Sonata 65, is similarly difficult to pass off as related to jazz, other than the occasional jazzy phrase and a brief free improvisatory interlude instead of a formal cadenza, together with the kind of inflections and liberties taken as mentioned above. Both this piece and Two Play were written in 1965 on the model of the classical sonata, for flute and clarinet respectively, and dedicated to my girlfriend of the time Shirley, but revised for alto saxophone around the time of this recording in order to cloud the original idiomatic associations. Richard Rodney Bennett, who was one of the judges of a competition for new works in which I entered it at the time, considered it ‘too eccentric to be taken seriously’,** a view he almost certainly held about the work of Cage and other post-war experimentalists.
Described as “an ecological history of humanity,” this sparse, tense suite of songs perfectly balances melody and chaos. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 28, 2018
Imbued with spirit, openness, and curiosity, The Sea Ensemble played improvisational music as if they were trying to capture the sound of something greater. Bandcamp Album of the Day Dec 2, 2022