Record Reviews

KLAUS KONIG ORCHESTRA ~ AT THE END OF THE UNIVERSE ENJA 6078 (Barcode: 063757607823) ~ GERMANY ~ Big Band Jazz Recorded: 1990 Released: 1991 This is the third album by German composer / conductor Klaus KonigFind albums by this artist, recorded live at the Berlin JazzFest with a large Orchestra comprising of many top European and some American Jazz musicians, including British Jazz trumpeter Kenny WheelerFind albums by this artist, Russian (resident in Germany) pianist Simon NabatovFind albums by this artist, French clarinetist Louis SclavisFind albums by this artist, American saxophonist Jane Ira BloomFind albums by this artist and many more. The album presents eight tracks, all composed by Konig, which are parts of a suite, which as the title suggests, is dedicated to the British Sci-Fi writer Douglas AdamsFind albums by this artist. Wheeler took part also in a recording of the fifth album by Konig, entitled “Time FragmentsFind albums with this title”. Since this is a large orchestral recording, Wheeler’s soloing is perhaps less prominent than on his small group recordings, but is especially important here, in view of Kenny’s love of large ensembles. Both albums seem to be available without much ado. This is one of Wheeler’s recordings, which remains almost completely obscure and does not appear in most of his discographies. I was very lucky to get it from Kenny’s private collection. The music is an absolutely fascinating European Orchestral Jazz, which offers some melodic themes but the performance is full of very open / Free Form improvisations, which altogether offers a challenging, but highly rewarding listening experience and a great example of the European approach to Big Band music, which is diametrically opposed to the American Tradition. Konig certainly manages to combine the basic elements of the Jazz tradition with contemporary / almost Avant-Garde facets of the genre and the result is simply astounding. His work as a composer is certainly highly unconventional and deserves to be followed, as his recording legacy certainly proves. Overall, this is an excellent modern Big Band / Orchestral Jazz album, performed by first class musicians, which is absolutely worth digging for, not only for the great contributions by Kenny Wheeler, but no less importantly for the splendid music and superb performances by the entire team.

Updated: 04/04/2023Posted: 02/04/2023

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LOUIS SCLAVIS ~ DANS LA NUIT ECM 1805 (Barcode: 731458952428) ~ FRANCE ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2000 Released: 2002 This is an excellent album by French clarinetists / saxophonist / composer Louis SclavisFind albums by this artist with his superb quintet, which also includes violinist Dominique PifarelyFind albums by this artist, cellist Vincent CourtoisFind albums by this artist, accordionist Jean Louis MatinierFind albums by this artist and drummer Francois MervilleFind albums by this artist. The music was written to serve as a soundtrack to the legendary 1929 silent movie of the same title, by the French director Charles VanelFind albums by this artist, which was one of the last silent French movies made just before the arrival of the "talkies". Sclavis composed a wonderful piece of music, which suits the film perfectly (this is not his first cooperation with cinema) and is performed brilliantly by the entire quintet. It is a wonderful amalgam of Jazz and contemporary Classical influences, with a typical European approach, which mixes sophistication and imagination with musical tradition. The performances are all stellar and although this is by for not easy music, the result should be accessible even to less experienced listeners. Of course there is plenty of fascinating moments here and the entire album is basked in European aesthetics and the so very special French "fragrance". Sclavis certainly solidifies his position as one of the leaders of contemporary European Jazz scene. Warmly recommended!

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LOUIS SCLAVIS ~ L`AFFRONTEMENT DES PRETENDANTS ECM 1705 (Barcode: 601215992724) ~ FRANCE ~ Jazz Recorded: 1999 Released: 2001 This is an excellent album by French clarinetists / saxophonist / composer Louis SclavisFind albums by this artist with his superb quintet, which also includes trumpeter Jean-Luc CappozzoFind albums by this artist, cellist Vincent CourtoisFind albums by this artist, bassist Bruno ChevillonFind albums by this artist and drummer Francois MervilleFind albums by this artist. The music, which was all composed or co-composed by Sclavis, is a wonderful amalgam of Jazz and contemporary Classical influences, with a typical European approach, which mixes sophistication and imagination with musical tradition. The performances are all stellar and although this is by for not easy music, the result should be accessible even to less experienced listeners. Of course there is plenty of fascinating moments here, especially the bass work (including several outstanding solos) which is most impressive. Sclavis certainly solidifies his position as one of the leaders of contemporary European Jazz scene. Warmly recommended!

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LOUIS SCLAVIS ~ LOST ON THE WAY ECM 2098 (Barcode: 602517984974) ~ FRANCE ~ Jazz Recorded: 2008 Released: 2009 French clarinetist / saxophonist / composer Louis SclavisFind albums by this artist has been one of the pillars of the modern French / European Jazz scene since many years and his skills as a virtuoso performer are well documented on numerous recordings. Since he started to record on the prestigious ECMFind albums on this label label, his work received a wider and much deserved exposure, as he is a voice that shouldn´t be ignored under any circumstances. The album was recorded with his all-French quintet, which includes saxophonist Matthieu MetzgerFind albums by this artist, guitarist Maxime DelpierreFind albums by this artist, bassist Olivier LeteFind albums by this artist and drummer Francois MervilleFind albums by this artist. Sclavis composed almost all the music (with some contributions from the bassists), which consists of twelve concise but excellently developed pieces. The sound is very modern, with electric guitar and bass sounding almost (but not quite) as if playing Fusion, but the overall sound is definitely closer to Jazz or perhaps RIO. In any case it is very innovative and interesting, from start to finish. The double clarinet / saxophone leads are simply great and the Rocky rhythms push the music into quite unexpected territory. Many music connoisseurs will definitely find this album as a great discovery, if only they will give it a chance and listen. Highly recommended!

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VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ SARAJEVO (SUITE) HARMONIA MUNDI 13039 (Barcode: 3366750130396) ~ FRANCE ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 1993 Released: 1994 This is a brilliant and completely obscure European Jazz & Poetry album, which features a large group of creative Artists, dedicated to the commemorative effort of the bombing and destruction of the Bosnian city of Sarajevo during the Yugoslav Wars. The original music accompanies texts by Bosnian poet Abdulah SidranFind albums by this artist. The participating musicians include British Lindsay CooperFind albums by this artist, Phil MintonFind albums by this artist, Kate WestbrookFind albums by this artist, Mike WestbrookFind albums by this artist, Chris BiscoeFind albums by this artist, French Henri TexierFind albums by this artist and Louis SclavisFind albums by this artist, German Wolfgang PushingFind albums by this artist, Dutch Willem BreukerFind albums by this artist and many others. The music is absolutely sensational and combined with the deeply penetrating texts offers a shocking protest against war, political extremism, cruelty, intolerance and injustice. Musically it presents mostly contemporary Jazz themes sprinkled with Balkan folkloristic accents, but also some orchestral, Avant-Garde and Classical pieces, all creating a collage of music and words, which is impossible to stay indifferent to. Sadly, this is a rare example of protest in contemporary music, in contrast to what was happening in music in the 1960s, when the social / political protest was deeply intertwined in the music mainstream. Humanity is slowly becoming indifferent and therefore a project like this one is especially important and worth being remembered. Overall, this is an absolutely marvelous piece of music and poetry, which is also an example of Artists unified by a political issue, which needs to tackled. Performed by some of the best European musicians, actors, producers and other creative contributors, this album is as important for its aesthetics as for its moral significance. Sadly, it is extremely difficult to find a copy if this album today, but every effort to do so will be richly rewarded. A true gem of European Culture!

Updated: 25/06/2023Posted: 25/06/2023

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WACLAW ZIMPEL ~ STONE FOG FOR TUNE 0009 (Barcode: 5902768701098) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2012 Released: 2013 This is the debut recording by the quartet led by Polish Jazz clarinetist / composer Waclaw ZimpelFind albums by this artist with his countryman pianist Krzysztof DysFind albums by this artist and two German musicians: bassist Christian RamondFind albums by this artist and drummer Klaus KugelFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight compositions named using lines from poems by the US poetess Laura Winter. Three of the compositions are credited to Zimpel and the remaining five are group compositions. Despite his young age (he was 29 years old when this music was recorded) Zimpel is already considered as one of the most important upcoming Free Jazz / Improvised Music figures on the European scene. In the scope of the last decade he managed to cooperate with many first-class musicians from Poland and abroad, play many concerts and record quite a few albums as a leader and as sideman, most of which were received enthusiastically by the critics. The clarinet, Zimpel´s "weapon of choice", is sadly a much neglected instrument in contemporary music, Avant-Garde and Improvised Music included, and therefore his contributions are especially important, keeping the clarinet tradition alive. Except for the older generation clarinet Giants, like American Perry RobinsonFind albums by this artist, Israeli Harold RubinFind albums by this artist, French Louis SclavisFind albums by this artist, Italian Gianluigi TrovesiFind albums by this artist and a handful of others, Zimpel´s young voice is a fresh breath of air in this particular niche. As to the music on this album, I find it slightly less exciting personally in comparison to his earlier recordings with ensembles like UndividedFind albums by this artist or HeraFind albums by this artist. Not that this album lacks anything in quality and power of expression, but perhaps it is less based on incorporating World Music motifs, which Zimpel excels at. This album firmly belongs to the "traditional" Free Jazz / Improvised Music milieu, if the word "traditional" applies at all in such cases. But regardless of my personal preferences, this is excellent music from start to finish, performed with passion and masterly ability, by all four musicians involved. The rhythm section provides exceptional backing, moving swiftly between almost swing to free form, Dys on piano spreads layers of twisted harmonic structures and Zimpel, as usual, plays the role of the of Hamelin´s Pied Piper, snake charmer and a Hassidic Klezmer, all in one. Most connoisseurs of Free Jazz will find this music very interesting and aesthetically enchanting. The album was released by a new Polish label called For TuneFind albums on this label, which seems to be specializing in "unconventional" musical projects, like this one. All the releases on the label have a distinct graphic design, which appears to be copying the early ECMFind albums on this label, Hat HutFind albums on this label and other Avant-Garde labels following this path. Polish Avant-Garde Jazz fans know that this label is of course not the first of its kind, but the more the merrier. There is always place for good music and I wish the label a lot of success.

Updated: 12/10/2024Posted:

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