DON BURROWS — 2000 Weeks (review)

DON BURROWS — 2000 Weeks album cover Album · 1969 · Jazz Related Soundtracks Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
dreadpirateroberts
Albums by Australian flautist Don Burrows are generally hard to come by - with no CD reissue for the vast majority of his catalogue at the moment, secondhand record stores or buying online are the only options.

But if one of his albums is worth hunting down before the others, it's the soundtrack to '2000 Weeks'. Written by Burrows for the film (which was not well-received) this record is fantastic, ranging from pop jazz arrangements to atmospheric pieces of a darker nature. Often compared to the UK sound during the late sixties, this is a memorable collection skillfully composed, performed and arranged.

At times it is a breezy set of songs, with Burrow's flute taking the main role, sometimes chirpy with that late-sixties optimism, other times far more subdued. He's backed by a bit of an all-star cast of Sydney jazz musicians, including longtime collaborators George Gello on guitar (in a reduced role) and John Sangster on vibes, among others.

Every now and then '2000 Weeks' can seem a little too tightly arranged, as though the band want to stretch out but can't (like on 'On the Make' with it's lead players trading off snappy solos), but the album does make up for this with its compositional brevity. The best of example of this, funnily enough, is the longest track, the main title. It rather effortlessly encapsulates the mood of entire album in four wonderful minutes, as a theme should. Other highlights include the sparsely arranged 'Infidelity' where guitar and flute share the spotlight, or the hint of desperation in the ballad-like 'There'll Be No Other Time.'

As this is a film score, it does not play like a post or hard bop record with long solos and subtle rhythmic changes. Instead, it's made up of shorter pieces and is big on mood, often (but not always) sombre, courtesy of the vibes and flute or a mournful trumpet or trombone. If you enjoy jazz soundtracks that aren't too busy and have that 1960s feel (minus the strings) then this is worth a look. Four stars.
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dreadpirateroberts wrote:
more than 2 years ago
Yeah! It's ace, just so damn hard to find - I got lucky seeing as the guys in music dept where I work have shown me a heap of great stuff
js wrote:
more than 2 years ago
Nice Ashley, sounds like a cool record.

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