The concept of this work finds its roots in the philosophy of the early Pythagorean school, circa sixth-century BC. A core belief of Pythagoreanism was that the soul of man was akin to the living, breathing, material of the divine universe, but was impure due to its corporeal nature. Through the study of philosophy, which at the time meant the study of the kosmos, i.e., order and beauty, found in astronomy, mathematics, music and other enquiries, the philosopher could cultivate this divinity found within them and transcend their earthly body after death, avoiding ‘transmigration of the soul’.

The founding principles of this kosmos were the ‘limit’ and ‘unlimited’ – the limit was applied to the unlimited to bring about order to chaos. Inspired by the slow, subtle developments of almost static material found in the works of Gérard Grisey, within Assimilation, two main motifs can be identified. The listener may wish to interpret the piece as these two ideas slowly attempting to ‘assimilate’ – the limit attempts to apply itself to the unlimited, but ultimately fails. This duality may also be interpreted as an attempt of one impure idea to ‘cultivate’ the other. In any case, order is not achieved – the unlimited is set free, and the soul remains impure...

Assimilation (or a failure in the art thereof) was recorded in February 2021 and premiered online on 10th September 2021 by Tom Harris. The work was commissioned by Contemporary Arts Jazz Ensemble, Manchester.

Assimilation (or a failure in the art thereof)

Please note: This recording is currently unmastered and is intended for public release in 2024.

This recording is organised as one track, rather than being separated into its six constituent movements.

Devised for an eleven piece ensemble, this six-movement composition amalgamates influences from modern jazz circles with the language of contemporary classical composers, most notably spectral composers such as Gérard Grisey and Tristan Murail. The work aims to coalesce the spheres of improvisation and frequency-based composition, and is titled after the process of image formation in the brain, a concept explored deeply throughout the work; our brain can form lucid, extremely vivid images of worlds we have not yet seen, formed entirely from words on a page or aural descriptions - ever-changing images that seem so real we form deep attachments to them, yet they can be strikingly different from the actualities of these worlds.

Recorded live on the Birmingham Symphony Hall Stage on June 29th 2022.

Credits:
Steve Saunders - Compositions and Guitar

Sam Wooster - Trumpet
Chris Young - Alto Saxophone
Xhosa Cole - Tenor Saxophone and Flutes
David Sear - Trombone

Sarah Farmer - Violin
Maja Pluta - Violin
Natalie Mason - Viola
Emma Capp - Cello

Josh Vadiveloo - Double Bass
James Bashford - Drums

Meg Diamond - Flute (Movement IV)
Will Hammond - Clarinet (Movement IV)

Recorded and mixed by Sam Baldwin; album photography by Ibi Keita.

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Dima Bondarev - trp
Toms Rudzinskis - sax
Julia Perminova - pno
Birgir Steinn Theodorsson - db
Amund Kleppan - dr

Composition by Lionel Loueke
Recorded at Jazz Institute Berlin, January 2019
Mix&Master by Amund Kleppan

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