This is the 5th album that Swedish guitarist made for Munich ACT label. But that time for the first time solo. Long time collaborator of the Jazz Giants, like Oscar Peterson or Herbie Hancock ,as well like his label mates like Lars Danielsson or Korean singer Youn Sun Nah. Their Duo recordings brought them the massive amount of followers, including writing these words.

The title brings one song to memory straight away. This is a unusual recording in many meanings. As artist says it is his special tribute to all these magic moments he was blessed to experience having a chance to play together with all the great musicians during his career. But choice of tracks shows that it goes deeper and also covers artist’s adoration for particular compositions related to personal life experience , that joy and sorrow life brings.

Opening Ballad for E. written by Magnus Öström for his Dear friend and band-mate Esbjorn Svensson is a perfect example here. This loss took this drummer out of music for two years after he recovered enough to get back on stage. It possesses enormous deposit of emotions which Ulf shares himself and his interpretation shows that.

The interesting thing is that a recording like this made on a few different instruments by virtuoso musician tells us a lot about techniques itself. Things more difficult to trace or just not appearing in a more thick group arrangements of the same music here become immediately audible.

The way he plays pieces like Momento Magico echoes Great, Great Egberto Gismonti to whom it is indubitable tribute. In Duo with Youn, to whom he dedicated this tune, this is her vocalisation that runs the piece. Here he has to be an Alpha and Omega , and he is.

Similarly things are with Danielsson’s Libretto. This is a peaceful and gentle composition based purely on the harmony and Lars’ articulation. Transferring this from Cello and Bass to the Guitar in the way which prevents original charm and quality is a very difficult task which again, guitarist fulfils brilliantly.

Pieces like Hindustan Blues, Mali On My Mind, The Dragon are all showing Ulf’s incredible openness and versatility. All inspired by folk from different parts of the world which are not difficult to guess. Some are surprising synthesis with western or American music. Some amaze me with his endless creativity. All of them are dedicated to the people who mean a lot to Ulf.

Esperanto for example pays tribute to Siggi Loch , labels’ boss , whose open mind and vast music interests is illustrated by piece of music like a cocktail of many influences , funky underlined by the tittle’s meaning. Preludio is a sweet miniature written for K.Jarrett. Sattie’s Gnossienne in Ulf’s interpretation appeared with a subtle Bossa rhythm giving the piece a brand Nova life.

Charles Trenet’s La Mer is one of this songs which brings a memory of France to your head , doesn’t matter one was there or just have seen it on the TV. It is such a incredibly beautiful melody that charm spells over us since 40-ties from the same strength.

All together this is a absolutely outstanding recording to me which brings new taste to music we all know well and Ulf’s own scores which are going to take you for most the exiting music adventure. Especially if you won’t forget the fact that you are listening here to a one man band. But.. what’’ the Man is He! Marvellous.

This is the 2nd production of the JATBP , the project that Siggi Loch of Act Music started two  years back and successfully continues. Since that four editions took place and three of them had been already issued.

Originally takes had been made for the broadcasting purpose, but massive success of a fully sold out events, fan’s demands and finally what is most important : Artists’ own satisfaction from the project quality turned it into an existing and growing on series of live recordings.

As previous related to Piano Works or already running Live at the Schloss Elmau , this one became a equally great success. Very clever words puzzle alluding to Haruki Murakami’s best-seller book does exactly the same favour as referring to the original Norman Grantz’s JATP slogan which every jazz lover around the globe recognises as good as he does a Mercedes Benz Logo 😉 for example.

It is addressing artists’ origin spot on giving a flavour of music we can expect. Here we got an In the Country trio, vocalist Solveig Slettahjell, pianist Bugge Wesseltoft and guitarist Knut Reiersrud. Solveig and Bugge are long time collaborators and they know each other very well. It is easy to hear.

In the Country however comes here at its own. All starts gently with an traditional song arrangement which at first spins gently, flowing over trio accompaniment. The spirit of folk song is constantly present, but it’s purity can only be heard in the choruses. Bugge’s piano turns all upside down giving the piece an immaculate drive. With all re-verbs from the keyboard it holds very contemporary character.

Following Can I Come Home Now left all directions in the trios hands. It is a wonderful composition very often reaching the same high emphasis we remember from EST. It just shows how Esbjorn’s music is still alive and mutating in other musicians’ imaginations. Here Knut joins with hts guitar supplying sound-scapes deeply rooted in a blues and bringing associations with Bill Frisell’s sound.

Have a Little Faith following keeps all in safe and joyful ballad territory, but sonic aura delivered by trio, especially sparkling cymbals re-verbs dialogue with a squeaking guitar wah wah effects sets it far from rock classic original. Solveig’s voice has already sublime tone in this song but is still far from anthem like culmination coming in closing cover of the famous Led Zeppelin’s song: Nobody’s Fault But Mine.

Piano solo Bugge plays in Chicken Feather is nothing but genial. With power forcing respect and the hypnotic imponderability it clearly steals the show at that very moment.Knut’s composition Jargo played after on guitar solo brings a nice and well balanced counterpoint for its heavy meaning. Coming after Sæterjentens Søndag is collective arrangement which is said to be based on Ole Bull’s classic piece of music, but it honestly sounds more like a marriage of the blues with a saraband.

It reminds me a famous solo played on dobro by Ry Cooder on Paris –Texas soundtrack. It’s only piano dialogue with a guitar that keeps it in a classical ream.

It is not an accident that the leading force of European Jazz today takes that much from the Scandinavian folk traditions. But these things happened in Germany for the very first time when ECM popularised Garbarek’s music in 70’s and what Siggi Loch is doing is just the next ACT of the same play.

A must have recording for every Jazz fan and live music recording enthusiast.

This is not a regular piano trio production with an Orchestra, but quite an unique concept using music which had been written a couple of years back and has been waiting for its chance to be recorded.

Album contains two suites: Move! and Simple Tales.

First had been originally written by Simcock for himself with CLS, but later on he reworked the piece with an intention of expanding rhythmic aspect of the music,. Having his frequent collaborator bassist Yuri Goloubev and drummer colleague Martin France in mind. Those three are the core of the concept.

The Move! is a very illustrative composition and it keeps listener’s imagination busy. It contains 5 parts but it runs straight through it with breaks between the chapters being only marked by piano solo interludes. That serves for setting up the mood and changing the energy flow by distinguishing differences in style between particular parts of music.

Opening Clunky is a straight forward harmonic progression structure sketched by cello chords making framework around which an orchestral tissue can be made. Gwilym’s piano fits the gaps doubling cello lines and adding pointing to the strength of a already solid structure. There is a lot of room left for improvisation between the movements. All well used with great respect to keep the right balance between the texture of the orchestral background, rhythm devoted section’s forefront and the narrative piano voice.

In Columns harmonically similar to the wall of sound one can imagine himself coming from the church organ. The certain sections of the orchestra are dialogueing here with soloist to develop sonic images with a strong vertical feeling. Amplified by the title itself.

Industrial turns into rich, rhythmically driven culmination of this outstanding piece. Dedicated to Alan – artist’s Dad it’s trying to paint his endless admiration to the phenomena of the industry. This climax of the suite is written with such a massive energy and overwhelming richness of repetitive patterns that one might believe that He was one of the fathers of the revolution himself.

Second suite is more convenient and contains material composed for the conventional piano trio, again reworked to meet to existing line up aided with two extra strings.

Overture here has a sparkly and dance character reminding with its vital colourant Chick Corea’s pianism with the way leader puts it. With the bass player like Yuri and his outstanding articulation following The Theme turns into wonderful and gentle ballad, where groove pizzicatos make the foundation with violin and cello arcos build a melody vale.

It keeps flirting with Latin rhythm the same as is following Mr. Bricolage . That one however is much more contemporary and far from a Dance, with strings being a bit on the Klezmer side a bit close to folk tunes and with the rhythmic section being a class of its own. To me only this one composition is worth buying the whole album.

Long Road coming after is a nostalgic waltz in which slowed down melody is reaching its culmination in a beautiful and intense violin phrases and string’s dialogues.

Finally closing Dance is dedicated to Ann – Simcock’s mother. It takes us back into the illustrative theme, with highly vivid and constantly changing lively motifs deeply influenced by folk lines.

One couldn’t describe his parents better.

Lifelover is a début recording of a Hungarian Duo for the Berlin based Traumton label, but they are both far from being débutantes. Veronica has other 4 albums on her account on which all Bálint was present, so they know each other at least seven years. That would explain to me this incredible synergy present all the time during this session. Balint has an impressive collection of 14 different projects he took a part of. Worth mentioning given the fact they are not well recognised artists yet.

But they truly deserve to be. Listening to them makes you think about a few other duos being around with a similar approach ,like Ulf Wakenius – Youn Sun Nah or Joy Williams and John Paul White of The Civil Wars. Similar doesn’t mean the same. But this comparison is giving a good imagination about Veronica’s vocal capabilities and the sonic artillery she is keeping under her command.

It’s a lot to listen and even more to write about. She understands expression in vast and total way. Her voice has enormous capacity. And also incredible rich collection of shades and tonal palettes which she knows very well how to use . That’s where she remains me Youn.

Everything she spots and classifies to be useful is used immediately to make an effort best possible. She sings , talks and mono-declaims. She squeaks, sighs and breaths. The fact she scats perfectly seems to be just obvious on this wide picture.

The way she employees emotions into her stories using her girlish timbre of the voice with a bit of a harsh vibrato is just enough to fall in love.On contrary the minor full-blooded tone of feminine power she is capable to drag out to dominate you and put a spell all over your head. If you add her cat walk appearance to the image you can see all the weapon.

Getting back to Balint, as I said it before, the synergy between them is almost organic. He blends with her like they were a single organism every  moment. It says itself a lot about his skills, sensitivity and tremendous musicality already. His ability to disappear completely and at the same time being  all the time present is a gift which only best accompanists posses. As he really IS one of them. Like Mal Waldron , Joe Pass, Lester Young or Louis Armstrong. Purely it is not about the instrument .

The gift to make music sounding in such an unforced and natural way is really unique and special. And power to stay behind and curbing an own ego for the best showing of his great maturity. Mind that I haven’t put a single word here about the songs. Neither the titles. That is for the reason. You have to go there and listen to them. There is no way out. No rat-runs. This is the Great Music at its BEST and definitely one of the greatest recordings I came across this year. The God’s sparkle. Check it out – it’s the Lifelover.

 LIFELOVER TRAUMTON PR

You can buy this music here.

This is my first meeting with London based Bass guitarist and composer Shez Raja and his collective. A quick check confirmed that he has another recording on his account done some four years back. Other guys in the crew however sound much more familiar: Sons of Kemet reedsman Shabaka Hutchings, saxists Soweto Kinch and Gilad Atzmon are well known brass players to whom I am listening a lot and also reviewed their music here ,so that will be a good point to start.

Shez’s music is very vivid and rich. Driven by Funky bass walking and energetic heavy rock-ish drums sound-scape, like in an opener Adrenalize, is a perfect background for those fearless individuals. They are personally far from pure jazz idiom and very often expressing themselves in many multi- kulti projects rooted deeply in folk music from all over the world. So we have it all here having such a line up put together. Additionally the fact this is a live recording makes it even more vigorous and “viagratic”! All those musicians are truly “stage creatures” and they just love to jam , challenge and respond to the music as it changes.

Karmic Flow with its oriental scale marriage to Rap vocals supplied by Kinch and vocalist Monica Lidke are both refreshing and very propulsive and an audience response clearly shows an enjoyment.

The next two pieces FNUK and Quiverwish featuring Gilad Atzmon at the front hence an energy flows a bit from already existing influences more into the Balkan -Klezmer territories.This section slows down a bit here when the drive realise on horns in pure Funky tradition, but here again Gilad’s Slovene nature blends with more tribal Hutching’s expression flawlessly.

Here leader’s bass lines are almost backing up Marcus Miller’s ones with their soft tone and roundness. Overall aesthetics of this concert gains a lot from Hancock’s Headhunters like propulsive energy which is present there all the time and J.Blood Ulmer’s bluesy influence which are definitely well known to Shez given the way he plays his bass.

Eastern Influence takes us even further Orient. Tune, like Karmic Flow sits on nice dark bit of psychedelic brasses which are flying around like mad witches. Rhythm section works here almost like pure tribute to Amin Ali – Grant Calvin Weston team from mentioned above Ulmer’s Black Rock recording. Exceptional solos of Pascal Roggen’s electric violin are feeling the space with rich and thick harmonic tissue.

Following Chakras on the Wall are still living in Ulmer’s sonic universe ,but Lidke’s vocalises are reminding a bit of New York String Quartet’s projects. That moves the balance into other direction. Funkadelic like keyboard playing from Alex Stanford makes a nice plot to land on for her and for the leader backing her lines with its bass.

Junk Culture is like getting back to Planet Hancock . Only modesty of rapping phrases and constant presence of the violin remind you that it have to be different approach, with a bit of “ techno bit” overlap and the beautiful rape on keyboards.

Closing Freedom, in the same dance like and melodic nature, is an fantastic outro . More Caribbean and wavy with wonderful brass unisons flying all over around. This album is pure fun and it is easy to hear and feel. That’s what makes it so fantastic. It is the one to which people will love to get back to. A sense of a great fan is so strong present there and so addictive.

InDuologue is a young Greek Duo’s Voice and Double Bass jazz project. Alexandra Lerta and Vasilis Stefanopoulos respectively. When I heard the samples of this music for the very first time I commented on that automatically about how much it reminded me Sheila Jordan’s projects with her long term bass partners Harvie Swartz and Cameron Brown. Or one off simply titled Sheila, with Arild Andersen in 1975 when it all started. Later on I learned that it was exactly her inspiration, so the smile she posted under my post became clear and understandable.

The concept is not new, but just a few really managed to perfect it. Have a look around and you will see how many recordings you can find. The reason for that is simple. It is not about two musicians together. This is a kind of interaction that requests special, very intimate relationship and that particular blend of personalities which just doesn’t happen too often.

Except Aleka’s muse Sheila, whom I love deeply myself my only another favourite are Nancy King recordings with Glen Moore from early nineties and Caecilie Norby’s ones with her husband Lars Danielsson, the great bassist himself.

Since that only a couple of young pretenders managed to turn my attention, like Larry Bjornson with Jessie Brown or Adam Oscar Storey and Kristen Haynes. And now Ala and Vasilis. All that happened during the last 3 years so it looks like we have got really An Impending Bloom, to paraphrase one of my most beloved titles. So what is the music like one might wish to ask after this long intro?

To make the story short : Brilliant, just like that. But it really is so fantastic that it deserves further explanation. The way the Duo works indicates clearly they belong to Jordan’s school. But all they do is strictly their own. What always concerns me is the lyrics selection. This is purely about sensitivity. How the artist identify herself? What she wants to say? To whom she refers her reflection ? And consequently to whom they are addressed. It is a kind of personal PR and personality indication. It becomes even more significant when it comes to the bass / voice set up or Acapella.

Texts selection for example varies from classics coming from Jazz ( and not only ) milestones. From Berlin’s CD title song, through Tum Drum Blues by Oscar Brown Jr, the man who put the words together to Davis’ All Blues. We have got there Mort Dixon’s Bye Bye Blackbird, probably most personal and important song in Sheila’s repertoire and to me Alexandra’s beautiful tribute to her. N.K.Cole’s Calypso Blues and Rogers/ Hart’s My Funny Valentine, who doesn’t know those ?

As more modest examples we have Mark Knopffler’s Why Worry, a very original Dire Straights cover, Thierney Sutton’s Joy Spring written to Cliford Brown’s music and Jimmy Webb’s The Moon’s a harsh mistress.

And the most important I believe Alexandra’s own poems and lyrics she sung in an opening tunes.

First is a dialogue in which she puts her own Lovejoy poem as a counterpoint to opening lyrics compilation grouped under title Little Suede Shoes/Day by Day. It is very touching today’s response to the words from the past which are also true and nothing but describing people’s eternal longing and desires.

Following Ala’s own again Tin Tin Deo continues to communicate with the listener on the very intimate edge and showing clearly how talented songwriter/poet she is herself, not just a great and sensual interpreter.

I would love to have 1000 words given to express what I am feeling listening to this music, but I just got half of that. So one need to take it from that and give it a serious listen as that is definitely going to be one of the best things which happened in the music this year.

As to Vasilis I apologise I couldn’t accommodate more room to say about his mastery and focused on the project and the Voice, but he is The Bassist, so I am sure he understands that. He also is an excellent Bass player, really in the same league as the names of his predecessors and colleagues I mentioned above.

Sky is a swordfish here, but it is not a limit.

INFO:

As SnipRecords dosn’t operate any more this recording can now be purchased directly from the Duo members.

Please contact them via band’s fan-page on facebook or via direct profiles bellow:

https://www.facebook.com/vasilis.stefanopoulos.7

https://www.facebook.com/alexandra.lerta1?pnref=lhc.unseen

This is the last tremendous bucket of fresh water from Berliners. Reviewing these titles really made me happy and awoken and I do not remember for a long time having such a big fan. In fact I kept this recording in my car on all the time. Not that I never came across of the similar mix, as I did and I will point it out soon, but because such a vital joy of making music doesn’t come out so often.

Those who loves music of like Ennio Morricone, Piero Piccioni, Piero Umiliani or Berto Pisano will immediately catch up the context. It’s somehow like making you watch shooting someone’s head off and keeping you believe it’s the funniest thing you have ever seen at the same time. But there also moments for more lyrical reflections as well as some sentimental notes. And they are not Buffo in any meaning.

If you like The Cinematic Orchestra and John Zorn’s Naked City that will flood your boat. This have a bit of everything in it. This is The Sex Mob meeting Genesis. But also Kurt Weil dancing with Tom Waits. The feeling of decadence typical for the cabaret culture is somehow still present there. It’s hidden, not slapping your face ordinarily.

It appears in Italian movies like cadenzas , to turn in a second into crushing sax crescendos. It jumps on your head from the Rap like rubbato samples mixed with some insane dialogues and giggles, which then turns into some crazy turning patterns bringing you headache.

There is some loneliness there as well, similar to this we all remember from the early Jarmusch movies, illustrated so aptly by John Lurie’s tenor sax. But there is also some madness there, like from Psychic TV or Blurt kind of expression. Kind of schizophrenic feeling but still lined with nostalgia.

Some listeners may even find there The Dark Side of The Moon mood like. But whatever you are able to recognise you can’t help your feet taping and body want to dance. Even if the melody is sick and fainting and orchestra is drunk , as long as they still can deliver you don’t want to switch it off.

What more could I say ?

DOLLY SHOT TRAUMTON PR

Here we’ve got another classic trio from Berlin based Traumton label. That is very interesting thing having two such a different bands to compare. Similarly young crew counts: Keisuke Matsuno – guitar , Alexander Binder on bass and Jan Roth on drums. Somehow close to each other with Melt trio when it comes to inspiration they are completely different creatures however when it comes to self expression. This band is offering a heavy and well gravitated sound. With an intensity of repetitive chords it becomes even more dense, viscid and trans. But this is just to start up.

Within the second tune, giving a tittle to the CD, Globus, whole world changes and somehow steps back. It is a pure fugue, clearly inspired by Bach’s organ music, but here with a percussion pattern keeping the drive on and gentle guitar interludes appearing between passages to release the tension. Wonderful composition that one is. This is where the bass rules.

Pieces here are a series of collective works spread between band-mates with just one co-composed ,closing track. Siebenundzwanzig similarly to opening Sonnenaufgang shares the same illustrative nature, giving the listener strong dazzled feeling coming out of composition’s pattern. This music keeps on the melody side ,but somehow under skin it does have the same congested feeling as kraut rock electronica ala Kraftwerk used to posses.

With strange rhythmic jingle like breaks played on marimba and coming back calls and responses from both guitars it seriously bridges nicely a baroque structure with the contemporary transcendent trends. The Fugue spirit it still present there somewhere between the notes and it’s coming back on many occasions. Sometime in a pure voice of the guitar, other times in the Burden like ,distorted bass stepping.

On the other hand the howling deformed sounds bring to listener tundra like sound-scapes with some micro-tonal distortions, cold like throat sung notes, sharply articulated to match the guitar’s confusion. Most funny thing is that the mood keep changing here like in the kaleidoscope. Sometime pathetic and formal figures turn into pure burlesque. Marching grotesque holds conversation with heavy spoken rhetoric.

You can hear so many inspirations , so many influences that whole record once it’s played still remains a puzzle and one like to put it on back and jump again to the pond. So refreshing that I would like to drink from this spring over and over again. This definitely is a new language and new aesthetic, kind of eclecticism but also surpassingly breezy.

The Freedom Dance project by Masaa quartet led by a Lebanese vocalist Rabih Lahoud is one of those recordings which immediately got my attention. Why? Because there is something that strongly catches your ears once you hear it. It is so beautiful and lyrical there’s no doubt it can not leave you inert. More of that it is one of those living evidences of these changes in modern European culture we are just witnessing now, maybe not even being fully aware of them.

Lahoud should be more named a poet, than just a vocalist. He sings in his native language ,but if you go to the band’s website and have a look at the lyrics you will understand what I mean. Sometimes just one phrase, like in the opening title Freedom Dance: My heart, please don’t forget me and dream on which is repeated like a religious mantra, but it just brings meaning to the words.

Fragile and gentle Longing ,which comes after is about looking for self identity. Beautiful lyrics which thanks to label’s care come together like a book of poetry, not just linear notes.

Masaa, is a tricky one. It reminds me a lot Kate Bush’s Snowed in the Wheeler Street from 50 Words for Snow LP 😉 With Similar chords progression and the mood set up that close . That’s the general thing about this music. It sounds familiar, but soon you reckon that all compositions came from the band mates and in fact you never heard them before.

Here it’s like a bridge between the East on the one side represented by the singer and the West on the other coming from the trio of young European musicians. Those are well educated, well hackneyed, shamelessly adventurous and deeply interested in world music and playing with different aesthetics, mostly related to the jazz, on a daily basis. This cocktail of skills and boost of creativity seasoned with mutual inspirations and lots of fresh ingredients brings to the table an extraordinary dish. It does taste unique – believe me.

On the other hand it’s anchored deeply in continental music tradition. You can hear that core. It is there. Listen to Abadi , Ma t’ illi or Tlal. In each of Marcus Rust’s horns are supplying solos constantly referring to Northern nostalgia. Singer’s effort brings this special flavour over this, deepened with the mood bought by an oriental language.

But deeper listening to pieces like Asrari ,Ya insan or closing Rima for example, is showing qualities we already know from medieval Laudas. It shows clearly to a careful listener that cross talks between Orient and Occident are already historical facts and they made imprints into the traditional harmonies far before we even started to think about it. That mystic charm comes out of this music and doesn’t let you go.

Pianist ,Clemens Pötzsch ,vastly aware of what happened in a jazz piano over the last 60 years keeps the balance of the project in the iron fist. Dancing between frugal world of fragile phrases ala Paul Bley and full of expression rhetoric of Keith Jarrett. But the real master chef here is the drummer- Damian Kappenstein. I had a pleasure to hear him in many different projects and I am well familiar with his amazing abilities. This man alone can conjure up a whole sonic universe for you within a minutes, with whatever he is able to squeeze the sound of. Doesn’t even need his full drum set.

Here the whole tissue of the compositions relays on his creativity and spatial imagination. Together with pianist they hold the line between them on which vocalist and trumpeter can walk like on the footpath and play whatever their hearts tell them to.

TRAUMTON PR:

Freedom Dance on SOUNDCLOUD :