Record Reviews

FIIL FREE ~ EVERYTHING IS A TRANSLATION FILL FREE 0916 (Barcode: 5707471047866) ~ DENMARK ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2016 Released: 2016 This is the third album by Danish Jazz pianist / composer Lars FiilFind albums by this artist, this time recorded with an international septet called Fiil FreeFind albums by this artist, which features also Polish trumpeter Tomasz DabrowskiFind albums by this artist, Swedish guitarist Henrik OlssonFind albums by this artist and four Danish musicians: saxophonist Henrik Pultz MelbyeFind albums by this artist, vibraphonist Martin FabriciusFind albums by this artist, bassist Casper Nyvang RaskFind albums by this artist and drummer Bjorn HeebollFind albums by this artist. Together they perform five original compositions, all by Fiil. The music is a typical European Free Jazz / Improvised Music endeavor, which in spite of its many degrees of freedom is wonderfully well composed, organized, structured and played, presenting a challenging yet coherent listening experience. The individual compositions develop slowly, starting with single notes or chords, gradually increasing in intensity and complexity, taking the listener on a ride along the process of its development. All the participants contribute their personal input, playing solo passages, which often are very different from typical Jazz solos, but play in fact a similar role. These young musicians are amongst the finest European improvisers and can be heard on many other recordings. This particular setting is actually very minimalistic and there is little place to show the individual skills in a very expressive way, but this minimalism pushes the players to their limits and makes them to reinvent their performing techniques. Dabrowski, as usual, plays some stunning passages, proving again that his diversity and talent know no borders, but as already said earlier, this album is not about individual statements, but deals with collective improvisation and cooperative performance. One of the pieces starts off with the septet playing a swinging Bebop tune, which has a wonderful small Big Band feel about it, but of course it soon disintegrates into Free Form collective improvisation, which is sort of decomposing the initial structured statement, only to return to it at the very end. There are many such wonderful surprises as the music progresses and when it finally ends, one is definitely left with a wish for more. Overall this album is another proof that the young European Improvising scene is alive and kicking like never before, creating a melting pot of influences between Scandinavian, East and West European cultures, forging a strong Jazz Culture, which hopefully will last for a long time and keep developing in the process. Not to be missed by any Free Jazz fans anywhere in the world!

Updated: 17/10/2016Posted: 17/10/2016

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FIIL FREE ~ UNDER OVERFLADEN FIIL FREE 0320 ~ DENMARK ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2020 Released: 2020 This is the second album by the international septet Fiil FreeFind albums by this artist led by Danish pianist / composer Lars FiilFind albums by this artist and including Polish trumpeter Tomasz DabrowskiFind albums by this artist, Danish saxophonist Henrik Pultz MelbyeFind albums by this artist, Swedish guitarist Henrik OlssonFind albums by this artist and three additional Danish musicians: vibraphonist Martin FabriciusFind albums by this artist, bassist Casper Nyvang RaskFind albums by this artist and drummer Bjorn HeebollFind albums by this artist. The album presents six original compositions, all by Fiil. Musically the album follows the pattern set up by the debut, offering well structured compositions, which are performed with an open attitude of group improvisation, collectively achieving a well organized Free Form, what might be considered as an oxymoron, but works splendidly in practice. The music tenders a typical Scandinavian melancholy and spacey atmosphere, but is full of interesting concepts and the compositions present together a diverse palette of ideas and moods. The sound moves smoothly between intimate and quiet passages and powerful, almost orchestral statements. Obviously this kind of music is heavily dependent on the individual abilities of the participating musicians, and Fiil is lucky to have collected a wonderful group of highly skilled instrumentalists, who are able to offer both splendid individual statements and impressive collective improvisations of the highest level. In many respects this album offers a model for contemporary European Free Jazz, which concentrates on the attempt to combine individual freedom of expression with collective performance, a balance that is quite difficult to achieve in any Artistic endeavor. Fiil and his cohorts manage to get the best out of this specific idiom. And deserve particular credit, especially in view of the fact that they not only managed to repeat the formula but even improved it. Overall this is a brilliant sophomore effort, which proves that the debut was not just a "lucky strike" and offers a clear conceptual approach, which is promising and will be hopefully explored further. For European Free Jazz connoisseurs this is an absolute must!

Updated: 07/05/2020Posted: 07/05/2020

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LIVING THINGS ~ UPWIND CIRCLES BAREFOOT 052 (Barcode: 5707471046210) ~ DENMARK ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2015 Released: 2016 This is the debut album by young European Jazz ensemble Living ThingsFind albums by this artist, which comprises of Danish saxophonist / composer Sven Dam MeinildFind albums by this artist, Polish trumpeter Tomasz DabrowskiFind albums by this artist, French pianist / vibraphonist Paul WacrenierFind albums by this artist and a Dutch rhythm section: bassist Casper Nyvang RaskFind albums by this artist and drummer Rune LohseFind albums by this artist. All five musicians are also credited for playing the flute. The album presents fourteen original compositions, nine composed by Meinild and five by Wacrenier. The music is based on composed themes, which serve as basis for individual and collective improvisations. It is very open and unconstrained, obviously geared towards improvisation and individuality, like all the albums released by the Copenhagen based BarefootFind albums on this label Records collective, owned by the musicians who record on the label and which is home to some of the most fascinating young European Jazz and Improvised Music. Traces of many diverse musical influences can be found in this music, from contemporary Classical to World Music and Folklore, via the Jazz tradition, which is treated here very open-mindedly. There are also many superb individual statements by all the musicians involved. Dabrowski, as usual, creates many heart-wrenching trumpet solos, which repeatedly give evidence to the fact that he is one of the leading European trumpet players today. But to be fair also Meinild and Wacrenier contribute many enchanted vistas on their respective instruments, and the rhythm section, which plays anything but rhythm of course, glues the music together. There young European lions are so creative and so productive / prolific, that it becomes almost impossible to follow the avalanche of releases produced by them across the continent. Jazz / Improvised Music is experiencing an incredible Renaissance, which creates an unprecedented surge of new music, new talents and new musical horizons, of which this music is a commendable representative. Well done!

Updated: 04/11/2016Posted: 04/11/2016

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