Open Water (September 2024)
Open Water features 10 original tracks written by the Quartet. Available now. The album is available on CD or for download here on the Quartet’s Bandcamp site:
Open Water – The Full Circle Quartet
Meanders In The South Downs (Dec 2023)
With over 2 hours of content in 4 parts of around 30 minutes each (Download), 38 tracks (Double-CD), this album includes twelve new arrangements for The South Downs Ensemble alongside ten of the original quartet recordings from The South Downs Suite, all put into context by Mandy Pannett’s recordings of her poems from the book of the same name and field recordings of the sounds of the South Downs, England.
The South Downs Suite (May 2023)
One of Jazzwise Magazine’s top 100 jazz albums of 2023.
Jazzwise – Rating: ★★★★
“There is a happy tradition of pastoral celebration not just in British classical music, but in jazz as well. Recently we’ve had James Kitchman evoking his beloved Northumberland on Rain Shadows with Bruno Heinem, while Kate Westbrook’s Granite band is embued with the soul of Dartmoor and the West country. The Full Circle Quartet takes the concept several steps beyond, however.
Poetry and books of painting are hard behind this release plus a follow up of ensemble pieces. And all based on a vivid vision of the sights, sounds and nature of the South Downs. There are generic songs, such as the subtle awakening of ‘Oasis’ or the fittingly flighty ‘Dance of the Dragonfly’ by Davies. But there’s site specific songs too, like the moodily beautiful ‘Seven Sisters’ inspired by the chalk cliffs of the East Sussex coast.
But the suite’s not all bucolic romanticism. Indeed, much of the music was born from the band’s experiences of lockdown, a mix of isolation, awe and awareness of nature’s indifference to humanity. All the members compose, and the band plays with great service to the music. But it’s hard not to single out Davies, nightingale blithe on soprano and variously dark toned, even vicious on tenor. We’re lucky to be witnessing a generation of saxophonists like Davies, Trish Clowes, Tori Freestone and newer stars like Emma Rawicz and Asha Parkinson bringing a fresher sensibility to Adolphe’s invention.”
– Jazzwise Author: Andy Robson
The album can be found on CD or for download here on the Quartet’s Bandcamp site:
The South Downs Suite – The Full Circle Quartet
BOOK
Original poetry by Sussex poet, Mandy Pannett.
A collection of original paintings by Sussex artist, Polly Dutton.
Brought together in one place and inspired by living in the South Downs of England, an artist, a poet and a contemporary music quartet have collaborated to produce this book, ‘The South Downs Suite’, to complement the music from the Quartet’s album of the same name.
Book with album download and CD bundles available.
Details and how to purchase the book, the CD and download the album
can be found here on Bandcamp:
The South Downs Suite book of poetry and art
The Full Circle Quartet 