| Cantilena | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | First House |
| Cover: | Cantilena (album).png |
| Released: | 1989 |
| Recorded: | March, 1989, Rainbow Studios Oslo |
| Genre: | Jazz |
| Length: | 37:16 |
| Label: | ECM |
| Producer: | Manfred Eicher |
| Prev Title: | Eréndira (album) |
| Prev Year: | 1985 |
Cantilena is the second album recorded by the British jazz quartet, First House. It was released by ECM. The album presents a studio performance of leader and saxophonist Ken Stubbs with Django Bates on piano, Mick Hutton on bass and Martin France on drums, recorded over 2 days in March, 1989 in Norway.
Jazz commentator Richard Lehnert states "Well my first – and second and third-impressions of First House's cool, sculpted, heady music are of sustained fires of excitement, intelligence, and clarity. Live long and prosper, guys – you've charted another great, serious jazz album."[1]
Master saxophonist, David Liebman comments on how... "his (Stubbs's) playing is remarkably cliche free" and also states, "It is so refreshing to hear young musicians going for a group sound as their major goal.[2]
In Billboard Magazine, Jeff Levenson cites Ken Stubbs and Django Bates as examples of how "Great Britain's young turks have adopted him (John Coltrane) as a spiritual forebear.[3]
High Fidelity Magazine stated that, "The future of British jazz is in good hands with this acoustic quartet. The follow-up to the well-received 'Eréndira', 'Cantilena' is a relaxed, free form set with classy performances all round but some particularly fine playing from Ken Stubbs on alto sax."[4]