Patrick Cornelius - 606 AA Milne

Patrick Cornelius

Nick Vayenas

Patrick Cornelius - saxophone
Nick Vayenas - trombone
Alex Garnett - sax/clarinet
Andre Canniere - trumpet
Phil Robson - guitar
Steve Hamilton - piano
Andrew Bain - drums
Michael Janisch - bass.

Andre Canniere

Date - 8th February 2016
Venue - 606 Club, London
Current Album - While We're Still Young



 The UK CD launch of Patrick  Cornelius' "While We're Still Young," his suite for octet with songs inspired by the children's poetry of A.A. Milne, performed by a Anglo-American 8 piece band.

Cornelius' latest project is inspired by the book “When We Were Very Young” a collection of poetry written by AA Milne, the English author best known for the beloved children’s book “Winnie the Pooh”. The title of the project is “While We’re Still Young”, a title that, while similar, evokes a  bittersweet flavour.

Michael Janisch

Patrick Cornelius originally thought that he was going to be writing this suite for his children. He regularly read to his daughter Isabella from "When We Were Very Young". He assumed perhaps with unrealistic altruism that this project would be a musical homage that Isabella and her brother would someday listen to with wonder and appreciation, but as he got into the actual writing, he realized that the idea of creating this music for his kids was a vain fantasy.
 

Phil Robson

Cornelius said, "I wrote for my own childhood; remembering the wonder and spectacle of exploring our big, scary, beautiful world through new eyes. I also wrote for my music influences. For Ellington, Debussy, Evans, and Shorter, yes, but also for my peers; the wealth of talent that exists in the creative music world today, many of which I actually hired to record the music with me." Patrick Cornelius

Andrew Bain

He revels in the bittersweet step between innocence and wisdom. Despite having left the magic and fury of youth in his wake, both personally and musically, Patrick Cornelius finds himself as a parent discovering AA Milne's work again and igniting that spark of that wonder. The message of "While We're Still Young" is that we should all search for that flame of innocent joy in our own lives, remember that feeling of wonder, and try to nurture it as best we can, no matter what our age or life circumstance. 

Alex Garnett

"While We're Still Young" swells the belly in a very English affair, epitomised by 'The Invaders' which is as ripe and dripping as a Vale Of Evesham orchard. It is the rich stain of a summer pudding, the cheap white bread on the outside is slowly discoloured by the rising pink of burgeoning fruit. As the seeping fruit paints its shades of chapped hands to rope burns it finally rests on the lurid bleed of unforgettable sunsets. Don't forget the cream, the double cream, so pure and rich that it can only be balanced by the smarting twang of sour currants, reminding us of the mercurial English summer.

AL.

Steve Hamilton