Phillip Johnston: Page of Madness
Released in 2019 via Asynchronous Records.
Page of Madness is a live recording of Johnston’s score for Teinosuke Kinugasa’s 1926 silent Japanese masterpiece. This recording was done at Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater by Jon Rosenberg. It was performed by The Transparent Quartet.
Media
Press | Recording
…an engaging and absorbing piece of chamber jazz composition/improvisation by a highly skilled band.”
––Mark Corroto, All About Jazz (USA)
“…one of the richest forms of written jazz, plucked from the air by the musicians with great intelligence and immense emotional power.”
––Noël Tachet, Improjazz (FRANCE)
“…really excellent.”
––Beppe Colli, Clouds and Clocks (ITALY)
“…like a clown gone bad…”
––Dave Mandl, The Wire (UK)
“…Page of Madness is an expertly assembled, clean-sounding, and vibrant score and I hope a proper DVD release is forthcoming, since I can’t help but wonder what on-screen insanity is being mirrored by the music….”
––Ernie Paik, Chattanooga Pulse (USA)
“…Creeping abstraction and blithe little melodies cohabit in the foreground, it all having a delightfully miniaturised quality, like a bonsai garden…”
––John Shand, Sydney Morning Herald (AUSTRALIA)
“…Johnston’s sax playing (on both alto and soprano) proceeds with elegance and conjures up moments of mystery that come and go, which he knows how to weave with mastery…”
––Maurizio Commandini, All About Jazz Italia (ITALY)