Spirit
Moves
by Fergus Marsh
Released 2004
-LISTEN-
1. "Worthy"
2. "Be
Still "
3. "Shelter"
Fergus Marsh - Spirit Moves- REVIEW
From: Christian Week July 20, 2004
Musical Routes by D.S. Martin
Canadian musicians create “fascinating soundscapes”
Fergus Marsh may not be a household name, but he's certainly been around. He is one of the world's most renown players of the Chapman stick. In the early '90s he played on Mark Heard's exceptional final triad of CDs just before Mark's untimely death; prior to that he'd been in Bruce Cockburn's band, playing both bass and stick, sometimes along with his violinist brother, Hugh; and more recently both Marsh brothers have been in Steve Bell's band.
His new project Spirit Moves is a highly-textured worship CD that draws the listener into its rich instrumentation while the simple, but profound, lyrics weave their way into the mind. My favourite track, “Worthy”, sounds like bluegrass from India, featuring Levon Ichkhanian on Banjitar, and Ferg's amazing bass line on the stick. Hugh Marsh adds his distinctive violin to this, and several other pieces. The vocals are both haunting and accessible. The complete lyrics are:
“Worthy is the Lamb
Angel voices sing
Seraphim surround
Holy is his name”
Once we get past Euro-centric ideas of heaven's music, it comes to mind that angels may sound like this!
What is a Chapman stick? The stick Fergus plays is a 10-stringed model that looks something like the arm of an acoustic bass severed from the instrument's body. By tapping and holding the strings, the musician can play both bass and melody parts at the same time, like on a piano. It's voice ranges from being similar to an electric bass, at the lower end, to something like a whale's song in the upper ranges.
Marsh's stick is featured on the instrumental “Call Home”, on Steve Bell's live album, which was written by Marsh. It can also be heard on most tracks of this CD, but can get lost in the mix if you're not sure what you're listening for. On the instrumental, “At the Foot of the Cross”, its tones are more distinct.
The musicianship on Spirit Moves is exceptional, featuring many jazz players such as Michael Occhipinti of NOJO, Mike Janzen of The Penny Merchants, and Norah Jones' guitarist Kevin Breit. The style of the music ranges considerably, as do the vocals; the lead role is taken by a different singer almost every time.
Unfortunately, both of these factors can take away from the unity of the project. The dominant sound is a highly rhythmic world-beat jazz; often it is meditative, but can alternately take on a synth-dance beat as on the title song, and “Nuthin”, which celebrates that “Nuthin can separate me from the love of Jesus”.
Singer Shawna Baer (also of The Penny Merchants) adds a dreamy vocal that draws the listener into a reflective space with her lead on “Psalm 63” and with the descant she sings on “Emmanuel”. Elsewhere the vocal group adds to the fascinating soundscape. On “Shelter”, for example, various names for God are sung in Swahili over a sophisticated African rhythm.
With Spirit Moves, Fergus Marsh makes his mark.
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