Days on Earth

Days on Earth is a 2019 album by musician Mark Lockheart released on Edition Records.

Days on Earth
Studio album by Mark Lockheart
Released	2019
Recorded	December 2017
Studio	British Grove Studios
Genre	Jazz
Length	50:22
Label	Edition
Producer	Mark Lockheart
Mark Lockheart chronology
Salvator Mundi (2019) Days on Earth (2019) Dreamers (2022)

The album is a six-piece suite of compositions by Lockheart for jazz sextet alongside 30-piece orchestra conducted by John Ashton Thomas. It was recorded at Mark Knopfler's British Grove Studios in Chiswick, West London ^[1] over 2-days in December 2017.^[2] Featured musicians include Liam Noble, Seb Rochford and John Parricelli.

Reception

The album was well received with reviews in many publications. The Guardian newspaper's John Fordham gave a 4-star review referencing "Lockheart’s laconically Wayne Shorter-ish sax sound" in a "fine, ambitious recording" which "invites a wider audience" than jazz lovers,^[3] while Mike Hobart of the Financial Times also awarded 4-stars to an album interweaving "spiky lines and smooth contours of contemporary European jazz with the shifting textures of a 30-piece orchestra." ^[4] Jazzwise called the work Lockheart's "magnum opus" and "an impressive achievement in both concept and execution" ^[5]. DownBeat noted the "indelible, head-bobbing groove" of the track “Believers", and how "Lockheart frequently crafts segments within each of the seven songs, so an element of unpredictability arises and the overall momentum never sags.".^[6] MOJO deemed this album Lockheart's "boldest yet… Lush and ambitious, it's cinematically compelling from the off”.^[7] The album also received reviews in the German music magazine Rondo^[8] and in The Times.^[9]

Live performances

The first performance and album launch were held at Milton Court Concert Hall (part of the Barbican Estate) with jazz sextet and the Studio Orchestra of Guildhall School of Music & Drama. ^[10][11]

Track listing

All tracks are composed by Mark Lockheart. The album is a six-piece suite with tracks 2 and 3 forming one piece.

1. "A View From Above" - 6:39
2. "Brave World" - 2:48
3. "This Much I Know Is True" - 7:23
4. "Party Animal" - 8:55
5. "Believers" - 9:49
6. "Triana" - 5:07
7. "Long Way Gone" - 9:41

Personnel

Jazz Musicians

• Mark Lockheart - tenor & soprano sax
• John Parricelli - guitars
• Liam Noble - piano
• Alice Leggett - alto sax
• Tom Herbert - bass
• Seb Rochford - drums

Other featured soloists

• Laura Jurd - trumpet
• Rowland Sutherland - flutes

Orchestra

Violins

• Jackie Shave (leader of strings)
• Warren Zielinski
• Rita Manning
• Tom Pigott-Smith
• Magnus Johnston
• Marije Johnston
• Katherine Shave
• Patrick Kiernan
• Shlomy Dobrinsky
• Tom Crehan
• Ruth Ehrlich
• William Hillman
• Matthew Ward

Violas

• Bruce White
• Oli Langford
• Clare Finnimore
• Paul Cassidy
• Ruth Gibson

Cellos

• Caroline Dearnley
• Jonathan Tunnell
• Jacqueline Thomas
• David Daniels

Harp

• Helen Tunstall

Clarinets

• Nick Rodwell
• James Allsopp

Flutes

• Anna Noakes
• Rowland Sutherland

French Horns

• Jim Rattigan
• Laurence Davies

Trumpets

• Pat White
• Toby Street
• Laura Jurd on tracks 4 & 7

Trombone

Alistair White

Bass Trombone

Andy Wood

Other credits

• Produced by Mark Lockheart and Steve Baker
• Executive Producer Dave Stapleton
• Recorded at British Grove Studios, London on December 13th and 14th 2017 by Martin Hollis
• Mixed by Steve Baker
• Mastered by Peter Beckman at Technology Works