Squall was formed in 2004 by French horn player/composer Stephen Morley, who arrived in Sydney after extensive studies and performance both in his native Melbourne and internationally.
In Melbourne Stephen has performed with Oynsemble, co-led by Ted Vining and Adrian Sherriff, as well as Peter Knight's 5+2 and the Stephen Morley Quintet.
In 2002 Stephen was awarded a fellowship to attend Omi, an international music residency in New York. He then went on to study with jazz horn players Tom Varner and John Clark. The following year Stephen received a grant from The Ian Potter Foundation to return to New York for further studies with these players.
In forming Squall Stephen has put together a formidable front line with trumpeter Warwick Alder (Bernie McGann Quartet, Ten Part Invention) and multi-instrumentalist Paul Cutlan (Australian Art Orchestra, MARA!). This versatile combination is ideally complemented by the piano of Alister Spence (Alister Spence Trio, Clarion Fracture Zone). Bassist Steve Elphick (Mark Simmonds, Sandy Evans, James Greening) and drummer Toby Hall (Mike Nock, The Catholics) round out this dynamic rhythm section.
Squall recorded their first CD, the self-titled Squall, in 2006. This album features original compositions by Morley, Spence, as well as a collection of free improvisations. It is an impressive debut, as reflected in this review from Sydney Morning Herald critic John Clare:
"Let us consider the French horn. It is reputedly hard to play. Therefore it has quirks, which are part of its character. It can display agility; but in jazz, until very recently, even very good players have sounded awkward playing syncopated running chromatic lines.
"Stephen Morley is outstanding in this regard, however, and he can use the instrument's quirks, along with extensions not unlike those in Messaien's "From The Canyons To The Stars", in compelling free improvisation. He does both on Squall, but this disc is much more than a display of mastery by Morley. The beautiful tone and sometimes quirky sounds of the horn are part of a remarkable evocative and compositional whole.
"The title was suggested by the Norwegian `Skvall' - a strident cry. There are tracks, some freely improvised, in which texture, energy and powerful free momentum are the prime sources of feeling. But there are others too that are irresistibly melodic and rhythmic. Morley's writing has a certain Baltic flavour. The horn, in combination with clarinet, bass clarinet, saxophone and trumpet, gives a deep resonance to the dancing ensemble lines.
"Alister Spence's Metric Sheds has a complex jauntiness. Dave Holland's folk-like Four Winds is a fast, precise, yet abandoned dance. Both sit naturally beside Morley's compositions. Morley has chosen an outstanding ensemble of musicians renowned for their expressive power, flexibility and commitment to a wide span of music. Warwick Alder could be a surprise....I doubt that we have another trumpet player who is so convincing in so wide a range of contexts.
"A very complete, deeply satisfying disc."
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"Squall is an Australian sextet led by French horn player Stephen Morley. The tracks on the band's self-titled debut album swing between two stylistic poles: a classic Miles/Shorter/Hancock sound flavored occasionally with a melancholic Middle Eastern vibe in the manner of Dave Douglas; and epigrammatic explorations of soundcolor that sound freely improvised, though (judging from the composer credits) they usually do include some compositional input.
"Morley is the main composer, and his pieces tend to have a bittersweet, reflective quality even when they can be fast-moving and harmonically restless: a good example is the "Run Slowly", a slowly undulating camel-riders' theme that momentarily surges out of its twilight melancholy for strong solos by Alder and Hall. Some of the miniature improv-oriented pieces feel simply like interludes between the denser compositions, but the best of them-like the huff-puff horn interplay and percussive hurlyburly of "Squall", compressed into a mere two minutes-stand up quite well in their own right. There are two pieces by other hands-Spence's fine, tricksy "Rhythm" changes tune "Metric Sheds", and a streamlined cover of the Dave Holland classic "Four Winds".
"If no new ground is broken on this CD, it's undeniably a beautiful and vivacious album, taking full advantage of the lustrous, unusual sonority of the French horn, trumpet, and clarinet front-line combination, and benefiting from some excellent rhythm section work, especially Spence's gracious piano. It's hard not to like an album that covers so much ground so confidently, from the calm gathering and dispersal of collective energies on "Dawn" and "Dusk" to the rumprolling Blue Note party-piece of "Celebration".
Nate Dorward, Cadence Jazz Magazine, New York, August 2007
"Afficionados may recall maybe five major voices on the French horn, such is its obscurity in jazz. Stephen Morley's agility on the instrument is matched by the quality of his compositions. A challenging instrument for avante-garde jazz, Morley's muted fragile sound is best heard in stark contrast to Warwick Alder's extroverted trumpet on Run Slowly, ironically developing into a rapid chase. Cutlan's alto work on Dave Holland's Four Winds is inspired while Spence is as oblique and jagged as you'll hear. Healthy portions of free improvisation and rich morsels of blues from seasoned campaigners flavour this surprisingly heroic recording."
Peter Wockner, ABC Limelight Magazine, June 2007
"Definitely not a novelty album.....very evocative.....cohesive.....incredibly convincing."
Jessica Nicholas, The Music Show, ABC Radio National, 21 April 2007
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