The Matthew Herbert Big Band are attempting something that so far seems beyond our politicians: “To work out what a new kind of relationship with our European neighbours may look like.” This BPI-funded project has taken Herbert to Syria, China and Russia and has provided work for more than 1,000 musicians from across the European Union. It’s certainly a very big Band, although the project has perhaps lost some impact by no longer coinciding with the now-delayed Brexit. Still, as the wheels of democracy grind, The State Between Us certainly offers space for reflection.
These 16 mostly elegiac tracks consider what it means to be British. Pensive strings nestle against gloomy choirs, the sounds of second world war aircraft, factories being demolished and a Ford Fiesta being scrapped. An A-Z of Endangered Animals makes a sad point, using the noises of threatened species. Occasional vocalist Rahel Debebe-Dessalegne brings a touch of Dusty Springfield to You’re Welcome Here, which soulfully extends a hand of friendship to refugees, although at almost 11 minutes, it threatens to outstay its welcome.
Glenn Miller’s Moonlight Serenade is rendered close to the original, and there’s much needed light relief when Fish and Chips combines a “deep-fried trumpet” (recorded at Brenda’s Chippie, Cleethorpes) with a jaunty, brassy melody. However, with too many dirge-like instrumentals, the album is overlong, under-focused and, like the Brexit process, hard work.
