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01/06/2007
Leading American Countertenor Fuses Ancient And Modern With Debut Recital Disc

'It's emphatically not a crossover gimmick, but a genuinely illuminating meeting of jazz and Renaissance traditions, and the expressive variety and rhythmic subtlety of Zazzo's singing is further proof of the growth of a considerable artist.'
Rupert Christiansen, The Daily Telegraph

In a tantalising blend of ancient and modern, internationally renowned American countertenor Lawrence Zazzo’s debut recital album, ‘Byrdland’, released on Monday, 25th June, explores the world of the Renaissance song accompanied by a modern-day saxophone quartet.

Whereas recent recordings of the lute and viol songs of Dowland, Purcell and Byrd by artists as diverse as Sting and Brian Asawa have partnered the singer with the traditional lute or viol consort, Zazzo felt that the huge expressive powers and jazz-tinged sonority of the saxophone would cast a new light on these classic odes to love and loss. The inspiration came from a friend’s wedding in San Francisco:

‘I was asked by some friends to sing at their open-air wedding in San Francisco, where the only accompaniment possible was a saxophone quartet,’ explains Zazzo.

‘In spite of my own rather awkward arrangement of a Purcell song, I was intrigued by the merged sound worlds of countertenor and saxophone. Later, when I began to explore the viol consort music of Byrd and its sister genre, the lute songs of Dowland, I kept imagining what this repertoire would sound like on saxophones.’

The similarities, including rhythmic syncopation and improvisation, between Jazz and Renaissance music have often been discussed, and as a fan of the legendary Jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker, Zazzo was determined that the album should have a spontaneous and improvisatory feel. With the help of Ian Gammie, a viol player, arranger and editor who has worked with the leading English countertenor James Bowman, he has assembled a programme that runs the gamut of emotions.

The blended saxophones of the Paragon Saxophone Quartet lend a sonorous glow to songs such as Dowland’s ‘Now, oh now I needs must part’ and Purcell’s ‘Evening hymn’, but are also able to deliver a cackling profanity to Purcell’s tongue-in-cheek ‘Man is for the woman made’, with the improvisatory skills of the musicians coming to the fore

Lawrence Zazzo, recently described by conductor René Jacobs as ‘the best countertenor now on the stage’, is one of the foremost countertenors of his generation, much sought after by opera houses throughout the world including the Opera de la Bastille (Paris), Royal Opera House Covent Garden and Metropolitan Opera (New York). He lives in Northern Ireland with his wife, Giselle Allen, also an internationally renowned opera singer, and their young daughter. 'Byrdland’ is his debut recital disc and will be released on Monday, 25th June 2007.