Starry Starry Night - Plak

ENGLISH

Paul Clarvis is one of the UK's most respected and talented percussionists and has played with everyone from Mick Jagger and Nina Simone to Herbie Hancock and Andy Sheppard. As one of the most requested session musicians, he has played on numerous film soundtracks including "Star Wars", "Thunderbirds", "The Constant Gardener", "The Passion, Troy", "King Arthur", "Kingdom Of Heaven", "The Bourne Ultimatum", "Lord Of The Rings", "Batman", "Spy Games", "Captain Corellis Mandolin", "Shakespeare in Love"," James Bond", "Billy Elliot", "Notting Hill", and many others. He co-leads his own band Orquestra Mahatma which specialises in improvisations on folk tunes from all over the world, and also leads an improvising trio "For All the Saints" with Stan Sultzmann and Tony Hymas. "Starry Starry Night" finds him teamed up with pianist Liam Noble, best known for his quirky, individual compositions and improvisations. Liam has also worked with Stan Sultzmann, as well as many other artists including Ingrid Laubrock, Anita Wardell, Harry Beckett, Christine Tobin, Chris Bisco and with cult minimalist composer Moondog, where he and Paul Clarvis first met.<br /><br /> Since then, they have played together in many bands and contexts, so when the opportunity arose to record at Abbey Road Studio One, they both agreed that this was the perfect setting for their duo recording. The resulting album "Starry Starry Night" is a beautiful collection of standards ranging from Scott Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag", Ellington's "Mood Indigo" and George and Ira Gershwin's "Embraceable You" to Don Maclean's Vincent ("Starry Starry Night"), Paul Simon's "So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright" and Moondog's "Paris". This is also a very personal album for Paul Clarvis, a thank you to his parents. His father was terminally ill at the time of recording but did hear the completed album just before he passed away.<br /><br /> With glistening, melodic arrangements, Clarvis' gentle brush-work exquisitely compliments the melodies played by Noble. The synchronicity of the playing makes the album a seamless piece of work, gently meandering from the mellow ("Embraceable You") to the playful ("Maple Leaf Rag") to the out and out toe-tapping ("Whispering"). The album ends with Moondog's "Paris", which coming in at a little over two minutes is a short and wonderful burst of happiness which leaves you humming the melody for days after.<br /><br /> Paul Clarvis achieved notoriety at the 1995 BBC Last Night of the Proms as the drum soloist in Birtwistle's "Panic", and plays with musicians as diverse as Leonard Bernstein and John Dankworth. He won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music, continues to study traditional drumming from around the world and was recently chairman of the judges for BBC "Young Musician of the Year".<br /><br /> He has recorded with Paul McCartney, Elton John, Richard Thompson, John Adams, Andy Sheppard, Elvis Costello, Mark Anthony Turnage, Michel Legrand, Gordon Beck, Michael Nyman, John Harle and Bryan Ferry. Paul is a professor at The Royal Academy of Music and, with Sonia Slany, runs Village Life record company.<br /><br /> Recording: June 2006 at Abbey Road Studios, Studio One, London, by Andy Dudman<br /><br /> Production: Paul Clarvis