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Azimuth
Azimuth
Studio album by Azimuth
Released	1977
Recorded	March 1977
Studio	Talent Studio; Oslo, Norway
Genre	Jazz
Length	43:29
Label	ECM; ECM 1099 ST
Producer	Manfred Eicher
Azimuth chronology

Azimuth is the debut album by British jazz trio Azimuth recorded in March 1977 and released on ECM later that year.^[1] The trio consists of pianist John Taylor, vocalist Norma Winstone, and trumpeter Kenny Wheeler.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz	^[3]

The AllMusic review by Michael G. Nastos calls the compositions "deep improvisations, communicative and spiritual."^[2]

The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings says Winstone's voice "floats with a characteristic balance between freedom and control over Taylor's minimalistic piano figures. Any doubts that these are jazz-trained and jazz-centred performers are immediately dispelled." They described the title track as "a grand acoustic edifice that constantly reveals new areas of interest."^[4]

A reviewer for Aquarium Drunkard wrote, "Taylor's arpeggiated synthesizers provide the pulsing backdrop for the majority of these tracks with Winstone and Wheeler floating and weaving through the space above with improvisational interplay akin to a dance. 'The Tunnel', one of two tracks with actual poetry, has Winstone singing of the 'darkness into blackness, flying along on the rhythm track', perhaps describing the dark, reflective space the trio beautifully explore and inhabit on this ambient jazz classic."^[5]

Tyran Grillo, writing for ECM blog Between Sound and Space, called the album "an altogether fascinating mosaic of atmospheres."^[6]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Norma Winstone; all music is composed by John Taylor

Side I
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Sirens' Song"	4:13
2.	"O"	6:49
3.	"Azimuth"	12:18
Total length:		23:20

Side II
No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Tunnel"	9:17
2.	"Greek Triangle"	2:05
3.	"Jacob"	8:47
Total length:		20:09 43:29

Personnel

Azimuth

John Taylor – piano, synthesizer
Norma Winstone – vocals
Kenny Wheeler – trumpet, flugelhorn

Technical personnel

Manfred Eicher – producer
Jan Erik Kongshaug – recording engineer
Bob Ludwig – mastering engineer
Barbara Wojirsch – layout
Otl Aicher – cover photography

References

^ ECM discography Archived 2012-10-06 at the Wayback Machine accessed September 9, 2011
^ ^a ^b Nastos, M. G. Allmusic Review accessed September 9, 2011
^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (1992). The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD, LP and Cassette. Penguin Books. p. 48.
^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (1998). The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD. Penguin Books. p. 69.
^ "Aquarium Drunkard Guide To ECM Records: Second Installment". Aquarium Drunkard. November 5, 2018. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
^ Grillo, Tyran (November 30, 2010). "Azimuth". Between Sound and Space. Retrieved April 23, 2022.