It S Always About Love - Limited
Description
Based in the north of England, Ancient Infinity Orchestra is a joyful large ensemble that places collective music-making at the heart of everything it does. This includes the melodies of their new album It’s Always About Love, which blossom through inspired improvisational contributions around the beautiful songs of leader Ozzy Moysey, generous sonic offerings of healing and repair.
The 15-piece ensemble boasts a unique lineup: two double basses, harp, saxophones, clarinets, violin, viola, cello, oboe, flutes, mandolin, congas, piano, drums, along with bells, shakers, and other percussion instruments scattered across the floor of concerts and recording sessions, ready to be picked up whenever the moment calls. This instrumentation, together with the fusion of belonging and friendship, gives Ancient Infinity Orchestra a sound at once vast and intimate, earthly and cosmic, constantly evolving yet grounded in shared intent. Their focus on intention and their inviting sound world connect the music to artists such as Alabaster dePlume and Matthew Halsall, while drawing inspiration from the greats of so-called spiritual jazz: the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Pharoah Sanders, Alice and John Coltrane, and Don Cherry.
The roots of Ancient Infinity Orchestra reach back to Ozzy’s childhood. After attending a Buddhist primary school in Brighton, where children were encouraged to take part in improvised performances during assemblies, he grew up in the Lincolnshire countryside. By the age of 11, he was teaching himself guitar and percussion, playing in his grandmother’s church. At 17, he joined the Boston Youth Jazz Orchestra before going on to study composition at Leeds College of Music. It was there in 2017 that a group of musicians committed to seven-hour rehearsals twice a week in the shared house that became Ancient Infinity Orchestra’s first HQ. Over time, the Orchestra became a driving force in Leeds’s emerging jazz scene.
Their debut album River of Light was a vibrant celebration of togetherness, recorded in just three days and released on Gondwana in 2023. Their music can be described as melodic improvised music, created by musicians deeply engaged with a variety of traditional styles including folk, jazz, and classical. Beyond its musicality, community spirit, and expression, It’s Always About Love is also a study in simplicity, stripping away the superfluous to reveal something pure, warm, and profoundly human.
Tracklist
A2. Golden Meadow
A3. Chant for Don Cherry
A4. Joy of a Natural World
B1. Nilgoon
B2. The Seeker
B3. Old Friends
B4. At Yoshino Mountain
Avis (0)
