Record Reviews

DALIA FAITELSON ~ POWERED BY LIFE LOSEN 199 (Barcode: 7090025831997) ~ DENMARK ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2017 Released: 2018 This is the eleventh album as a leader by Israeli (resident in Denmark) vocalist / guitarist / songwriter Dalia FaitelsonFind albums by this artist, since her debut released in 1994. On this album she is supported by the veteran Danish pianist Thomas ClausenFind albums by this artist, cellist Soma AllpassFind albums by this artist and drummer Anders ProvisFind albums by this artist. Bassist Fredrik DamsgaardFind albums by this artist and percussionist Ayi SolomonFind albums by this artist (born in Ghana) guest on selected tracks. The album presents eight original songs composed by and with lyrics written by Faitelson The music is a cross-genre amalgam of influences, including Pop, cabaret, World Music, Classical and marginally Jazz, with highly melodic contents very skillfully arranged for the rather unusual instrumentation present here. The cello, which is dominant on this album, creates a serene, almost chamber atmosphere on most of the tracks. The overall melancholic and somewhat somber feel is predominant. The compositions are all well put together and coherent, providing an excellent platform for the musicians to express their ideas. Faitelson has a limited vocal range, which forces her to use a very specific, almost half spoken word articulation, instead of singing in the classic meaning of the term, similar to chanson and cabaret singers rather than Pop of Jazz vocalists. Her singing in English is not very helpful either. But all things considered, her theatrical vocal expression is effective and very musical. In addition she also plays some great guitar licks, which sadly are not as dominant on this album as one would wish for. The performances by the members of the band are all brilliant, with heart melting cello parts by Allpass and superb piano parts by Clausen, who is the Jazz anchor or this album. All the musicians involved seem to have a great time playing here, which is evident by the final result. Overall this is an excellent album by a mature Artist, who knows exactly what she wants and where she is going. Her songs are beautifully woven and she delivers them in a very effective theatrical way, using top musicians at her side to complete the experience. Definitely recommended, especially for people outside of Denmark, who might not be familiar with her music. Toda raba!

Updated: 06/04/2018Posted: 06/04/2018

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FREDRIK LUNDIN ~ 5 GO ADVENTURING AGAIN STUNT 17162 (Barcode: 663993171623) ~ DENMARK ~ Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2017 This is an album by veteran Danish saxophonist / composer Fredrik LundinFind albums by this artist and his quintet which also includes Polish trumpeter Tomasz DabrowskiFind albums by this artist, Swedish trombonist Petter HangselFind albums by this artist and Bazantar player Joel IllerhagFind albums by this artist and Danish drummer Anders ProvisFind albums by this artist. Danish contrabass clarinet player Jesper LovdalFind albums by this artist guests on one track. The album presents ten original compositions, all by Lundin. The music is dense and complex, dark and epic, close to contemporary Classical music although undoubtedly Jazzy at the core. The sound of the quintet majestically rises to the level of an orchestral reverberation, with the brass instruments playing unisono riffs behind the solos and the slowly moving melody lines are supported by a brilliant mixture of electronic and acoustic drums and mindboggling bass, or rather Bazantar pulsations. At times it all sounds like a bizarre funeral procession or a very drunk circus band, but the music is absolutely dazzling in its power and glory. The level of individual statements is also astonishing. Dabrowski, as usual, plays some incredible trumpet parts, but Lundin and Hangsel are there with him playing not less amazingly. Illerhag is one of the most impressive bass players I have had the pleasure to hear in a long while and Provis pushes the music right to the very edge. But first and foremost the ensemble collectivism these incredible musicians are able to achieve here is way beyond just a sum if its ingredients, which of course adds another layer of significance to this recording. Overall this is an incredible album, full of superb music and virtuosic performances, which deserves to be heard by as many music connoisseurs around the world as possible. It is absolutely European in its intrinsic elegance and aesthetics, with a strong emphasis on Nordic atmosphere and melancholy and could have never been envisaged and created anywhere else. It is also a monumental road sign as to the future of Jazz, which is moving further and further away from its stale traditionalism towards creating a completely revamped idiom, which is multicultural, cross-genre and open to constant change and progress and deep spirituality. Wholeheartedly recommended to anybody, who really cares about music and where it is going!

Updated: 27/03/2018Posted: 27/03/2018

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TROUBLE HUNTING ~ TROUBLE HUNTING MULTIKULTI MPI 020 (Barcode: 5907529223208) ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2011 Released: 2013 This is the debut album by the Polish / Danish ensemble Trouble HuntingFind albums by this artist led by Polish saxophonist / composer Tomasz LicakFind albums by this artist and including Polish trumpeter Tomasz DabrowskiFind albums by this artist, Danish saxophonist Sven Dam MeinildFind albums by this artist, Bosnian keyboardist Adi ZukanovicFind albums by this artist, Danish bassist Richard AnderssonFind albums by this artist and drummer Anders ProvisFind albums by this artist. The album presents six original compositions, all by Licak. The music is typical young European Jazz, which combines composed and freely improvised music, with an emphasis on group improvisation and freedom of expression. Despite the advanced explorations, the music manages to stay coherent and tamed, which allows to the inquisitive listener to hear every little nuance of the individual contributions by the musicians. The ambience of the music combines the Polish melancholy with the Scandinavian minimalism, which works out splendidly. Despite the young age of these musicians, they all already show signs of their musical personality. Listening to this album almost a decade after it was recorded gives a wonderful perspective on the musical achievements of Licak, Dabrowski and Meinild, who made numerous other recordings since and solidified their personas. The album is also a document of the bond that was created between young Polish, Danish and other European musicians around the Odense Music Academy, which created an entire circle of musicians who cooperate actively since their meeting as students, being one of the creative foci of contemporary European Jazz. This album withstands the test of time splendidly and sounds every bit as interesting as it did at the time of its release. It is definitely worth revisiting and European Free Jazz / Improvised Music connoisseurs should definitely try and get a copy before this album (like so many others) disappears into oblivion. Great stuff!

Updated: 18/08/2020Posted: 18/08/2020

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