In the burgeoning contemporary repertoire for percussion, the work of a group of North American composer-performers has a special place. Classically trained but influenced as much by rock and jazz as by the Western canon, they have found a stellar exponent in the Scottish marimba player Calum Huggan. Already well known as leading exponent of new music, Calum’s natural instinct for collaboration has led to this landmark first solo album.
In it he showcases the instrument’s full spectrum of expressive possibilities, from Michael Burritt’s sparse and open textures to the generous warmth of Ivan Trevino; premiere recordings by these composers link imaginatively with modern classics such as Eric Ewazen’s Northern Lights and the Frenchman Emmanuel Séjourné's legendary Nancy, which Trevino describes as ‘like listening to my favourite band play an unplugged version of a song I love’.Calum Huggan lets these works ‘speak their truth, quietly and clearly’.
Cover, Session Photography and Videography by Will Coates-Gibson / foxbrush
Edinburgh, 27 August 2021
