The Spirit of Gambo – John Jenkins – Late Chamber Music (2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/88,2kHz]

The chamber music on this recording was likely composed during the time Jenkins was living in the homes of the Dereham and L’Estrange families. Where Lawes ‘music is often edgy and bizarre in character, Jenkins’ compositions from this period are clearly intended to counterbalance the uncertain and risky circumstances that prevailed during the turbulent years of the Civil War. It’s not for nothing that Andrew Ashbee, the great English Jenkins connoisseur, titled his book “The Harmonious Musick of John Jenkins”.

These chamber music do have a really lyrical, balanced and comforting character. They will undoubtedly have had a calming effect on both the players and the listeners. What particularly characterizes many of these dance pieces are the high demands placed on the technical level of the players. Besides Jenkins himself, who was of course known as a virtuoso of various instruments, the other players must have been very advanced amateurs. We don’t know which members of the host families had reached such a high level, but it is clear that rehearsing and performing many of these pieces must have been extremely labor-intensive. However, according to Roger North’s description, that was exactly what was good: it kept people off the street and protected them from the mischief beyond their front door.

Tracklist:
01. The Spirit of Gambo – Fantasia in B Flat (03:54)
02. The Spirit of Gambo – Fantasia – Suite in D – Fantasia (06:38)
03. The Spirit of Gambo – Fantasia – Suite in D – Almain (02:43)
04. The Spirit of Gambo – Fantasia – Suite in D – Courant (01:49)
05. The Spirit of Gambo – Air & Divisions in d (VdGS No. 63) (05:01)
06. The Spirit of Gambo – Pavan in C (04:04)
07. The Spirit of Gambo – Fantasia-Suite in e – Fantasia (05:56)
08. The Spirit of Gambo – Fantasia-Suite in e – Almain (03:54)
09. The Spirit of Gambo – Fantasia-Suite in e – Courant (02:16)
10. The Spirit of Gambo – Divisions on a Ground in A (04:45)
11. The Spirit of Gambo – Fantasia-Suite in F – Fantasia (05:31)
12. The Spirit of Gambo – Fantasia-Suite in F – Alamain (03:10)
13. The Spirit of Gambo – Fantasia-Suite in F – Courant (01:54)
14. The Spirit of Gambo – Almain in G (01:27)
15. The Spirit of Gambo – Coranto in G (01:05)
16. The Spirit of Gambo – Air & Divisions in d (VdGS No. 37) (04:03)
17. The Spirit of Gambo – Pavan in E (07:09)