Nathan Haines - The Poet's Embrace
One of New Zealand’s finest exports, jazz saxophonist and producer Nathan Haines, returns to his acoustic roots for eighth studio album The Poet’s Embrace. Recorded straight to tape on analog equipment with no mixing or overdubs, the album exudes warmth and authenticity, capturing the spirit of classic jazz records from before the multi-track, digital era.
Though not his first entirely acoustic outing, the album is Nathan’s first live analogue jazz record. This time there is no hiding place, just a straightforward quartet recorded live to tape in the time-honoured tradition with no over-dubs or mixing. Producer Mike Patto was flown over from London especially to work on this record, recorded at York Street Studios, Auckland over just two sessions in December 2011. Using vintage microphones and minimal processing, the music was captured by an Ampex 300 ½-inch tape machine via an EMI-Neve desk.
After 25 years in the game, which has seen Haines lend his expertise to an incredible number of genres including drum and bass, broken beat, house and jazz electronica, what emerges from The Poet’s Embrace is a sense of an artist who has finally mastered his art. The album was made in just two days but was two years and a month in Provence in the creation. This album is the first record which showcases Nathan’s tenor sax playing with six of the seven tunes that make up the album composed by Haines himself.
Throughout his career Nathan has worked with an impressively diverse array of artists, from US soul legend Marlena Shaw (their track ‘Squire for Hire’ remains a firm favourite with international DJs), Blur frontman Damon Albarn and Jamiroquai, to jazz-fusion drumming great Billy Cobham, breakbeat pioneers 4hero and drum and bass legend Goldie.
Haines moved to London in the mid-90s, working with the aforementioned stalwarts of the dance and jazz scenes, and at one point he owned his own nightclub, Bemsah! He returned to New Zealand in 2000 to recover from a heroin addiction that had seen him end up living with his drug dealer in London’s Camden Town (in the flat used in Withnail and I!) and, over the course of his three years using the drug, had two overdoses, twice dying on the operating table and having to be rescusciated. A clean Haines found International success in this period back in New Zealand with Squire for Hire (2003) and Soundtravels (2000), produced by Phil Asher and released through Chillifunk records.
A legend in his native New Zealand, Nathan has garnered two gold albums, numerous awards, and played many major concerts and festivals over the last twenty years, recently playing two nights to a packed crowd at the legendary Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London.
Nathan recently returned to New Zealand for two months to record the follow-up to The Poet’s Embrace with the same production set-up and is now permanently based in East London with his fashion designer/model wife Jaimie.
