Music / contemporary jazz
Divinely Inspired
Jazz clarinetist and composer Arun Ghosh likes spontaneity and his performances’ free-flowing energy is always powered by improvisation. The last time he came to Bristol, back in May 2019, he was inspired to a particularly powerful rendition of Massive Attack’s Teardrop – which he now reveals was a unique moment. “That’s the only time we’ve ever played it. It was because we were in Bristol and I’d grown up listening to that tune and I always love playing songs instrumentally. We all knew it so we didn’t even really need to rehearse it, which is why it sounded fresh I guess.” But three years later the highly spontaneous clarinettist is returning to Bristol with an 8-piece ensemble to play an ambitiously scored song-cycle with only a fleeting cameo appearance for his clarinet. So what happened?
Well a lot, obviously, but it all seems to have stemmed from him browsing second-hand books in London. “I picked up this beautiful little book about St Francis of Assisi and as I was flicking through I saw the phrase The Canticle Of The Sun. It just jumped off the page and for some reason made me think of Sun Ra. So I looked the poem up on line and as I read it I thought I just have to set this to music.” First thoughts of a purely classical acoustic composition soon morphed into something more comfortable: “I had to get rhythms and basslines behind it and make space for improvisation. I tried to bring spiritual jazz influences like Alice Coltrane and Sun Ra as well as Gregorian church music and gospel.”
is needed now More than ever
The result is a remarkable achievement, an eclectic set of songs with influences ranging from Spiritualised to PJ Harvey woven into them. Arun’s clarinet may take a back seat but the soaring voice of young star Camilla George’s saxophone more than makes up for it. Above all, the vocals of Irini Arabatzi and Seaming To are a crucial element, albeit singing in a 13th century Italian dialect. Arun had intended to go with an English version but when he heard the resonance of St Francis’ original words he felt they had to be used, with a translation provided to introduce each of the 11 sections.
When it came to choosing performance spaces, however, he was always very clear about that: “I was trying to create powerful wide-sounding music designed to be played in beautiful large spaces like churches or cathedrals. Of course St George’s in Bristol is perfect for that and I’m really pleased to be able to perform it there.” With a Hindu background but raised in a Christian education system Arun describes himself as “multi faith” and while The Canticle of the Sun is undeniably a piece of religious and spiritual music, he feels it should have a universal meaning whatever the listener’s religious background. “Devotional music can always bring something out for people who don’t think of themselves as religious. Its power can affirm their place in the world. There’s definitely something in music that comes from the spirit, whatever that spirit is. St Francis used pure and simple words, it’s not overly preachy, and I think it makes sense to anybody who listens carefully.”
Arun Ghosh’s Canticle Of The Sun comes to St George’s, Bristol on Friday June 3.
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