''Songs for Quintet'' is the final studio album by flugelhornist and composer

Kenny Wheeler Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, OC (14 January 1930 – 18 September 2014) was a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. from the 1950s onwards. Most of his performances were rooted in jazz, but he was also active ...

recorded at

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music c ...

in 2013 and released on the ECM label in early 2015 shortly after his death.ECM discography
accessed September 19, 2016

Reception

The ''

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

'' review by Matt Collar states "Ultimately, ''Songs for Quintet'' is a beautiful and poignantly subtle farewell from one of the quiet giants of jazz". ''

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''s John Garratt said "Wheeler’s final album shows the 84-year-old legend making music the same way he always had—with class, mood and spontaneity. And if Wheeler’s declining health at the time impacted his playing in any way, ''Songs for Quintet'' show it to be a remarkable non-factor. If someone can pull off an album like this while they’re dying, then there’s hope for us all". ''

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

'' reviewers said, "''Songs for Quintet'' is a poignant closing statement from the great, highly influential Kenny Wheeler. His playing, though somewhat reduced, still captivates but like all his vehicles he led over forty five years the music's strength lies in the writing for the ensemble. A grower, ''Songs for Quintet'' marks a dignified and soulful final chapter in the stellar career of a unique figure" and "It's impossible to know if Wheeler knew his days on earth were truly numbered, but with ''Songs for Quintet'' another legend may now have passed, but not before delivering an album that's not just as good a swan song as anyone could hope for, but a recording that stands amongst the rest of his discography as one of his absolute finest".Kelman, J
All About Jazz Review
January 28, 2015 ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

''s John Fordham said "Following the widespread tributes to Wheeler’s freethinking virtuosity, it would be all too easy to cheer his swansong – but his sound does retain much of its old melancholy tenderness here, and in the context of this set’s beautiful pieces and elegant improvisation, some hesitant flugelhorn moments mostly just reinforce the hypnotic humanity of the music".Fordham, J.
Kenny Wheeler: Songs for Quintet review – final set from jazz’s modest maestro
''

'', January 9, 2015

Track listing

All compositions by Kenny Wheeler. # "Seventy-Six" - 5:02 # "Jigsaw" - 8:44 # "The Long Waiting" - 5:10 # "Canter No. 1" - 6:40 # "Sly Eyes" - 8:07 # "1076" - 2:40 # "Old Time" - 6:12 # "Pretty Liddle Waltz" - 6:49 # "Nonetheless" - 4:52

Personnel

—

flugelhorn The flugelhorn (), also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet but has a wider, more conical bore. Like trumpets and cornets, most flugelhorns are pitched in B, though some ...

Stan Sulzmann Stanley Ernest Sulzmann (born 30 November 1948) is an English jazz saxophonist. Biography He was born in London, England. Sulzmann began playing the saxophone at age of 13 and played in 1964 Bill Ashton's London Youth Jazz Orchestra, later th ...

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

John Parricelli John Parricelli (born 5 April 1959 in Evesham, Wychavon, Worcestershire, England) is a jazz guitarist who has worked mainly in the United Kingdom. Parricelli began his career as a guitarist in 1982. He was one of the founding members of the Bri ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

Chris Laurence Chris Laurence (born 6 January 1949) is an English musician. Born in London, he studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and primarily works with jazz and classical music. In the classical world he was principal double bass with th ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

Martin France Martin France (born 1964) is one of the top jazz drummers in the UK. He has recorded on over 100 albums and is a Professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He is sponsored by Paiste cymbals Career France began performing at the age of ...

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

References

{{Authority control 2015 albums Kenny Wheeler albums ECM Records albums Albums produced by Manfred Eicher