''Space Walk'' is an album by

British jazz British jazz is a form of music derived from American jazz. It reached Britain through recordings and performers who visited the country while it was a relatively new genre, soon after the end of World War I. Jazz began to be played by British ...

saxophonist

Don Rendell Donald Percy Rendell (4 March 1926 – 20 October 2015) was an English jazz musician and arranger. Mainly active as a tenor saxophonist, he also played soprano saxophone, flute, and clarinet. Career Rendell was born in Plymouth, England, an ...

, recorded in December 1970 and released on the EMI Columbia label in 1972 as part of their Lansdowne Series. This was Rendell's final recording under the Lansdowne banner before moving to

Spotlite Records Spotlite Records is a British jazz record company and label. It was founded in 1968 by British producer Tony Williams, originally as an outlet for Charlie Parker's Dial recordings. It has reissued other Dial masters, and undertaken new recordings ...

. ''Space Walk'' continued Rendell's exploration of modern

modal jazz Modal jazz is jazz that makes use of musical modes, often modulating among them to accompany the chords instead of relying on one tonal center used across the piece. Although precedents exist, modal jazz was crystallized as a theory by compose ...

and displayed the enduring influence of

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of br ...

on Rendell's composition and playing.

Reception

In a reissue review of ''Space Walk'', '' AllAboutJazz'' scored the album 3 ½ stars, considering the album's music to be "vigorous and adventurous" but one that fell "outside the prevailing currents of jazz rock and free jazz". In a more sympathetic reappraisal of ''Space Walk'' as part of a 2021 reissue by

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

, ''

Jazzwise ''Jazzwise'', launched in 1997, is the UK jazz monthly magazine. ''Jazzwise'' has a broad sub-genre coverage, from jazz, improv, hard bop, and jazz-rock to bebop and classic jazz, and also covers jazz crossover, including jazz-funk, jazz hip-h ...

'' noted that Rendell bravely deviated from the brass and saxophone orthodoxy of the time by using twin tenor saxophones in the frontline. The composition, "Euroaquillo", was also highlighted as best exemplifying Rendell's "affinity to post-hard-bop-into-middle-period-Coltrane". ''Jazzwise'' awarded the album 4 stars and the status of "Editor's choice".

Track listing

All compositions by

except where noted. # "On the Way" - 5:45 # "Antibes" - 7:10 # "Summer Song" - 6:18 # "The Street Called Straight" - 5:27 # "Euroaquilo" ( Stan Robinson) - 7:16 # "A Matter of Time" (

Dave Quincy David Quincy (born 13 September 1939, Battle, Sussex), better known as Dave Quincy (and also billed as Dave Quincey), is an English saxophonist and composer who was a founder-member of British jazz-rock bands If and Zzebra. Before joining If ...

Trevor Tomkins Trevor Ramsey Tomkins (12 May 1941 – 9 September 2022) was a British jazz drummer best known for his work in a number of British bands in the 1970s, including Gilgamesh. Biography Tomkins was born in London and studied music at the Guildhall ...

) - 5:29 # "Space Walk" ( Peter Shade) - 5:29

Personnel

– tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, alto flute * Stan Robinson – tenor saxophone, clarinet, flute * Peter Shade – vibraphone, flute * Jack Thorncraft – bass, acoustic *

– percussion

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Space Walk 1972 albums Spotlite Records albums Modal jazz albums