Penny Rimbaud – What passing bells: The war poems of Wilfred Owen (One Little Indian)



A frankly startling album made up of what you might call a jazz trio. (A different brand of jazz trio to your garden variety.)

There’s Penny Rimbaud the co-founder of Crass whose voice is a most effective vehicle for the musical words of Wilfred Owen.

Backing that are the considerable talents of Kate Short on cello and Liam Noble on piano.

It’s world weary with a sly sidelong glance at times. The cello thrums and keens. The piano bypasses chords for the most part playing brilliantly off the rhythm of the words in its restless improvisations.

It presents a compelling picture of war in all its banality horror sadness brutality pity but also starkness stillness humanity.

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