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PSALTER: THEMES FOR PEACE

Tim Boniface

Tim Boniface - alto and tenor saxophones
James Pearson - grand piano
Malcolm Creese - double bass
Jon Ormston - drums and percussion

1. THE BLESSING OF PEACE (Tim Boniface) 5:46
2. IN PEACE I WILL LIE DOWN AND SLEEP (Tim Boniface) 7:41
3. DO NOT HOLD YOUR PEACE AT MY TEARS (Tim Boniface) 8:13
4. RIGHTEOUSNESS AND PEACE HAVE KISSED EACH OTHER (Tim Boniface) 6:03  
5. PEACE ON THEIR LIPS; MALICE IN THEIR HEARTS (Tim Boniface) 5:37  
6. SEEK PEACE AND PURSUE IT (Tim Boniface) 7:28  
  BONUS TRACK:
7. KINGDOM SONG, from THE EIGHT WORDS (Tim Boniface) 4:16  

Tim_Boniface_Band

THE TEXTS:

1 “THE LORD WILL GIVE HIS PEOPLE THE BLESSING OF PEACE.” PSALM 29:10

2 “IN PEACE I WILL LIE DOWN AND SLEEP.” PSALM 4:8

3 “DO NOT HOLD YOUR PEACE AT MY TEARS.” PSALM 39:12

4 “MERCY AND TRUTH HAVE MET TOGETHER; RIGHTEOUSNESS AND PEACE HAVE KISSED EACH OTHER.” PSALM 85:10

5 “DO NOT SNATCH ME AWAY WITH THE WICKED, WITH THE EVILDOERS WHO SPEAK PEACEABLY WITH THEIR NEIGHBOURS, WHILE MALICE IS IN THEIR HEARTS.” PSALM 28:3

6 “TURN FROM EVIL AND DO GOOD; SEEK PEACE AND PURSUE IT.” PSALM 34:14

7 “MY KINGDOM IS NOT OF THIS WORLD.”

Quotes from the Psalms taken from Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England © The Archbishops’ Council 2006. Published by Church House Publishing. Used by permission.


All tracks are composed and arranged by Tim Boniface
Recorded at Girton College, University of Cambridge, 9th and 10th January 2025
Mixed by Matt Dilley, Malcolm Creese and Tim Boniface at Kings College, Cambridge, 23rd and 24th January 2025
Mastered by Matt Dilley
Cover painting: Untitled 2 (Hope) by Sophie Hacker
Photograph of musicians by Rachael Humphrey
Packaging design and layout by Dan Lovell
Co-produced by Tim Boniface
Produced by Malcolm Creese

ABCD 5033
© + ℗ 2025 Audio-B Ltd.

ABCD5033
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Psalter: Themes for Peace is a jazz suite based on texts from the Biblical book of Psalms, conceived and composed by Tim Boniface for a special concert in St. Alban’s Cathedral in January 2024. Exploring numerous ways in which peace emerges throughout this ancient spiritual poetry, Psalter is a journey through strength, rest, desperation, celebration, protest and hope. Each of the six movements is based upon a different verse that mentions peace, each from a different Psalm. Peace, various Psalms tell us, is a blessing, something to be pursued and deeply hoped for, as well as part of our experience of restful sleep. But peace can also be spoken about deceptively, or can seem like an indifferent silence from the perspective of those who are suffering while others ‘hold their peace’. The texts are chosen to reflect this enormous variation, and make for a varied musical journey.

Involving, as jazz tends to, a composed theme and subsequent improvisations on that theme, the suite offers both a composed response to the texts and an exploration of them through collaborative improvisation – a circular movement between text and music that is never finished and can be re-entered each time the work is performed. This way of hearing improvisations on a composed response to a text can open up familiar words afresh, and remind us of the similarity between collaborative jazz improvisation and the way communities of faith read sacred texts. Although each movement has a particular musical character to it that reflects the composer’s own reading of the text, none of this can be sealed as ‘the meaning’, nor do any of the pieces aim to offer anything authoritative in relation to the text. They are an open-ended invitation to explore the multi-faceted theme of peace in a new way through the rich sound world of a jazz quartet.

Tim Boniface is a jazz performer and composer, a priest in the Church of England, and Chaplain of Girton College, Cambridge.


Album review from Lance at Bebop Spoken Here

Boniface, as well as being a swinging and highly accomplished saxophonist and meaningful composer is also an ordained priest and chaplain at Girton College, Cambridge hence the seemingly religious aspect of the titles. However, this wasn't Boniface's intention he sees the six movements as an exploration of the very different ways that humanity has understood and reflected on peace.

With the media continually spreading doom and gloom at the prospect of war - this time around countries really do have 'weapons of mass direction - the release of such an album as this is both timely and comforting.

The compositions, all by Boniface, are based on texts from the Biblical Book of Psalms which, as any ex-chorister will tell you, is known as the Psalter. The themes of the leader's compositions have a familiar feel to them that leads to instant accessibility. Enhanced by the cool sounds and angular lines from both of the Chaplain's saxes even the faster movements are relaxing.

James Pearson: Artistic Director of Ronnie Scott's and Musician in Residence at Girton proves his worth with piano solos that make the moment live. Pianistic perfection.

Creese and Ormston keep the peace even when soloing. A tastier rhythm section you couldn't find anywhere on the road from Frith St. to Girton even if you'd taken the long way round via NYC.

Beautiful. Lance


1 comment :
Anonymous said...
I have listened to this album almost every day since receiving an advance copy and I love it more with every listening. A truly remarkable work played by four wonderful musicians. I first heard Psalter: Themes for Peace at its premiere at St Alban's in early 2024 and it had a profound impact on me. The recording explores different aspects of the composition. Each time I hear it I pick up something new. Each take on a different meaning of peace makes perfect sense. Truly wonderful.
Friday, June 06, 2025 11:38:00 am


 
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