David Cross - Andrew Keeling: October Is Marigold

Violinist David Cross has been really quite prolific in recent years, teaming up with all manner of progressive and avant-garde musicians to release numerous, reasonably diverse albums. October Is Marigold finds him lining up alongside Andrew Keeling; the pair both having strong links with King Crimson. Cross, of course was that band’s violin, viola and keyboard man from 1972 to 1974, while Keeling has now written several musical guides to the works of Crimson, while also being a flute, keyboard and guitar player of some renown in his own right.

As has often been the case with Cross’s collaborations, the joint pasts of the men involved does not really signpost what this enigmatically titled album looks to convey. Instead we have something much more mood based and ethereal in construction, with plaintive meanders often the basis from where the tracks move and evolve into different places altogether. That said, there are musical themes throughout that are revisited during what I’d suggest is a paean to a certain time of year where the world can indeed turn to a burnt marigold colour. In fact the word marigold features in five of the nine track titles and that in itself tells you how neatly these imaginative and emotionally engaging pieces draw you in.

Keeling often creates the base from which Cross then pulls at the heartstrings through some emotive violin work, but when the former also adds flute to build those atmospheres, the effect becomes quite intoxicating, while his piano work on the likes of “Marigold 2� really does make its mark. The most obviously ‘structured’ offering on the album is the title track, where an under-base of what both men bring is used as a percussive construction from where a sedate but still memorable melody leads us by the hand. That’s not always the case elsewhere, with mood and emotion, I’d suggest, more important to this album’s inner meaning than any one other factor. The results are enigmatic and intriguing and while I’d say October Is Marigold verges into the territory of ‘mood music’, when that mood takes hold, it really is quite wonderful.

Track Listing
1. Marigold 1 (1.19)
2. Kingfisher (5.36)
3. October is Marigold (9.31)
4. Strong as a Mountain Lion (6.09)
5. Marigold 2 (3.51)
6. Ever Nearer (8.05)
7. Marigold 3 (4.00)
8. The Spiking Darts that were Trees (8.27)
9. The Dark Edge of Desire and Marigold 4 (8.49)

Added: February 27th 2022
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: October Is Marigold @ bandcamp
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Language: english

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