Proverbs and Songs

Proverbs and Songs is a live album by the English saxophonist John Surman recorded at Salisbury Cathedral on June 1, 1996 with organist John Taylor and the 75-strong Salisbury Festival Chorus and released on ECM the following year, consisting a suite of choral settings of Old Testament texts.

Background
It was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 1998. Surman performed the suite several times after the 1996 performance.

Reception
The AllMusic review awarded the album 2.5 stars. Alyn Shipton wrote that Surman's "unaccompanied choral writing was rich and unusual and elsewhere the sense of jazz rhythm and forward motion came almost exclusively from his saxophone, creating rich ostinatos, or swirling aggressively among the choral parts."

Track listing

 * All music by John Surman; all lyrics from the Old Testament


 * 1) "Prelude" - 3:11
 * 2) "The Sons" - 4:55
 * 3) "The Kings" - 6:41
 * 4) "Wisdom" - 7:39
 * 5) "Job" - 4:50
 * 6) "No Twilight" - 7:42
 * 7) "Pride" - 5:00
 * 8) "The Proverbs" - 4:06
 * 9) "Abraham Arise!" - 5:24

Personnel

 * John Surman – soprano and baritone saxophones, bass clarinet
 * John Taylor – organ
 * Howard Moody – conductor
 * Salisbury Festival Chorus