Joby Burgess – A Percussionist’s Songbook

Joby Burgess – A Percussionist’s Songbook

“Percussionist extraordinaire Joby Burgess” performs his new album A Percussionist’s Songbook – a collection of specially commissioned ‘songs without words’ from John Metcalfe, Tunde Jegede, Dario Marianelli, Yazz Ahmed, Dobrinka Tabakova, Gabriel Prokofiev and Cornish composer Graham Fitkin.

Scored for an arsenal of pitched percussion and electronics the songbook is inspired by texts ranging from the poetry of Robert Graves and Birago Diop to novels by Michael Ondaatje and Isaac Asimov; American philosopher Michael Sandel, songwriter Peter Gabriel, United Nations population growth statistics and Saudi Arabian folk tales.

Programme

Tunde Jegede The Ancestors Are Within

Dario Marianelli Unequal  

Dobrinka Tabakova Desert Swimmers

Gabriel Prokofiev Dr Calvin Remembers 

Joby Burgess Come Sweet Death

Yazz Ahmed Throw Your Pumpkin (& Pick Me Up)

John Metcalfe Love Without Hope 

Graham Fitkin Species

Joby Burgess Take Me Home 

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Reviews

“Listening to percussionist Joby Burgess is like a musical shot in the arm. His recordings are so full of vibrant energy, vitality and freshness. So what’s the secret? … the virtuoso percussionist’s technical brilliance, fantastic agility and coordination, and innate musicality. ‘A Percussionist’s Songbook’ may well be Burgess’s best album yet.” 
Pwyll ap Siôn, Gramophone, 2 December 2022

“Essential Classics ALBUM OF THE WEEK” 
Georgia Mann, BBC Radio 3, 17 October 2022

“A fascinating record with wide-ranging ambition and, surely, mass appeal. Joby Burgess has created a release for classical label Signum that could sit equally comfortably in the rock or ‘world’ genres, such are its broad range of influences and audible sense of adventure. Warmly recommended.”  
Adrian Ainsworth, ArtMuseLondon, 11 October 2022

“Combining a multi-genre passion for contemporary western music with explorations of ancient global traditions, Joby Burgess has done much to foster the art of percussion.”  
Steph Power, BBC Music Magazine, 4 October 2022

“a commercially minded playlist of good vibe tracks that reward curiosity with aural treats … Joby Burgess achieves something very special in A Percussionists Songbook, combining 20th century musical ideas, each unmistakably of their time, into a composite sound that sounds fresh. And like all well produced albums it’s one you’ll want to listen to from beginning to end.” 
Jon Jacob, Thoroughly Good, 30 September 2022

Running time: 1 hour 10 minutes, no interval