duncan Bellamy came across one for sale at a festival and it soon became an integral part of the Quartet's sound. In the hands of Nick Mulvey it adds a subtle exoticism to pieces like "The Kon Tiki Expedition" and the forceful "(Something's Going Down On) Zavodovski Island". "Cittagazze" and "Pompidou" are more formal, showing an obvious classical influence. Tough jazzbos they aren't--this is undeniably a gentle and often cerebral record in a European tradition--but the Portico Quartet are skilled and imaginative beyond their years. --Steve Jelbert


Clive Davis Sunday Times, 2007)

" ...pieces with a recognisably human touch. ECM with a little extra passion if you will".
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Customer Reviews

7 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Better than you think, 18 Jan 2008
I picked this up after reading about the group in Jazzwise and I'm glad I did. Then "Jazz line up's" reviewer canned them as a one trick pony - why? Because they introduce a relatively new instrument called a "Hang" (think cross between steel drums and vibes). So I listened again. The appreciation remained. Its a fresh take on the usual sax-piano-bass-drums quartet, not just because of the hang but because of the musicianship and originality too. Brit Jazz meets Scandinavia, perhaps, if that helps, but they won me over without comparisons.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Accessible jazz, 31 Oct 2008
By Mr. M. Purdy (Manchester, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Heard one of the tunes from this album on the radio (it probably got the airplay courtesy of the Mercury Music Prize nomination) and was immediately hooked.
The truth is, the word 'jazz' is normally enough to send a shiver of terror down my spine - but 'Knee Deep In The North Sea' is about as accessible an album as you will buy this year.
Indeed, the Portico Quartet appear to have more in common with the likes of Penguin Cafe Orchestra and Ellis Island Sound than the traditional self-indulgent trillings that most will associate with the genre.
This is a joyous, uplifting record that makes me want to skip about in smiley abandon, and there really aren't enough of those about. Great melodies, sunshine vibes and a 'hidden' track at the end that is one of the best on a pretty wonderful collection.
Well worthy of purchase and a genuine highlight of 2008.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Inexcusably brilliant!, 8 May 2009
By M. R. N. Shackelford "mark shackelford" (Worthing, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
I have just seen this jazz group live at the Brighton festival. Who do they think they are? These four young lads have been wasting their time developing extraordinary skills in composition, instrumental dexterity, and general musical excellence when they should have been on their play-stations, or hanging around in Kevin mode, or couch-potatoing. Duh?

But the rest of us will benefit from this glorious sound. This is exciting and original jazz with nods to a wide range of musical eras. I am sure I heard bits of "Islands"-era King Crimson (when KC was a jazz band) along with the more exotic fuzzy bits of the late lamented EST.

The focus of the group is the Hang, a sort of inverted steel-drum which plays like a marimba - and provides a beautiful, hypnotic rhythm over which the sax and bass weave delicious harmonies. The drummer switches effortlessly between soft swishing brushes, to sudden bursts of hard-rock thunder. The bass-player sent tingles down the spine with some stunning (and complex) riffs - and the sax player used tape loops to build up yet more soundscapes for the band to play over.

As my "elderly" daughter (she's 27) said - "But they're only 20!".
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars blisssssssss
One of the best albums in years. Every track warms the soul... and it just gets better every time you listen to it. Read more
Published 10 months ago by A. Rowe

5.0 out of 5 stars absolute fab
Seen them on stage, where the saxophonist forgot his instrument and played on a borrowed one, A real impressive performance, each musician as good as the other. Read more
Published 11 months ago by J. Drost

4.0 out of 5 stars Great band.
Portico Quartet are a really great band playing music with real passion. I've also seen them live at a couple of gigs supporting Tom Baxter and they blew the audiences away. Read more
Published 15 months ago by C. Goor

4.0 out of 5 stars A great young band
I first heard this band busking on London's South Bank; then later at the Vortex in Dalston, the Carling Academy in Islington and also at the Sage in Gateshead; they are a fine... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Thistoowillpass

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Knee Deep in the North Sea
82% buy the item featured on this page:
Knee Deep in the North Sea 4.4 out of 5 stars (7)
£9.98
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