Notan by Jo Quail
Notan is the seventh album from composer and sound designer Jo Quail. Performed entirely on cello, electric cello, and piano, featuring live takes—layered and looped in real time, the result is richly immersive: immediate, intentional, and unmistakably hers.
Named after the Japanese concept of light and dark in balance, Notan explores contrast and emotional depth—presence and absence, force and delicacy, forward motion and return. It began as a series of improvisations that later grew into Ianus, a full orchestral work set to record in late 2025. But Notan is not a sketch—it’s the first in a pair of albums, the origin point and a complete creative statement in its own right.
From the commanding authority of “Butterfly Dance” to the reimagined power of “Rex” and the quiet reflection of “Embrace,” Notan traces a compelling emotional journey.
Tracklist
| 1. | Butterfly Dance | |
| 2. | Rex | 9:36 |
| 3. | A Leaf, And Then A Key | |
| 4. | Embrace | |
| 5. | First Rain | 2:52 |
| 6. | KingFisher | |
Credits
Composed and Performed by Jo Quail
Mixed and Mastered by Jaime Gomez Arellano at Orgone Studios
Artwork by Costin Chioreanu
Ⓟ 2025 AdderStone Records. © 2025 AdderStone Records. All rights reserved. Unauthorised copying, reproduction, hiring, lending, public performance and broadcasting prohibited.
License
All rights reserved.
Jo Quail is an internationally acclaimed composer and virtuoso cellist from London, UK. Equally at home on stage solo, with bands, or in collaboration with choir and orchestra, she combines an eloquent mastery of her instrument with innovative looping techniques, to realise her complex, evocative music for audiences worldwide.