For The Ghosts Within - New album out on October 11

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Robert Wyatt will release a new album on October 11, entitled For The Ghosts Within.



Billed as a “song cycle”, it’s a collaboration with saxophonist/composer Gilad Atzmon and violinist/composer Ros Stephen, and accordingly credited to Wyatt, Atzmon, Stephen. It features a number of original Wyatt songs alongside standards such as ‘Round Midnight’ and ‘In A Sentimental Mood’. Domino Records, who will release For The Ghosts Within on CD, vinyl and digital on October 11, describe it as placing Wyatt’s voice “amid the seductive drama of string quartet, alto saxophone, and the universal rhythms of the night”.



Wyatt, who first rose to prominence in the late 1960s and ’70s as drummer with jazz-influenced proggers Soft Machine, has become one of Britain’s most distinguished and distinctive solo artists and collaborators. Much of his sprawling catalogue was recently reissued by Domino, including such classic albums as Rock Bottom (1974), Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard (1975) and Cuckooland (2003).

Tracklist:
1. Laura
2. Lullaby For Irene
3. The Ghosts Within
4. Where Are They Now
5. Maryan
6. Round Midnight
7. Lush Life
8. What’s New
9. In A Sentimental Mood
10. At Last I Am Free
11. What A Wonderful World

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From ClashMusic.com:

Legendary vocalist and songwriter Robert Wyatt has taken part in an inventive new collaborative project.

Robert Wyatt is simply one of Britain's finest vocalists. Sure, he may not be able to reach the soaring falsettos he previously could, but age has opened up a new love of bass tones which has marked his music.

With a keen love for collaborations, Robert Wyatt has joined forces with saxophonist / composer Gilad Atzmon and violinist / composer Ros Stephen.

The trio share a love for jazz standards, yet all three have extremely distinctive musical voices. The result is an intoxicating song cycle, which alternates between originals sculpted by Robert Wyatt and standards such as 'Round Midnight'.

All three are close friends, with the group sharing recording sessions before. However this is the first time the trio have focussed on new material together, with Ros Stephen explaining that the recording process was extremely unusual.

"The creation of the album was a slightly unconventional process. We started by recording the string quartet and bass (Ros Stephen, Tom Piggott-Smith, Rachel Robson, Daisy Vatalaro and Richard Pryce) at Eastcote Studios in London, engineered by Phillip Bagenal."

"It was logistically impossible for Robert to be there, so the day before we recorded he sang the tunes into my answer phone to help us get the right tempos and feel – I transferred his messages to a CD and took them along to the studio with me! After an intense 14-hour day of recording we took the string tracks to Phil Manzanera’s studio where Robert, Alfie and recording engineer Jamie Johnson were waiting."

Continuing, Stephen described the moment Robert Wyatt joined the sessions. "The first track we opened was ‘Laura’. Gilad and I waited on the sofa in trepidation while Robert went into the vocal booth. The moment he started singing was extraordinary" she claimed.

"His voice blended perfectly with the strings and we knew instantly that it was going to work. Robert seemed very comfortable singing with the strings; I remember him saying it was the musical equivalent of getting into a lovely warm bath."

Wyatt/ Atzmon/ Stephen are set to release 'For The Ghosts Within' on October 11th.

Tracklisting:

1. Laura
2. Lullaby For Irene
3. The Ghosts Within
4. Where Are They Now
5. Maryan
6. Round Midnight
7. Lush Life
8. What’s New
9. In A Sentimental Mood
10. At Last I Am Free
11. What A Wonderful World