Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

This has little if any discernible Christian content despite being played on a cathedral organ. However, it is such an interesting concept that it is worth mentioning and those who enjoy contemporary organ music may wish to investigate further. Philip Scriven was Organist and Director of Music at Lichfield Cathedral from 2002-2010 before moving to Cranleigh School. Thus he knows Lichfield's William Hill organ as well as anyone and having recorded a more traditional programme on 2004's 'Piping Hot' now feels ready to offer us a selection of jazz and blues inspired music on this versatile instrument. We open with Bernstein's "Candide Overture", which this reviewer does not know well enough to make any informed comment, and then go on to "Three Blues Chorale Preludes". The first of these, "Go Do Mo (Go Down Moses)" works very well and shows us what Scriven is trying to achieve. Personally, I wish he had taken the other Spirituals from Tippett's 'Child Of Our Time' and arranged these in the same style but instead we hear two German Preludes: "Lobe den Herren" by Johannes Matthias Michel and another piece with a long title in German written by two people I have never heard of. Moving on, we hear some arrangements that work, such as Mons Leidvin Takle's "Blues Toccata" and Zsolt Gardonyi's "Mozart Changes", and others that although being pleasant enough do not really come across as jazz or blues, for example Gardonyi's arrangement of "Be Thou My Vision". However the finale is a grand one, the debut recording of Iain Farrington's riotous dance suite "Fiesta!" This is certainly not a traditional cathedral organ recital but is none the worse for that.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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