ENSEMBLE C

EVERY JOURNEY

Adhyaropa Records

Claire Cope, piano/composer; Gavin Barras, double bass; Jon Ormston, drums; Jack McCarthy, percussion; Ant Law, guitar; Brigitte Beraha, voice; Freddie Gavita, trumpet; Mike Soper, trumpet/flugelhorn; Anoushka Nanguy, trombone; Matt Carmichael, tenor sax; Rob Cope, bass clarinet/baritone saxophone/flute.

British composer & pianist Claire Cope discovered that no matter how daunting a venture may become, the bottom line is always taking that first ep. That initial step requires the most courage. With that realization came the inspiration to create “Every Journey,” her second album featuring Cope’s ‘Ensemble C’ group of talented musicians.

Their opening tune features Brigitte Beraha on wordless vocals. Her voice is warm and satin smooth. She acts as a human horn, singing the beautiful Claire Cope melody of “Every Journey,” with her voice floating effortlessly above the ensemble’s lush arrangement.

This album significantly has been timed to release on March 8, 2025, coinciding with International Women’s Day. Consequently, Claire Cope has woven stories of intrepid female pioneers. Women who undertook daring journeys of their own. This album is all about courage, self-belief, and stepping into the unknown with fire and determination. Her first song, “Every Journey (Has a Beginning),” reflects the premise that pushed Claire Cope into the studio to record this masterpiece. Below (on video) is Rob Cope (her husband) playing the clarinet and reiterating the melody that Brigitte Beraha sings on Track #1. This was the raw, undeveloped song in its beginning stages.

“Flight” is the second track and was inspired by Bessie Coleman, the first woman of African American and Native American mix to earn her pilot’s license in the United States in 1921. To even be trained in piloting, she had to be accepted into a French school, learn French in order to apply, then attend training, since no school in the United States would accept a woman. This track soars, dips, and dives, with a memorable melody.

Track #3, titled “The Birch and the Larch,” is a tribute to a nurse and Victorian spinster who was obsessed with finding a cure for leprosy. She journeyed in winter, nearly ten thousand miles across pre-revolutionary Russia, to find a legendary plant that might be a cure. Once again, Cope uses Brigitte Beraha’s delightful voice to sing the song lyrics, sounding like a human horn.

This album contains eight carefully developed compositions by Claire Cope to celebrate great women. She was partially inspired by the Maria Schneider Orchestra. While entertaining us with her Ensemble C ensemble, made up of a group of outstanding UK musicians, they introduce music that embraces contemporary classical and jazz in the same sweet breath.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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