A Day For A Reason - New CD release by The George Burt / Raymond MacDonald Sextet featuring Keith Tippett

An Tobar has commissioned a new piece of music from George Burt and Raymond MacDonald to commemorate the centenary of the building of the Tobermory Town Clock.

The music is inspired by stories of the clock from the past to the present, including tales of Isabella Bird, the Victorian traveller who gave money for the building of the clock in memory of her sister Henrietta, a long time Tobermory resident in the late 1800s.

Isabella Bird had an amazing life, travelling to America, Hawaii, the Far East – all for the good of her health, which was poor when at home but seemed to improve in foreign parts in spite of difficult circumstances - including a rough life with Jim Nugent (Rocky Mountain Jim) in Colorado!

The clock was like an island in the 2005 January storm when the tide left Tobermory Main Street under a foot of water.

The Sextet, with special guests, pianist Keith Tippett and singer Nicola MacDonald, were in residence at An Tobar, the Tobermory Arts Centre, in March 2005, rehearsing and recording, with a special concert at the end of the residency, featuring the new commission.

The new music includes 2 songs, some great tunes and some atmospheric free-improvisation pieces and the resulting CD (the band’s 7th release) is called A Day For A Reason.
The group also held free-improvisation workshops (note the hyphen which means the workshops were not actually free!) while they were in Tobermory.

The group – Raymond MacDonald (saxophones), George Burt (guitar), Nicola MacDonald (vocals), George Lyle (double bass) and Alyn Cosker (drums) are the leading lights in free jazz in Scotland. All the members are part of the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra, who have played in Europe and the UK and the group has recently worked on projects with jazz legends Harry Beckett, Lol Coxhill and Evan Parker.

The addition of piano great Keith Tippett took this project to a new level.

The CD launch will be at a special evening at the Alliance Francaise de Glasgow, 3 Park Circus, Glasgow, on Friday June 17th from 5.30 – 7pm.
Do come along for a glass of wine and live music.

The project was funded by SAC and Argyll & the Isles Enterprise.

Special thanks to Mull Museum for all their help.
"...one of the most inventive jazz outfits on the Scottish scene..." The List
"...a group where the musicians cherish the music rather than the spotlight" The Herald