Record Reviews

KENNETH DAHL KNUDSEN ~ TETE NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 5707471059272) ~ DENMARK ~ Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is the fourth album by Danish bassist / composer / bandleader Kenneth Dahl KnudsenFind albums by this artist, this time recorded with an international quintet which also includes Israeli saxophonist Uri GurvichFind albums by this artist, Polish guitarist Brian MassakaFind albums by this artist, French pianist Gauthier TouxFind albums by this artist and Costa Rican drummer Rodolfo ZunigaFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original compositions, all by Knudsen. The album consistently continues the compositional path set by Knudsen since his debut, offering excellent European Jazz, which is based on melodic themes but utilizes complex rhythmic and harmonic structures, which manage to stand apart from mainstream Jazz and offer an intriguing and unique approach to music making. Although quite challenging at times, the music has a wonderful natural flow, which lets the listen to develop an immediate empathy with the composer, and offers a joyous ride into uncharted territory. Knudsen obviously reaches a level of maturity and conceptual coherence with this album, which fully justifies the hopes and interest he arose since his appearance on the European scene some years ago. The burgeoning international musical communities developing around the Danish Music Conservatories (Copenhagen, Aarhus and Aalborg) manage to produce some of the most interesting European Jazz musicians / composers in the last decade, and Knudsen (and his quintet to some degree) is definitely a fine example of this phenomenon. The music is exquisitely executed by a formidable team of musicians, who share an obvious "hunger" for challenge and adventure, which this music offers in abundance. They play splendidly as a team of course, which this music relentlessly requires, but at the same time are able to display their individual abilities when featured as soloists. There is plenty of opportunities here to be impressed by each of the quintet members, although, as already stated, teamwork is the main modus operandi here. I had the pleasure to have Knudsen and his quintet on the bill of the Singer Jazz Festival this year (2018) and I was amazed to experience the rapport the quintet was able to develop with the audience, in spite of the challenge this music obviously sets before the listener with its convoluted melodic flow and rhythmic complexity. The audience filling the concert hall seemed to be completely enchanted by the music and exploded with applause when the music was over. One can only hope the studio version of the music present on this album will be able to reach its listeners with the same immediate response. Well, if it doesn’t, please just listen to the album again, and the magic is sure to happen at some point, as it is indisputably incorporated in the music. Wholeheartedly recommended to all true Jazz connoisseurs!

Updated: 26/11/2018Posted: 26/11/2018

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

MAXENCE SIBILLE ~ SEED SHED 013 ~ FRANCE ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is the debut album as a leader by French (resident in Switzerland) drummer / composer Maxence SibilleFind albums by this artist recorded in a sextet setting with Polish trumpeter Tomasz DabrowskiFind albums by this artist and French / Swiss players: pianist Gauthier TouxFind albums by this artist, electric piano player Matthieu LlodraFind albums by this artist, bassist Julien HerneFind albums by this artist and electronics operator Valentin LiechtiFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original compositions, all by Sibille. The music is modern mainstream Jazz, based on beautiful melodic themes and performed with contemporary approach using slight electronic effects and a minimalist relaxed atmosphere and mostly open space / Scandinavian vistas. Definitely on the lighter side of the Jazz spectrum, this music could be classified as a kind of contemporary Fusion, but of course the genre boundaries are so fluid these days. Dabrowski and Toux are clearly the more Jazz oriented players here whereas the rest of the sextet tends towards electronics and Fusion, together creating a splendid amalgam, which is interesting and entertaining at the same time. Dabrowski, for whom such musical environment is rather unusual lately (he is mostly involved in Avant-Garde projects) us absolutely spectacular on this album, showing his wonderful versatility and ability to play long melodic lyrical soli, which his followers have not enjoyed recently. This is a great reminder of his diverse abilities and immense talents. With all the due respect to the other players on this album, he is clearly from another dimension, musically. The album is also a splendid example of the growing tendency to use electronics within the Jazz genre, which this album does skillfully, elegantly and very effectively. Overall this is a splendid debut and a great collection of solid compositions and superb playing, in addition to the interest of Polish Jazz fans in Dabrowski´s contributions. Warmly recommended!

Updated: 25/03/2020Posted: 25/03/2020

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