Record Reviews
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  | MARIA PIA DE VITO ~ NEL RESPIRO
PROVOCATEUR 1031 (Barcode: 5038491103127) ~ ITALY ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2001 - 2002 Released: 2002
Following her brilliant album “VersoFind albums with this title”, recorded a couple of years earlier, Italian Jazz singer Maria Pia De VitoFind albums by this artist returns with her second album on the splendid ProvocateurFind albums on this label label, and her sixth consecutive album. Her two faithful companions on the previous album: British pianist John TaylorFind albums by this artist and US guitarist Ralph TownerFind albums by this artist are back with her again, but this time the instrumental ensemble is expanded to a quartet with the participation of legendary US bassist Steve SwallowFind albums by this artist and French drummer / percussionist Patrice HeralFind albums by this artist.
The music, composed by De Vito, Taylor, Towner and Swallow, is beautifully minimalist and quite complex, providing an ideal vehicle for the singer’s vocal explorations. She uses lyrics and vocalese interchangeably, with a rare ability to sound perfectly right at each given moment. The written music is but a frame for hers and the musicians’ improvisations, which keep floating effortlessly. De Vito continues in her singing the modern European vocal Jazz tradition, initiated in the 1970s by singers like Urszula DudziakFind albums by this artist, Lauren NewtonFind albums by this artist and Jeanne LeeFind albums by this artist (Vocal SummitFind albums by this artist), but of course this tradition is brought up-to-date and her personal input is dominant.
The album is a beautiful collection of highly sensitive, lyrical music, which captures the listener totally and requires his total dedication. Most importantly it keeps the process of exploration, as far as vocal Jazz is concerned, alive, rather than following the “easy” path of yet another attempt at vocal Jazz standards. Listening to this album one realizes that vocal Jazz is still alive and kicking, a relief indeed, and has a lot of fascinating innovations to offer. Don’t even think twice!
| | Updated: 03/07/2020Posted: | CD 1 HDCD Recommend To A Friend |
  | ELMA ~ AD REM
HEVHETIA 0113 (Barcode: 8588005257657) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2012 Released: 2016
This is the second album by Polish Jazz vocalist ElmaFind albums by this artist, but in fact it could be viewed as the second part of Elma´s debut album, as it presents material recorded at the same recording session as the material released on the debut. A conscious decision was made at the time to collect the "song oriented" material on the debut and the improvised material on this second album
The album was recorded by a quartet, which features Elma with Finnish trumpeter Verneri PohjolaFind albums by this artist and Polish pianist Dominik WaniaFind albums by this artist and bassist Maciej GarbowskiFind albums by this artist and was recorded at the Studio Tokarnia and engineered by Jan SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist. The music on this album comprises of twelve improvised pieces; a prologue and then an eleven-part suite. Except for the first part of the suite which is credited to Elma and Pohjola, the rest of the music is credited to all four participants.
Although the Improvised Music is enjoying a spectacular Renaissance in the last few years, it is almost always completely instrumental and does not involve the human voice. The glorious days of the vocal Improvised Music are sadly completely gone and pioneering vocalists like Jeanne LeeFind albums by this artist, Lauren NewtonFind albums by this artist, Urszula DudziakFind albums by this artist, Jay ClaytonFind albums by this artist, Bobby McFerrinFind albums by this artist and others are either forgotten or changed their field of interest. Therefore Elma can be considered as the torch bearer of this fantastic tradition into the 21st Century.
Elma treats her voice as an instrument, which has always been the basic rule of great vocalists. Since the human voice is limited only by the vocalist´s imagination, it is the most versatile and virtually unlimited instrument, a fact which becomes plainly evident to anybody listening to this music. With the incredibly compassionate accompaniment Elma receives from her three partners, the resulting music is one of the most unique musical creations recorded in the last few years.
The importance of this music is twofold; firstly it is breathtakingly beautiful, emotionally intense and aesthetically stunning and secondly it is intellectually courageous and fascinating. Elma is not regressing to the 1970s to create more of the same vocal Improvised Music created then, but takes the tradition right up to date, moving forward and updating the concept, adapting it to contemporary Jazz language, sound and vision. Her vocalese and other tricks of the trade, most of which she invented herself or expanded from earlier examples, is a completely new language in itself, which enables her to go where nobody went before; an extremely rare quality these days.
The contributions of the three instrumentalists present here is simply outstanding. They all manage to contribute to the music without overshadowing the focus of the vocals and their empathy and ability to communicate with Elma almost telepathically is simply phenomenal.
This is indisputably one of the most important albums released on the Polish Jazz scene in the last decade and as far as vocal Jazz is concerned, also on a world scale. There is no other vocal Improvised Music of this intensity and innovative authority anywhere else at the moment, which makes this album simply a one of its kind. To say the truth, this album should be studied by every vocalist in the world, Jazz and otherwise, just to make them aware of what the human voice (and mind) is capable of. This might of course make some of them stop singing, which would be of great benefit of course.
Absolutely essential item in every serious record collection!
| | Updated: 29/02/2016Posted: 29/02/2016 | CD 1 Digipak Essential Recommend To A Friend |
  | ELMA ~ LICENTIA POETICA
HEVHETIA 0232 (Barcode: 8588005259286) ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music
Recorded: 2020 Released: 2022
This is the long awaited third album by Polish Jazz vocalist ElmaFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Elma KaisFind albums by this artist) recorded live with American guitarist Knox ChandlerFind albums by this artist, Australian (resident in Berlin) bassist Daigo NakaiFind albums by this artist and German drummer Klaus KugelFind albums by this artist. The album presents thirteen original pieces, all co-composed by the four musicians.
The music is spontaneously improvised, although obviously somewhat pre-conceived, and as such could be classified as Improvised Music or Free Jazz, but honestly it makes no sense to apply any definitions to it, as it is as free-spirited as humanly possible. Although Elma’s vocal parts are obviously in the center of the listener’s attention, the music is collaborative and involves all four musicians at the same level of creativity.
Elma continues her wordless vocalese / “voice as instrument” approach, which she demonstrated on her two earlier albums, but takes it further out into the truly virtuosic sphere, which sets her in a separate universe from almost all Jazz vocalists active today, continuing the vocal Jazz revolution started in the 1970s by European vocal pioneering female vocalists like Urszula DudziakFind albums by this artist, Lauren NewtonFind albums by this artist, Jeanne LeeFind albums by this artist, Mirka KrivankovaFind albums by this artist and several others. On contemporary Polish Jazz scene, she seems to be almost completely solitary, except for the work of Anna GadtFind albums by this artist.
There is no doubt that this album is completely unique, as far as vocal Jazz is concerned, and Elma’s talent shines ever so brightly, fulfilling gracefully all the great hopes she stirred with her earlier albums. The music she creates with her colleagues hits the listener straight between his eyes, shocks and uplifts on a truly spiritual level, which happens only very rarely with new music that arrives on my desk. Considering the fact that Elma practically reinvents the approach to vocal improvisation, throwing away all pre-conceptions and limitations, she is able to cross into uncharted territory. We often tend to think that “everything was already done” in music (or otherwise), but that is a defeatist approach and life proves that there a possibility for progress.
Overall, this is a shockingly beautiful, uplifting musical experience, which happens extremely rarely. As pompous as this might sound, this is probably the most perfect Polish Jazz vocal album of all times, a creation of unprecedented courage, inventiveness and free-spirited exploration. Yes, yes I see all the sceptics shrugging…
| | Updated: 21/05/2022Posted: 21/05/2022 | CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend |
  | JANA KOUBKOVA ~ BOSA
GALEN 19 148 (Barcode: 8594042901576) ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1985 Released: 2019
This is a reissue of a wonderful album by Czech Jazz vocalist Jana KoubkovaFind albums by this artist, which is basically a solo vocal recording using multi-tracked voice and a plethora of magnificent vocalese paraphernalia, with a limited instrumental accompaniment supplied mainly by percussion Master Alan VitousFind albums by this artist (yes the brother of Miroslav VitousFind albums by this artist) and involving also pianists Karel RuzickaFind albums by this artist and Zdenek KalhousFind albums by this artist, bassists Alexej CharvatFind albums by this artist and Vit FialaFind albums by this artist and a few others playing percussion instruments as well as a chorus adding "background noises". The album presents seven original compositions by Koubkova and a medley of songs by Antonio Carlos Jobim, which is the title track. This remastered edition offers superb sound quality.
The music is an absolute revelation, showing the infinite musical potential achievable by using the human voice in an instrumental capacity. Obviously somewhat similar to the work by other Jazz vocalist exploring this direction like Urszula DudziakFind albums by this artist, Lauren NewtonFind albums by this artist and others, Koubkova´s approach is unique in many ways, not only because of the use of percussion accompaniment but also vocally and conceptually. It is perhaps less Avant-Garde oriented than what the a.m. vocalists demonstrated and more melodic, but surely not less challenging or innovative.
This album is an important instructional tool for contemporary young Jazz vocalists, who sadly rarely take a step beyond the beaten tracks of standard vocal approach, repeating the tradition ad nauseam rather than exploring new possibilities. It appears that there is much to be learned from the past.
The album also demonstrates the incredibly high level of musicianship behind the Iron Curtain, which despite the hardships of censorship and political domination of the Socialist regime managed to flourish, often not less impressively then what was happening in the West. Czechoslovakia and Poland led the evolution / revolution of the European Jazz idiom in Eastern Europe and produced a monumental body of recorded music over time, and contained to do so after the liberation from the Socialist shackles, with a vengeance.
Side Note
The Czech publishing house and record label GalenFind albums on this label, run by Lubomir HoudekFind albums by this artist, is another player on the local scene, reissuing historical recordings from the deep vaults of the SupraphonFind albums on this label / PantonFind albums on this label labels, supported by the Czech Ministry of Culture. This commendable initiative is a wonderful example of the preservation of Cultural heritage. Hopefully the label's future releases will include information in English in the album's booklets, so that Jazz enthusiasts around the world might be allowed to share the knowledge.
For more reissues of Czechoslovak Jazz (and Rock) see also the releases by Indies Happy TrailsFind albums on this label Records.
| | Updated: 01/06/2020Posted: 01/06/2020 | CD 1 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend |
  | MARYLAND ~ CROSSING AND BLENDING
NOT ON LABEL ~ AUSTRIA ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2005 Released: 2005
This is the only album by the ensemble MarylandFind albums by this artist, fronted by the Austrian singer / composer Maria NeckamFind albums by this artist with pianist Franz von ChossyFind albums by this artist, bassist Valdi KolliFind albums by this artist and drummer Uli GenengerFind albums by this artist. A few guest musicians participate on some of the tracks. The album was recorded in Netherlands where Neckam was studying at the time vocal Jazz at the Conservatory of Amsterdam. This is her debut recording, a collection of fourteen songs, twelve of which are her compositions and lyrics, one is composed by the pianist to her lyrics and one is a standard. All the lyrics are in English, except in one case, where a poem in German is recited, rather that sung.
From the very opening note of this album the listener enters a world of music, which is utterly Maria Neckam´s universe, distinctive, unique and completely irresistible. Amazingly she manages to set her musical framework at such an early stage of her career. Although still lacking the experience and readiness of a mature artist, her amazing talent and youthful life-force overcome any possible traps and blunders. The album is so amazingly "complete", full of superb music and heartfelt performances, that all the minor flaws, which are surely present herein, are completely pushed aside and become meaningless in view of the enormous amount of aesthetic pleasure, elegance and intelligence. Neckam´s idiosyncratic style reminds me of the young Annette PeacockFind albums by this artist, both in her compositional approach and some of her vocal technique. Singer / composer Lauren NewtonFind albums by this artist also comes to mind, especially on Neckam´s less structured pieces.
Neckam´s music shows a wide range of influences and empathies, resulting in an enormously versatile scope of stylistic approaches on this album. Of course a debut album is often characterized by the strong desire to "spill out" vast amount of music, which has been accumulating for a very long time. Although such lack of focus might become a major problem for some artists, in the case of this album the versatility simply serves as an opportunity to show the listener how accomplished Neckam really is. Firmly based in the Jazz tradition, the music amalgamates a plethora of different influences, such as World Music, European neo-romanticism, traditional and experimental vocalese, and many others. Of course Neckam´s charm is all about taking all these different elements and making them completely and uniquely her own.
As far as debuts go, this is definitely one of the most impressive ones that a music connoisseur might come across. Although it had little media coverage and no real impact at the time of its release, it is nevertheless a superb piece of music, which deserves to be re-discovered, especially now in view of Neckam´s more recent success. A charming fruit, somewhat un-ripe and yet already delicious – a gem!
| | | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
  | SAXOFOUR & MARIA JOAO ~ CINCO
ATS 0744 (Barcode: 9005216007448) ~ AUSTRIA ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2004 Released: 2011
This is a stunning album by the Austrian saxophone quartet SaxofourFind albums by this artist, which consists of Florian BrambockFind albums by this artist, Klaus DickbauerFind albums by this artist, Christian MaurerFind albums by this artist and Wolfgang PuschingFind albums by this artist, who between them play soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones, clarinet, bass clarinet and flute. On this album they combine forces with the wonderful Portuguese vocalist Maria JoaoFind albums by this artist. The album presents twelve compositions, seven of which are by the great Portuguese pianist / composer Mario LaginhaFind albums by this artist, five are by the quartet members and one is a standard. Joao wrote the lyrics to three of the compositions. All the music was arranged by the quartet members.
The music is an orgy of creativity and spontaneity, combining the exquisite sound created by the saxophone quartet with the extraordinary vocal pyrotechnics of Joao. Although seemingly lacking any rhythmic support, this music is full of polyrhythmic complexity, combining the familiar Jazz setting with the exotic South European vivacity.
The saxophone quartet is capable of producing a rich and complex soundscape, combining the four individual instruments into an almost symphonic sound environment. The articulation and sophistication of these four superb musicians seems to have absolutely no limits.
Joao is of course a living legend, one of the most original and forward thinking European Jazz personas, and most significantly one of the sublime vocal Jazz pioneers, who defined the contemporary role of human voice in Jazz, together with a small and exclusive group of other European female vocalists like Urszula DudziakFind albums by this artist, Lauren NewtonFind albums by this artist, Jeanne LeeFind albums by this artist and a few others.
The twelve pieces on this album are all absolute gems with no weak moments whatsoever. The quartet weaves layers of melodic background, spiced with exciting improvisations, and Joao tops the bill with her idiosyncratic vocalese, which is so inventive and refined that it sends waves of pleasure shock down the listener´s spine. The symbiosis between the quartet and Joao is so organic and complete, that it is hard to believe this album was just a one-time cooperation.
Overall the album is an exquisite example of European Jazz at its best, full of wonderful music and sublime performances, which should make even the most demanding Jazz connoisseurs completely happy. For vocal Jazz fans this is an absolute must of course, being one of the finest and most tasteful examples of musical ingenuity. Beyond essential!
| | Updated: 03/08/2019Posted: 03/08/2019 | CD 1 Essential Recommend To A Friend |
  | SCHMOLLING / ARTHURS / KUHNE ~ TICHO
UNIT 4551 (Barcode: 7640114795510) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz
Recorded: 2013 Released: 2014
This is a brilliant debut album by a trio consisting of German pianist / composer Marc SchmollingFind albums by this artist (a son of Czech poetess Inka MachulkovaFind albums by this artist), female vocalist Almut KuhneFind albums by this artist and British trumpeter Tom ArthursFind albums by this artist. The eight pieces (one composition is repeated twice as the opening and closing track of the album) are based on pre-composed themes, which are then freely improvised upon by the trio members.
The unique piano / trumpet / vocals lineup invokes an immediate associative comparison to the legendary British trio AzimuthFind albums by this artist (John TaylorFind albums by this artist, Kenny WheelerFind albums by this artist, Norma WinstoneFind albums by this artist), and some similarities are of course detectable, but this album is much more oriented towards the Free Jazz / Improvised Music openness, whereas Azimuth, as revolutionary and amazing as it was at the time, was overall much more melodic and structured in form.
All three individual contributors are first class musicians of course: Schmolling plays delicately and lyrically, Arthurs is simply brilliant with an incredible technique and extraordinary sensitivity, emerging as one of the top British contemporary trumpeters and Kuhne is a sensational surprise, with stunning vocal abilities combining the powers of modern female Jazz vocal Divas, like Julie TippettsFind albums by this artist, Norma Winstone, Jeanne LeeFind albums by this artist, Lauren NewtonFind albums by this artist and others. She is definitely worth watching very carefully in the future.
The trio works also perfectly as a unit; Arthurs and Kuhne converse fiercely, exchanging vocal and trumpet phrases like never heard before, while Schmolling keeps the music in control with his guiding chords. The overall ensemble result is simply breathtaking. This is a kind of music that combines the free spirit with the essence of European culture, often based on reserve and intrinsic discipline.
Overall this is a excellent piece of music, which holds new surprises with every time it is played, full of wonderful aesthetics and urgency to discover, an example of ambitious creation that works out perfectly and in spite of its intimacy creates a whole universe of sounds and feelings.
It is great to see that intelligent music is still being made in our cultural void, which of course keeps those, who are open enough to listen to it, resistant to the brainlessness out there. Wholeheartedly recommended!
| | Updated: 26/04/2016Posted: 26/04/2016 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | SVELIA ~ TRANSITIONS
LOSEN 136 (Barcode: 7090025831362) ~ SWEDEN ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music
Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015
This is the debut album by a young Swedish / Australian ensemble SveliaFind albums by this artist, which comprises of vocalist Casey MoirFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Reuben LewisFind albums by this artist, pianist Luke SweetingFind albums by this artist, bassist Johan MoirFind albums by this artist and drummer Aidan LoweFind albums by this artist. They perform eight original compositions / songs, most of which were composed by Casey Moir, who also wrote most of the lyrics, with the exception of two songs composed by Lewis, one by Johan Moir and one by Sweeting.
The music is a surprisingly unusual blend of melodic themes performed in a very free / improvised setting, with a lot of space and breathing space, directed by Casey Moir´s incredible vocal parts and dominated by the complex music she composed. She is one of the very few female vocalist, who tries to continue and keep alive the wonderful vocal Jazz tradition, which was developed decades ago by such wonderful female vocalists as Jeanne LeeFind albums by this artist, Lauren NewtonFind albums by this artist, Urszula DudziakFind albums by this artist and a few others, and which has sadly almost no parallels in contemporary Jazz, even on the European scene.
Casey Moir uses lyrics and vocalese, theatrical expression and on-the-fly vocal improvisations, which make the hair on the back of the listener´s neck to stand up, not only because she is so bizarre and fabulous, but mostly because she dares. The entire concept of this album and the overall impression it makes is truly amazing.
But of course the vocalist is not alone out there and her companions all contribute magnificently to the overall success. Lewis plays some "nasty" trumpet parts, which would make Don Cherry smile, Sweeting delicately adds his free-Baroque ornamentations and the rhythm section, which plays anything but rhythm, completes the sound design by another dimension of freedom.
Personally the more improvised the music gets, the better it gets and I don´t even dare to think what these musicians might come up with next; hopefully something even more daring and wonderfully weird than this gem of an album.
Overall a stunning debut effort, which deserves praise not only for what it offers, but the sheer audacity and chutzpah, mixed with pure genius, which are so rare these days. Another great release on LosenFind albums on this label Records, which again makes me wonder where do you, Odd GjelsnesFind albums by this artist, find all these fantastic musicians?
| | Updated: 22/11/2016Posted: 22/11/2016 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | VIENNA ART ORCHESTRA ~ A NOTION IN PERPETUAL MOTION
HATOLOGY 679 (Barcode: 752156067924) ~ AUSTRIA ~ Jazz
Recorded: 1985 Released: 2010
The Austrian modern Big Band / ensemble Vienna Art OrchestraFind albums by this artist is probably the most ambitious gathering of European Jazz musicians ever attempted and one of the most (probably the most) successful effort of this kind. Led by composer / arranger / bandleader Mathias RüeggFind albums by this artist, who writes most of the music performed by the orchestra, is a Master of his craft and the amount of music done by him in the last three decades amounts to a gigantic body of work unparalleled by any other of his contemporaries. The orchestra members are all top Austrian Jazz players, as well as many guest musicians from other European countries. This live recording captures one of the most interesting periods of the band, which included the incredible vocals by Lauren NewtonFind albums by this artist, in addition to numerous superb musicians, such as saxophonists Harry SokalFind albums by this artist, Roman SchwallerFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Herbert JoosFind albums by this artist and many others. The music is absolutely breathtaking and brilliant from start to finish; every moment catches the listener completely unprepared and leaves him absolutely stunned when the album is over. This is an utmost case in point of the European way to do things, which places all American Big Bands miles in the rear. An absolute must to any serious Jazz listener and an everlasting example of musical ingenuity. Essential!
| | | CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Oversampling Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend |
  | VIENNA ART ORCHESTRA ~ THE MINIMALISM OF ERIK SATIE
HATOLOGY 671 (Barcode: 752156067122) ~ AUSTRIA ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion
Recorded: 1983 - 1984 Released: 2010
The Austrian modern Big Band / ensemble Vienna Art OrchestraFind albums by this artist is probably the most ambitious gathering of European Jazz musicians ever attempted and one of the most (probably the most) successful effort of this kind. Led by the charismatic composer / arranger / bandleader Mathias RüeggFind albums by this artist, who is a Master of his craft and who writes most of the music performed by the ensemble, the Vienna Art Orchestra is a revelation. The scope of music created by the Vienna Art Orchestra in the last three decades amounts to a gigantic body of work unparalleled by any other of his contemporaries. The orchestra members are all top Austrian Jazz players, as well as many guest musicians from other European countries. This very special project finds the ensemble reworking a set of compositions by the brilliant French composer Erik SatieFind albums by this artist. Satie´s short (minimalist) compositions, as beautiful as they are, are expanded and rearranged by Rüegg and become magnificent, presenting a perfect amalgamation of Jazz and modern Classical Music. The band includes the incredible vocals by Lauren NewtonFind albums by this artist, in addition to numerous superb musicians, such as saxophonists Harry SokalFind albums by this artist, Roman SchwallerFind albums by this artist and many others. The music is absolutely breathtaking and brilliant from start to finish; every moment catches the listener completely unprepared and leaves him absolutely stunned when the album is over. This is an utmost case in point of the European way to do things, which places all American Big Bands miles in the rear. An absolute must to any serious Jazz listener and an everlasting example of musical ingenuity. Essential!
| | | CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Oversampling Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend |
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