Although they’ve made some very fine albums together since 2009, Julie Tippetts and Martin Archer’s Illusion (Discus Music) is, without doubt, their best. At 75 years old Tippetts’ power, range, and capacity as a vocalist remains just as captivating as it was early in her career on 1968’s Mellotron-soaked pop classic This Wheel’s On Fire. Whether she’s summoning wordless swarms of pure emotion that cut with diamond-sharp precision or caressing poetic lyrics with a silky soft tenderness, her presence throughout this kaleidoscopic two-CD set stands as a remarkable tour de force. Multi-instrumentalist Martin Archer leads an ensemble of players crackling with energy and startling turns through a sequence of perceptive settings incorporating jazz, rock, electronica and other forms, typifying his progressive approach to this visionary collaboration. – Sid Smith, PROG MAGAZINE

This is a remarkable and special album….. tremendous work. – Don Campau BBC Radio 6

The most captivating music I’ve listened to for ages – feedback from a Discus customer

The new Julie Tippetts / Martin Archer is FANTASTIC! It reminds me some pieces from 1969 Julie ‘s LP, but not only that. There are two modern creative pieces, with a great orchestra behind, or only very tight pieces with a rare emotion in, well, a great moment of pure pleasure. – feedback from a Discus customer

It’s been six difficult years since 2015’s Vestigum, the last recording from the long-established collaboration of vocalist/songwriter Julie Tippetts and multi-instrumentalist Martin Archer. Despite the practical and emotional struggles of the Covid pandemic, and especially the passing of Julie’s husband Keith, somehow the pair have managed to create a typically ambitious double album maintaining the high-resolution sonic quality that distinguished their previous work. Themed around the world of the circus and the fairground, the Illusion suite on the first disk is a continuum of linked songs that range from the freefalling Chances to the breezily almost-poppish Magic Man and the gospel hinting Turning It Around. The latter sparkles with Charlotte Keeffe’s trumpet and Corey Mwamba’s rippling vibes, while poignant lyrics sketch the bewilderment of bereavement. The second album Circle Of Whispers is even more wide-ranging sonically across its 13 tracks, with two compact vocal/piano duets jointly composed with Laura Cole and a brace of collaborations with Nick Robinson’s acoustic guitar set among sprawling mini-epics like Elephant Rider and the frenetic electric torrents of Blade Juggler. The crafted way the production draws on the JTMA Ensemble’s large pool of instruments and players recalls Carla Bley’s richly imaginative Escalator Over The Hill and the fulsome ensemble work of the Working Week Collective – to both of which Tippetts contributed, of course. The resulting weave of musical texture and atmosphere provides a series of evocative settings to Tippetts’ lyrics, sometimes mystical, sometimes surreal, always poetically theatrical. The continuity of the whole, however, derives from the strong musical personalities at its core. Archer’s vocabulary of electronics and keyboards and Tippetts’ equally eclectic repertoire of vocal style run together through both albums with the respectful simpatico that gave their earlier recordings such character. It comes through the playfully abstract Less, the shape-shifting Trapeze and the swampy coda to Movin’ On but reaches an astonishing pitch for the exquisite Between Mountains, a haunting ballad featuring Julie Tippetts’ voice at its most spine-tinglingly beautiful. This is a big listen, not to be shuffled, but the satisfying richness of the music makes it well deserving of the attention it demands. – Tony Benjamin, Jazzwise

A double CD album containing over two hours of music, plus a package of an essay, lyrics and strong images. Illusion cast in realism – it all adds up to an implicit statement from a key, major force in British music. The avant garde/improv/jazz scene specifically, but to those who listen hard enough, the whole export of ‘sound’ in the UK since the 60’s… and then right through to this battered 2020 decade. Like so many other people recently, Julie Tippetts has had more than enough uphill climbing to do (witness Between Mountains); explicitly coping with the passing of her long term husband and musical partner Keith Tippett. The fact that her closing words on this epic are, we’re movin’ on… it’s time… don’t waste time should be taken as a statement of fortitude. The album has two names on the cover… the ‘other’ Martin Archer. Not the reed soloist of his own recent See You Soon… album. Here it’s the sound sculpting-specialist-Archer, arguably targeting his most densely detailed set of arrangements for large ensemble. (My opinions are always open to argument.) The first CD is well over 70 minutes; in my view it’s worth putting the time aside to hear it in a single session. Voice within ensemble is the prime focus, ethereal yet containing a strong vein of presence; word driven yet with plenty of room to scoop sound out of literal meaning… Pandemonium, citing the subject of lies whilst carrying language into spontaneous improv – Corey Mwamba’s vibraphone becomes a choral duet as it pings out of the ensemble. There’s musical history in here too. Magic Man, almost hits a soul groove, Anton Hunter’s guitar could be Muscles Shoals horn section funk in Sheffield, Alabama, and even a nod (probably not intentionally) to Trinity’s Indian Rope Man. There are sixteen musicians contributing to Illusion overdubbing aplenty. The fact that the music travels-light is to the credit of all involved. I know the album has been long in the making but it doesn’t give that impression (truly illusionary). It’s an epic of immensity and wholeness. Julie Tippetts is all she ever was and more. Hey, Jools, still quoting Shirley Ellis’ Clapping Song; pick up the past and hurl it forward. But, that ain’t all, Circles Of Whispers is the second disk. Twelve individual tracks drawing on smaller groupings from the main ensemble. There’s a wealth of good stuff here. My specific favourites are the two tracks with Nick Robinson’s acoustic guitar which comes on like the iconic John Martyn somewhere between his Stormbringer and Solid Air albums. On Sword Swallower and Big Cat Tamer the singing is aerated against Robinson’s instrument to such a degree these pared down performances cry out as harbingers for an entire duo album… truly fantastic. The other standouts from this Circle of treasures are the collaborations with Laura Cole’s piano, Water Message and Dancing On Air. Both tracks are each under two minutes in duration. They caress and commit the art of heart to song form. That’s what it’s about isn’t? Two hours of Illusion? Certainly in name, but believe me this is the real thing. – Steve Day, April 2022

It’s the first release in six years from the long-established duo of Archer and Julie Tippetts. And boy, is it good. No: not good, but rather, utterly marvelous. A cornucopia of blues-shot and freshly swinging power, intellectual stimulation and, overall, sheer aural delight, the music is presented on two CDs, both focusing on the eternal question of truth and illusion through the archetypal metaphor of “The Magic Circus”. The first CD is presented as a continuous experience while the second has 13 discrete tracks. Each CD features original, excellent lyrics, printed in the rich and generous packaging. Tippett is present throughout and is in terrific form. Whether she is interpreting the lyrics, scatting, or digging deep into unclassifiable realms of vocal poetics, the clarity and range of her now impassioned, now intimate and reflective sound and phrasing consistently hit the spot, enhanced at various times by diversely conceived passages of multi-tracking and shifts in tempo. The quickest way to convey some idea of the shape-shifting rhythmic magnetism of the initial Illusion Suite CD is to recall the vamping long forms of Davis’s In A Silent Way and then imagine them transformed by the sort of musical and technological alchemy of which the multivalent Archer has long been a master. The sound of the music is big and then some, with many a classic aspect of jazz sound, phrasing and dynamics present in all their archetypal emotional potency. The complementary Illusion – Circle Of Whispers on CD2 is equally compelling. Compare the pumping affirmation of the funky and driving Illusion with the sparely wrought and soulful inwardness of Water Message / The Sun Goddess’s Mirror and the floating and soaring musings of Between Mountains. For further examples of the richness to be relished, marvel at the cross-rhythms and pulsing energy of Blade Juggler, the gliding “art music” mysteries of Aquabat, and the various modulations in Elephant Rider (where Archer’s baritone shines) from a deep, slow and heavy groove to passages of the most aching rubato tenderness. There isn’t space here to note the many superb contributions from the various individuals and groups present on Circle Of Whispers. However, as with Illusion Suite, a glance at the personnel will suffice to indicate the quality of the playing, arrangements and overall imagination which ignite this exceptional music. Bravo! – Michael Tucker, JAZZ JOURNAL https://jazzjournal.co.uk/2022/07/17/julie-tippetts-martin-archer-illusion/

Illusion is the first album for six years by vocalist Julie Tippetts and multi-instrumentalist Martin Archer, here on saxophones, clarinets, keyboards and electronics. It’s their most ambitious to date. Before this recording, they’d worked together to a punishing schedule, starting each new album as soon as the previous one was released. The results were Ghosts Of Gold, Tales Of FiNiN, Serpentine and Vestigum. Due to a series of vicissitudes, some of them harrowing, the present release is a more protracted but also a deeper and more moving effort. The album is divided into two parts – Circle Of Whispers and Illusion Suite – both featuring the eponymous JTMA Ensemble. Many of the musicians in this outstanding group are longtime partners of Martin Archer and familiar names – I’ve loved Corey Mwamba’s creative vibraphone playing for some years now and drummer Peter Fairclough’s excellent work for even longer. Circle Of Whispers is a sequence of 13 songs, performed by various small groups drawn from JTMA plus guests. For the first time in the album series, composers include members of the ensemble, notably pianist Laura Cole and guitarist Nick Robinson. One outstanding track is Sea Sapphire which has the ethos of a John Coltrane-ish dirge in free time, with a lyric that recalls The Tempest’s “full fathom five”. Archer is best known as a horn player but his keyboard solos on this track and elsewhere are a revelation. [NB the piano solo on Sea Sapphire is actually played by Laura Cole – MWA]. The sinuous jazz rock of Elephant Ride and the psychedelic “Blade Juggler” feature multitracked vocals. Fortune Teller and Movin’ On are infused with retrofuturistic space age effects, while Blade Juggler has a striking electric keyboard tonality. Illusion Suite, by contrast, is a single work running continuously for 75 minutes, though the recording is divided into seven tracks. Here the music is structured like a DJ mix, with elements manipulated and sometimes reappearing throughout. Chance procedures were used in creating the electronic base, over which we hear the ensemble and Tippetts’ voice. This music was conceived in 2013 and intended for the Vestigum album but not completed. Archer has produced a download on his Discus label – Electronic Music From Illusion Suite – wherein the electronic music is stripped of almost all subsequently recorded instrumental and vocal layers, but includes a layer of atmospheric ambient sounded recorded by Chris Trent at Magna Steelworks in Rotherham. In this practice, Archer is inspired by Stockhausen’s publication of electronic backgrounds from his Licht cycle. Chances begins the suite with a stuttering electronic backdrop, a compelling jazz groove and multitracked vocals that effloresce into a rich tapestry of vocal and instrumental sound – in fact mulitracked vocals are the norm on Illusion Suite. There are no instrumental solos, but a collective improvisation ethos that builds to a powerful climax. The impact of Less is enhanced by vinyl applique effects – its opulent complexity denies the title, as it develops into a kaleidoscope of voices….. Despite the vicissitudes of its production – and partly because of them – Illusion is a powerfully crafted, diverse and affecting release. It is often intensely beautiful, and shows a very satisfying artistic collaboration. It richly repays repeated listening and offers some of the most compelling work of Julie Tippetts’ career. This is not an artist who rests on their laurels. – Andy Hamilton, THE WIRE

This is the fifth album by the British Avant-Garde Jazz duo comprising of iconic vocalist / songwriter Julie Tippetts and multi-instrumentalist / composer / Discus label owner Martin Archer. The music was created over a period of six years since the release of the duo’s previous album, materializing two CDs worth of musical magic. The first CD, subtitled “Circle Of Whispers” presents thirteen songs performed by Tippetts and accompanied mostly by small ensembles between a duet and a quartet and in some cases including additionally a string trio. A long list of musicians take part in these recordings. The second CD, subtitled “Illusion Suite”, is a seven-part continuous suite, performed by the duo, a sextet of instrumentalist, a quintet of electronicists and a string trio. The music is quite different on these two CDs, which is a wonderful surprise. “Circle Of Whispers” is almost completely “well behaved”, presenting Tippetts singing lyrics (sometimes with overdubs) and rarely using vocalese. The songs have clearly defined melody lines, often bordering on Rock, some with a subtle and sublime Jazzy arrangements and others with an ambient / electronics background, brilliantly supported by Archer on keyboards, B. J. Cole on guitar, Laura Cole on piano and other excellent instrumentalists. Listeners familiar with Tippetts extensive recording career will be fondly reminded of her early (post Pop) solo career, with albums like “Sunset Glow”. The entire album is absolutely fascinating from start to finish, and IMHO it is her strongest album in many years. Her vocal abilities are completely untouched by time and the creativity and imagination encapsulated in these songs are staggering. Hearing this music made me think that perhaps not all is lost in music yet. “Illusion Suite” is closer to the Avant-Garde side of the duo, with Tippetts still singing lyrics, but also using her voice (often overdubbed) in an instrumental capacity, singing extensive and not surprisingly breathtaking vocalese parts. The music is based on melodic themes, but is more open and improvised, as expected. One might define the suite as a concerto for multiple voices (sung by the same person) and electro-acoustic ensemble. The excellent rhythm section of bassist Seth Bennett and drummer Peter Fairclough manages to give the music a steady pulsating continuity, which helps the listen to follow the complex vocal and instrumental parts. Guitarist Anton Hunter, trombonist George Murray, vibraphonist Corey Mwamba and trumpeter Charlotte Keeffe are in charge of the instrumental ornamentation, with Archer omnipresent keyboards, woodwinds and electronics creating the “wall of sound” background. This is, what I call, quite a journey… Overall, this is a brilliant piece of composing, performing, songwriting and everything else involved in creating a true “magic carpet ride”, which takes the listener places he probably never dreamt of. A most welcome comeback from Tippetts, which always leaves me waiting for more… Bless you and thanks for this gift of music! – Adam Baruch http://www.adambaruch.com/reviews_item.asp?item=107021

Illusion Suite is ambient experimental music of a different kind, recorded between 2014 and 2021, by Julie Tippetts (who turns 75 this month) and Martin Archer on whose Discus imprint the double-album appears. Archer not only co-wrote much of the music but also contributes keyboards and all the reeds, alongside an extended cast list. It is the fifth collaboration between the pair, but the first in six years and probably the most ambitious. At the heart of the 140-minute project are Tippetts’ mysterious lyrics, exploring the notion of escaping the humdrum and the transformative allure of running away with the circus. Musically it is panoramic, encompassing avant-pop, jazz-rock, ballads, noise and electronica, often in multiple guises at the same time. That is particularly the case on the first CD, the titular suite, which contains three layers: Tippetts’ frequently overdubbed vocal arrangements, which range from abstract to soulful to sublime (“Bare Back Rider”); the accompanying ensemble, which embraces a squad of young UK talent including guitarist Anton Hunter, trumpeter Charlotte Keefe and vibraphonist Corey Mwamba; and an electronic foundation, assembled by Archer from separate soundscapes resulting from chance procedures by four different players. So although Tippetts’ vocals most grab the attention, they sit atop a dizzying kaleidoscope of sound. Although much smaller permutations drawn from the ensemble with guests are responsible for the 13 tracks on the second CD, Circle Of Whispers, the outcomes are often still densely woven backdrops to Tippetts’ shapeshifting voice and the songs remain primarily vehicles for the words, rather than solo fireworks. Nonetheless, anyone with open ears will find much to savor. – John Sharpe, New York City Jazz Record http://www.nycjazzrecord.com/

The Illusion Suite consists of 1 song in 7 sections which follows the structure of a Dance/Disco/DJ mix with periodically the 140 bpm rhythm at the back, yet played by real musicians that gives it a jazzy feeling in an electronic jacket so to speak. Done very well, there is a lot to discover here if you want to check out something special that is hardly done before. CD 2 is titled Circle Of Whispers, and this is a rather unique sounding album of 13 songs that sounds like an experimental dark mix of jazz and progressive rock….. I am personally quite impressed by the sounds of that CD, because it has the aforementioned unique approach of connecting jazz and dance music in a completely new way. – Strutter’zine

Two differently conceived partial albums contain “Illusion”. There is the “Illusion Suite” on CD1, a continuous piece of 75 minutes in length, in which various thematic material is played, which appears again and again and is changed, performed by a fixed, quite extensive group. CD2, subtitled “Circle Of Whispers”, then offers a collection of 13 independent songs, sometimes melancholically gliding, sometimes driving, which were recorded by changing groups of four to seven musicians. At the center of the music, however, is the wonderfully variable, powerful and barely aged voice of the Tippetts. With well over two hours of music, you could of course write about this album for a similar amount of time. But I try to be shorter. Jazz or jazzy songs, Canterbury-like, electronic-jazzy-free-format song experiments, chamber prog, dynamic-dancing electronics, almost big band-like, edgy jazz rock, grooving swing, modern ensemble music, swinging (post) rocking, dark electronic moments and free sound tinkering meet here, or are strung together. Quite a lot of electronic sounds move in the background, hissing, wafting and growling textures, especially in the suite, and occasionally the electronic patterns there also pulsate hectic, almost dance floor-like (e.g. in “Less”), which in combination with plucked acoustic bass, sparkling electric piano, howling electric guitar, jazzy horns and Tippett’s voice creates a very special character. If you are interested, you can also download the electronic component of the suite (“Electronic Music From Illusion Suite”) separately from Discus. The “Illusion Suite” is certainly the more complex and avant-garde of the two works, while “Circle Of Whispers” is a bit more varied and slightly more traditional, with a lot of electronics scurrying around in the background. Light or catchy material is also not to be found on CD2. On both discs, the music is very varied and woven around Julie Tippett’s vocal interludes, always careful not to jam them together, but to underline them in a contrasting way and to ensure that the voice comes into its own perfectly in an interesting sound environment. Due to the large number of other participants or their specific instruments, an equally large tonal variety is also ensured. “Illusion” is probably the magnum opus of the duo Tippetts-Archer, and anyone who appreciates large-format, free-jazzy-rock sound structures with Canterburesque flair and progressive electronic underpinning, and of course the wonderful voice of the Tippetts, or at least can imagine such an appreciation, should not miss this impressive album. (Google translation) – Achim Breiling, BABYBLAUE SEITEN http://www.babyblaue-seiten.de/album_20348.html#oben

This double album begins with the ‘Illusions’ suite of 7 pieces and continues with the 23 tunes in the ‘Circle of Whispers’. There is an over-riding theme of circuses (the closing track of Circle of Whispers (CW) is ‘Movin’ on (dismantling the big top)’ and one also finds a ‘Big Cat Tamer’ (CW, track 10), an ‘Elephant rider’ (CW track 7), a ‘Bare back rider’ (Illusions, track 6), a ‘Blade Juggler’ (track 11), a ‘Sword Swallower’ ( track 6), the ‘Trapeze’ (track 4) and ‘Dancing on air’ (track 8). But the pieces are also, perhaps, focused on artful deception, not only in the album’s title, and tracks such as ‘Fortune teller’ (track 12) but also the refrain that closes the opening track ‘Chances’ – “we’re ducking… and diving all around… we’re taking our chances, revolving like the planets…” The suggestion is that the circus and the illusion of the ‘Magic man’ (Illusions, track 5) are being offered as metaphors as much as a reflection of the spectacle of the Big Top. This suggestion led me to thinking about the 1956 movie ‘Trapeze’ and Fellini’s 1954 ‘La Strada – not so much for any similarity in content between the music here and these movies but the sense of presenting a hall of mirrors that reflects contemporary society. What the films also show is the ways in which circus and carnival folk live outside conventional norms. And, of course, the same could be said of Tippets and Archer and their continued delight in discovering new rules to break (musically, at least). The ways in which the electronics and beats hover around the music creates new tensions to which Tippets ever-engaging vocal experiments respond with delight and humour. Her voice and lyrics continue to explore in delightfully and unexpected ways the human experience, challenging the rest of the ensemble to delve into a wide repertoire of sounds and styles. Given the theme of the songs, there is little in the music that carries any hint of hackneyed “circus tunes” and each piece has a fresh and contemporary feel, as befits two artists who continue to define the word contemporary. Nor do the songs belie the long development period of the recording. Each song fits into its place as a piece in a jigsaw and the result is a recording that will find its way into many ‘best of’ lists this year – it will certainly feature in mine. – Chris Baber, JAZZ VIEWS https://www.jazzviews.net/julie-tippets–martin-archer—illusion.htm

Six years in the making, Illusion is an ambitious work spanning two discs…..Although they hint tantalisingly at it, Tippetts and Archer hesitate to try to explain the narrative behind the music, and I certainly won’t attempt it in the space available. The 13 “Whispers” songs showcase Tippetts’s legendarily impressive vocal quality and technique across a wide stylistic range. Across 75 minutes the “illusion” suite unfolds above a foundation layer of electronics. It’s complex, challenging and varied, by turns inviting, forbidding, lyrical, ferocious, always enthralling. Four stars. – Barry Witherndon, BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE

MARTIN ARCHER mag Frauenstimmen, zuletzt die von Carla Diratz, bei Combat Astronomy schon die von Elaine di Falco, und insbesondere liebt er den Gesang und die erstaunliche Poesie von JULIE TIPPETTS, bei „Fluvium“ (20029, „Ghosts of Gold“ (2009), „Tales of FiNiN“ (2011), „Serpentine“ (2012) und „Vestigium“ (2015). Illusion (Discus 131, 2xCD) spinnt das fort, mit einmal der ‘Illusion Suite’ als 75-min. Songscape und poetischvokalem Mirakel, gemixt aus Julie Tippetts Driscollness, den Klängen einer mit Drums, Kontrabass, E-Gitarre, Posaune, Vibraphon & Flöte, Trompete & Flügelhorn bestückten Band, eines Stringtrios mit Violine, Viola und Cello plus Archer an Keyboards, Electronics, Saxophones & Clarinets als Surfern auf einer zuerst gefertigten Woge aus Beats, Loops, Drones & Grinds, Textures, Melodies, Field Recordings & Wizardry. Tippetts besingt, wie sie da auf diesem noch mit nymphischer Vokalisation animiertem, von Vibes beperlten Jazztronica-Fluidum dahintreibt, dahingaloppiert, das Leben als Spiel, Illusion, Zirkus, Pandämonium, Zaubershow: That we were of a dream / And deemed to weld in / transformation… There are lessons in magic. / Tests in illogical. Sie singt, mehrstimmig, über Less- und Nothingness, reitet Pegasus ungesattelt, imaginiert sich selber beflügelt, My Pegaus reborn and I… We fly / Eos Aurora… We fly. Sie dreht und wendet Himmel und Hölle, stülpt sie um und zitiert dazu ‘The Clapping Song’: Three, six, nine, the goose drank wine, The monkey chewed tobacco on the streetcar line… ‘Circle of Whispers’ knüpft direkt daran an, doch nun in Form von 13 Songs: 2 davon stimmt Tippetts nur zum Piano von Laura Cole an, 3 singer-songwriterisch und elektroverzaubert zu dritt mit Archer und BJ Cole an Pedal Steel bzw. Peter Fairclough an Drum Loop oder mit Nick Robinson an Akustikgitarre & Electronics und Seth Bennett an Kontrabass. Neben ‘Illusion’, ‘Elephant Rider’ und ‘Fortune Teller’ zu viert bringt ein 5-, 6- & 7-stimmiger Jazz-Rock-Reigen der üblichen Discus-Verdächtigen noch Anton Hunters E-Gitarre ins Spiel oder auch wieder Bratsche, Cello und, postum, die Geige von Paul Schatzberger (+2021). Denn die Aufnahmen haben sich über 6 Jahre hingezogen, immer wieder unterbrochen durch Krankheit, Unfälle, Pech, Corona und insbesondere ja den Tod von Keith Tippett. Julie singt den ‘Illusion’- Blues: I’m on the ground, but I’m suspended. / I’ve just begun, but it is ended. / I’m in trouble…trouble…trouble. Sie fliegt like Philippe Petit und seiltanzt ‘Between Mountains’, schwingt als Trapezakrobatin, reitet einen Elefanten, spitzentänzelt in der Luft, taucht als ‘Aquabat’ in der Tiefsee, ist sometimes alles Mögliche, doch always Illusion. Sie wundert sich über Schwertschlucken, zweifelt an Wahrsagerei, imaginiert sich als Raubtierbändigerin, als Ziel eines Messerwerfers dicing with death. Das Ganze ein schillernder Zirkus auf metaphorischer Ebene, allein vor dem Spiegel, zu zweit und als a life-style, als keepin’ on, movin’ on. Holding on. Wie auch ich, enticed by the spell! Als Graugänschen geprägt von „Open“ von Brian Auger and The Trinity, mit Julie Driscoll als einer Ikone meiner Pupertät. A spell was spun… A bond began to gel… over time…. A Master Work – Rigobert Dittmann, BAD ALCHEMY

This “Illusion” is a broad and strictly heterogeneous work signed by the free vocalist Julie Tippets and the handyman multi-instrumentalist Martin Archer, not new to shoulder-to-shoulder collaborations. A double album that takes its inspiration from the world of the circus and from the environments connected to it, such as the colorful scenarios of an amusement park. Divided into two discs, entitled respectively “Illusion Suite” and “Circle of Whispers”, the first CD sees a large formation in the field which, in addition to our protagonists, includes a wide range of musicians and instruments where free sonorities of acoustic derivation are fused with subtle references to electronic digitization. The harmonies range from free form to sophisticated (post) prog rock of British origin (feel the oblique movements of Pandemonium / Open Your Eyes between light and dark and see if Robert Wyatt or groups like Caravan won’t come to mind) where in any case Tippets’ elaborate voice stands out in the foreground. The opening Chances is beautiful but also the subsequent introversions of Less , the romantic and jazzy Magic Man where the voice brings back the magical memories of an immortal Patty Waters. The second cd, “Circle of…” is more essential and restricted in the choice of musicians’ combo, in which the two are joined according to the songs by a minimum of one performer and a maximum of 5 elements, as in the case of Movin’ On . The trend is always to elegantly mix free improvisation and refined progressive and arty rock. From almost danceable effect the opening of Illusion , while the cut of Water Message is deeply intimate… where Julie is supported solely by Laura Cole’s grand piano. The swarm of delicate melancholy continues with Between Mountains , where the climates become covertly bucolic. Trapeze, on the other hand, takes a more obsessive and experimental cut, launching the following lineup in a complex journey through the ups and downs of the sound moods described above: intimism, jazzy instrumental openings, cultured introspective deviations (for example with Sea Sapphire), even funky doughs and so on. Listened to by myself in these days at the end of 2022, it will most likely end up with deserved pride on the playlist of the most interesting works listened to in this disastrous year, which the majority of us will remember for an absurd war and massive climate problems. May the peaceful and refined weapon of art and sound restore peace among peoples and teach man that letting off steam through experimentation is much wiser than doing it through the deadly percussion of weapons. – KATHODIK