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THE HEAVEN LINE
Tina Marsh and the Creative Opportunity Orchestra
“Imagine the incidental music for your favorite 60’s private-eye/swingin’guy TV show refined into extended works of cunning chic , and you have the kool jazz hep of THE HEAVEN LINE... Luscious and tangled, taut and lofty, THE HEAVEN LINE hails from that difficult place where the sunset dukes it out with the dawn.” LA Weekly
Tracks (click on highlighted songs to hear excerpts)
1. ABZ (John Mills)
2. Cloud on Cloud, Movement I: The Heaven Line (Tina Marsh)
3. Cloud on Cloud, Movement II: Sally's Storm (Tina Marsh)
4. Circle (James Lakey)
5. Pensif (Randy Zimmerman)
6. Aftermath (Bob Rodriguez)
7. A Marvelous Error! (Marsh/Lichenseer/Rodriguez; text by Antonio Machado)
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FROM THE LINER NOTES
I first heard Tina Marsh and the Creative Opportunity Orchestra live in 1991 at the invitation of a friend who constantly raved about them. I must admit being apprehensive about checking out a band that seemed to be beyond the descriptive powers of my usually verbose friend. But, after the first few bars, it became quite clear that this was a very special group0 of musicians led by a unique vocal talent. I have since followed their concerts and previous releases closely.
Recorded in January 1992, these live performances on The Heaven Line represent a tiny glimpse of Tina Marsh and CO2’s fourteen years in the proverbial woodshed. Marsh and the members of her large ensemble have formed a musical think tank dedicated to mixing and remixing stylistic and lyrical variables into highly stimulating blues-based narratives. Consistently producing season after season of original material, CO2 inevitably has a vast repertoire, only a tiny fraction of which is included in this collection.
There little precedent for a large ensemble that is capable of dealing with original long forms with the thematic and timbrel invention heard on this recording, Here, each CO2 composer conveys a warm, personal nature in a way that provides the listener with new perspectives on the classic American artform.
More specifically, Marsh’s ability to enhance the dramatic character of this music without ever resorting to showboat tactics reveals a talent which moves beyond mere vocal interpretation and re-interpretation. And, the consistency of CO2’s sound, despite the diverse predilections of the musicians, is most strongly characterized by the instrumental role of her voice. Tina Marsh’s unusual vocal gift delights while simultaneously startling us as she enlarges the envelope of lyrical possibility…
- CHAUNCEY LEWIS III
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