Azimuth - Azimuth (Remastered) (1977/2023)

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Azimuth - Azimuth (Remastered) (1977/2023)

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Azimuth, the trio of pianist John Taylor, trumpeter Kenny Wheeler and singer Norma Winstone, already sounded like a fully-fledged ensemble when this, the group’s first album was released in 1977. Expanding and roaming beyond the spectrum the vocal jazz genre was usually limited to, Azimuth proved of a progressive spirit from the start. Upon the debut’s release, Melody Maker remarked that “this album may (…) be the first sign of [John Taylor’s] evolution into a genuinely important composer: behind its graceful flowing beauty lies a spirit of inquiry which will surely lead further.”

The AllMusic review by Michael G. Nastos awarded the album 4½ stars calling the compositions "deep improvisations, communicative and spiritual".

The authors of the Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings wrote that Winstone's voice "floats with a characteristic balance between freedom and control over Taylor's minimalistic piano figures. Any doubts that these are jazz-trained and jazz-centred performers are immediately dispelled." They described the title track as "a grand acoustic edifice that constantly reveals new areas of interest."

A reviewer for Aquarium Drunkard wrote: "Taylor's arpeggiated synthesizers provide the pulsing backdrop for the majority of these tracks with Winstone and Wheeler floating and weaving through the space above with improvisational interplay akin to a dance. 'The Tunnel', one of two tracks with actual poetry, has Winstone singing of the 'darkness into blackness, flying along on the rhythm track', perhaps describing the dark, reflective space the trio beautifully explore and inhabit on this ambient jazz classic."

Tyran Grillo, writing for Between Sound and Space, called the album "an altogether fascinating mosaic of atmospheres."