Record Reviews

MOONBOW ~ WHEN THE SLEEPING FISH TURN RED AND THE SKIES START TO SING IN C MAJOR I WILL FOLLOW YOU TO THE END ILK 264 (Barcode: 5706274007374) ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2016 Released: 2016 This is the debut album by a European septet MoonbowFind albums by this artist consisting of musicians based in Copenhagen. It includes Polish saxophonist Maciej KadzielaFind albums by this artist and bassist Tomo JacobsonFind albums by this artist, Norwegian saxophonist Danielle DahlFind albums by this artist, Danish saxophonist Mads EgetoftFind albums by this artist and drummer Kresten OsgoodFind albums by this artist, German pianist Lucas LeidingerFind albums by this artist and Swedish guitarist Anton JanssonFind albums by this artist. The album presents six original compositions, all by Jacobson. The album´s artwork also presents a poem written by the legendary American Improvised Music giant William Parker, who wrote it in response to the music. The music, mostly freely improvised, displays the infinite possibilities of a large ensemble, which allows encounters which range from solo performances to the entire septet involved in group improvisation. It is very engaging and fascinating, bold and free-spirited, but at the same time completely coherent. The melodic themes are briefly stated and later disappear into the subconscious plane beneath the improvisations. In spite of the incredible power of a large ensemble, the music is completely devoid of conflict and wonderfully illustrates the concept of collective improvisation, based on mutual respect and almost telepathic communication between the players. There are many superb individual statements by the musicians involved, but the collective result is definitely more that just a sum of its ingredients. Although the album is relatively short (under forty minutes), it is full of emotion and tonal beauty, which should be highly appreciated by fans of Improvised Music. Hopefully this ensemble will make another album, as they surely have much more to say musically. Well done!

Updated: 02/06/2017Posted: 02/06/2017

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MOUNT MEANDER ~ LIVE IN BERLIN GOTTA LET IT OUT 29 ~ LATVIA ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2017 Released: 2019 This is the second album by the international Jazz quartet Mount MeanderFind albums by this artist, which comprises of Latvian saxophonist Karlis AuzinsFind albums by this artist, German pianist Lucas LeidingerFind albums by this artist, Polish bassist Tomo JacobsonFind albums by this artist and German drummer Thomas SauerbornFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight original compositions all attributed collectively to the quartet members, which were recorded live in a Berlin Jazz club. The music is a continuation of the formula introduced on the quartet´s debut album, which offers a series of conversations between the musicians based around fragmented melodic themes, but mostly freely improvised. It is however much more coherent and offers a wonderful continuity in comparison to the previous effort, which was somewhat hesitant, obviously marking the early days of this musical adventure. It is a wonderful example of contemporary Improvised Music / Free Jazz at its best. It is minimalist and restrained, completely non-aggressive and highly cooperative, but allows for highly expressive soloing by the individual musicians. All four members of the quartet contribute sublime performances throughout the duration of the album, but it is difficult to ignore the stunning contributions by Auzins, who reaches an emotional apex equal to the great Masters of the genre. His fluidity and inventiveness are absolutely incredible. But the rest of the quartet is definitely up to par with the saxophone magic, each one of them in a different way; Leidinger lays sheets of atmospheric vistas and his delicate touches in the quiet passages are all masterful, Jacobson keeps the pulse of the music steady and gives it an anchor without which it would disintegrate and finally Sauerborn ornaments the rhythmic layer more intuitively than chronometrically. In short this is a magic performance. Overall this is definitely one of the best European Avant-Garde Jazz albums that landed on my desk so far in 2019. It offers a hope and a beacon for Avant-Garde Jazz and Improvised Music, which sadly more often than not tend to fall apart and become more radical and chaotic than need be in an attempt to try and be original. One can only hope that more music of this quality will be made by these young musicians soon. Hats off Gentlemen!

Updated: 28/07/2019Posted: 28/07/2019

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MOUNT MEANDER ~ MOUNT MEANDER CLEAN FEED 375 (Barcode: 5609063003758) ~ LATVIA ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2015 Released: 2016 This is the debut album by a young European Jazz quartet Mount MeanderFind albums by this artist comprising of musicians from different countries: Latvian saxophonist Karlis AuzinsFind albums by this artist, German pianist Lucas LeidingerFind albums by this artist, Polish bassist Tomo JacobsonFind albums by this artist and German drummer Thomas SauerbornFind albums by this artist, who all studied in Copenhagen, Denmark where their paths converged. Together they perform nine pieces, all attributed collectively to the quartet members and recorded during one recording session. The music offers a solid but fragmented melodic background on occasion, which serves as basis for extended free improvisations. There is a continuous conversation between the quartet members, which helps the music to move forward, although at times it is painfully slow and hesitant. Auzins is taking most of the soloing duty upon his shoulders and his playing is always impressive, similarly to his work on other recordings. Leidinger keeps mostly to the role of accompanist and collaborator. Jacobson plays some very interesting passages, often presented as if on a separate plain from the rest of the quartet. Sauerborn keeps a low key, avoiding rhythmic patterns at all cost but supporting his cohorts with bursts of percussive madness. Overall this music makes sense even though its level of communication with the listeners is very limited. As many Improvised Music creations, this music is a very personal statement with most of its meaningfulness related to the musicians rather than the listeners, which of course is both its blessing and its curse. The most important thing about this album is the fact that young European musicians make albums like this one today, while the majority of their contemporaries are producing loads of brainless excrement. The sheer personal courage to make a statement, regardless of how it will be accepted by others is the essence. Personally I´d love to hear these musicians in a slightly more rigorous setting, since abandoning all rules and regulation so early in life might result at reaching a creative brick wall all too soon. But all things considered, this is a fine debut effort and hopefully more will be heard of these young Jazz heralds in the future.

Updated: 13/09/2016Posted: 13/09/2016

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