Record Reviews

JOACHIM KUHN TRIO ~ CHALABA ACT 9502 (Barcode: 614427950222) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2010 Released: 2011 This is the third album by German pianist / composer Joachim KuhnFind albums by this artist and his trio with Moroccan Guembri (Arabic acoustic bass) and oud player / vocalist Majid BekkasFind albums by this artist and Spanish drummer Ramon LopezFind albums by this artist. Expanding the realms of Jazz and turning it into Jazz-World Fusion is the essence of these meetings and the musicians involved are all Masters of their trade, playing together not because it is fashionable to do so, but because they feel a deep personal bonding of musical spirits. The music combines Free Jazz with Middle-Eastern music, which are not that far away from each other anyway, in a new and fresh way, creating a whole which is better than its parts. Masterly played, brilliantly recorded and full of unexpected turns and twists, this is a music one can listen to again and again, always discovering something fresh and new. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 16/07/2020Posted:

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JOACHIM KUHN TRIO ~ KALIMBA ACT 9456 (Barcode: 614427945624) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2006 Released: 2007 This is the debut album by German pianist / composer Joachim KuhnFind albums by this artist and his trio with Moroccan vocalist and oud / Guembri Master Majid BekkasFind albums by this artist and Spanish drummer Ramon LopezFind albums by this artist. Kuhn and Bekkas met three years prior to the recording of this album and their immediate friendship proved to be lasting, producing this and several follow up albums. The album presents ten original compositions: four by Kuhn, three by Bekkas and three co-composed. Combining seemingly unbridgeable Cultural origins, from Avant-Garde European Jazz, via African desert music, Middle Eastern, Flamenco and Indian rhythms and back to Improvised Music, the music made by the trio manages to ignore these imaginary chasms, proving that music is One. The mystique of the human brain and the infinite associations it is able to create, often completely spontaneously, never ceases to amaze. Creating a perfect aesthetic harmony of the musical / Cultural elements collected on this album is a miracle; no less dramatic statement could describe this phenomenon. And yet the music works beautifully, not only on the emotional level, but also on the cerebral / analytical plain, which is absolutely amazing. It is fascinating to hear how deeply the idea of improvisation is embedded in West African and Middle Eastern music, despite the differences of the localized approaches. The actual concept of improvising, sometimes for a seemingly endless period of time, on a basic melodic theme, is completely natural in the region, as it is natural in Jazz. As someone who is surrounded with Middle Eastern Culture at home this music sound perfectly homey to me, but surely it can and in fact does work as well for true music lovers around the world. As all recordings by Kuhn, this is an absolute must to all serious lovers of European Jazz, Avant-Garde, Jazz-World Fusion and sublime music in all its forms. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 16/07/2020Posted: 16/07/2020

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JOACHIM KUHN TRIO ~ OUT OF THE DESERT ACT 9475 (Barcode: 614427947529) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2008 Released: 2009 This is the second album by German pianist / composer Joachim KuhnFind albums by this artist and his trio with Moroccan vocalist and oud / Guembri Master Majid BekkasFind albums by this artist and Spanish drummer Ramon LopezFind albums by this artist, this time recorded in Rabat, Morocco and featuring guest Gnawa and Benin musicians. The album presents six original compositions, three each by Kuhn and Bekkas, but the music is largely spontaneously improvised. The music is a brilliant example of cross-Culture / cross-genre pollination, creating Jazz-World Fusion at its best. Kuhn´s openness to a wide range of musical influences during his long and fruitful career, which explored diverse musical genres combined with his Avant-Garde approach, as well as his prolific recorded legacy, is a glorious portrayal of the European Jazz idiom. His fascination with African / Middle Eastern music is not surprising and his affinity and ability to channel his musical ideas into that specific direction is an absolute marvel. It is fascinating to hear how deeply the idea of improvisation is embedded in West African and Middle Eastern music, despite the differences of the localized approaches. The actual concept of improvising, sometimes for a seemingly endless period of time, on a basic melodic theme, is completely natural in the region, as it is natural in Jazz. It is highly recommended to compare this album to the "Out Of The Desert LiveFind albums with this title" album recorded a couple of years later, which combines the trio with the hr-BigbandFind albums by this artist, which will emphasize both the differences and the similarities between this unique project and its expansion into the Jazz idiom, which can be truly educational. Of course all other recordings by this trio are equally fascinating. As all recordings by Kuhn, this is an absolute must to all serious lovers of European Jazz, Avant-Garde, Jazz-World Fusion and sublime music in all its forms. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 14/07/2020Posted: 14/07/2020

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JOACHIM KUHN TRIO ~ VOODOO SENSE ACT 9555 (Barcode: 614427955524) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2011 - 2012 Released: 2013 This is the fifth album by German pianist / composer Joachim KuhnFind albums by this artist and his trio with Moroccan vocalist and oud / Guembri Master Majid BekkasFind albums by this artist and Spanish drummer Ramon LopezFind albums by this artist, this time recorded with invited guests: legendary American saxophonist Archie SheppFind albums by this artist and World Music musicians from Morocco including percussionist Kouassi Bessan JosephFind albums by this artist. The album presents six pieces, three of which are original compositions by Kuhn, one by Joseph, one co-composed by Joseph and Kuhn and finally the "Kulu Se Mama" by Juno LewisFind albums by this artist, made immortal by John ColtraneFind albums by this artist. The music is a brilliant example of Jazz-World Fusion at its best. Kuhn´s openness to a wide range of musical influences during his long and fruitful career, which explored diverse musical genres combined with his Avant-Garde approach and the prolific recorded legacy is a glorious portrayal of the European Jazz idiom. His fascination with African / Middle Eastern music is not surprising and his affinity and ability to channel his musical ideas into that specific direction is an absolute marvel. The music is a direct and logical continuation of the stylistic platform the trio managed to create, combining European Avant-Garde Jazz with African and Middle Eastern musical tradition. The presence of Shepp, who plays on three tracks only, strengthens the Jazz element slightly as compared to the earlier recordings by the trio, but has little overall effect on the character of the music. Nevertheless his contributions are perfectly suited to the music and show him to be in full strength despite his advanced age. Of course, as all recordings by Kuhn, this is an absolute must to all serious lovers of European Jazz, Avant-Garde, Jazz-World Fusion and sublime music in all its forms, and as always is wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 09/09/2020Posted: 09/09/2020

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JOACHIM KUHN TRIO / HR-BIGBAND ~ OUT OF THE DESERT LIVE ACT 9521 (Barcode: 614427952127) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2010 Released: 2011 This is the fourth album by German pianist / composer Joachim KuhnFind albums by this artist and his trio with Moroccan vocalist and oud / Guembri Master Majid BekkasFind albums by this artist and Spanish drummer Ramon LopezFind albums by this artist, accompanied by the hr-BigbandFind albums by this artist (Frankfurt Radio Big Band) and recorded live at the 2010 JazzFest Berlin. It is a continuation of the "Out Of The DesertFind albums with this title" studio album recorded by the same trio in Morocco a couple of years earlier, but offers seven new compositions, six by Kuhn and one by Bekkas. Kuhn also arranged the music to include the wonderful hr-Bigband conducted by Ed PartykaFind albums by this artist. The music is a brilliant example of Jazz-World Fusion at its best. Kuhn´s openness to a wide range of musical influences during his long and fruitful career, which explored diverse musical genres combined with his Avant-Garde approach and the prolific recorded legacy is a glorious portrayal of the European Jazz idiom. His fascination with African / Middle Eastern music is not surprising and his affinity and ability to channel his musical ideas into that specific direction is an absolute marvel. Kuhn and his cohorts play superbly, as expected, and the Big Band arrangements manage to add a new dimension and incredible power to the music, creating one of the most colorful and profound statements of this kind. It is highly recommended to compare this album to the other recordings by this trio, which will emphasize both the differences and the similarities between this unique project and the source it originates from, which can be truly educational. The fascination with the African dessert music is of course share by many European musicians since the 1960s, including Rock stars like Brian JonesFind albums by this artist. Of course, as all recordings by Kuhn, this is an absolute must to all serious lovers of European Jazz, Avant-Garde, Jazz-World Fusion and sublime music in all its forms. Go get it as every day of your life before you heard this album was missing something…

Updated: 18/07/2020Posted: 10/07/2020

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HANS LUDEMANN / TRANSEUROPEEXPRESS ENSEMBLE / MAJID BEKKAS ~ ON THE EDGES 1 BMC 292 (Barcode: 5998309302923) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2022 This is an album by the French-German octet called TransEuropeExpress EnsembleFind albums by this artist, led by pianist Hans LudemannFind albums by this artist, which features the Moroccan musician / composer / singer / multi-instrumentalist Majid BekkasFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten tracks, six composed by Ludemann, one by Bekkas, two co-composed by Bekkas and Ludemann and once by saxophonist Alexandra GrimalFind albums by this artist. As the title suggests, this is the first of a series of recordings by the ensemble, which incorporate elements originating from outside, but bordering with the European cultural zone, this time from across the Mediterranean, the North African Gnawa tradition, which Master Bekkas impersonates with every aspect of his music making: vocals, oud, guembri or any other instrument he touches, as well as his compositions of course. The music manages to amalgamate the European musical tradition with the West African musical tradition in a most natural way imaginable, using the freedom and open-mindedness of Jazz and improvisation as a common ground. The resulting music sounds completely intuitive and genuine, which of course is a great success of this project. Ludemann’s compositions are all brilliant and the ensemble performs the music with finesse and gusto, which results in a wonderful aesthetic musical experience. Bekkas finds a way to incorporate his instrumental parts into the ensemble performances not only on his compositions, but also on the compositions by Ludemann, which is hardly surprising considering his vast experience of playing with European musicians. His flexibility and personality make him always an ideal partner in such mutual adventures. The album was released by the Hungarian BMCFind albums on this label Records, one of the most ambitious European Jazz / Improvised Music labels, which surely deserves a wider recognition among challenging music fans around the world with their solid catalogue build carefully over the years. Overall, this is a brilliant example of Jazz-World Fusion, which respectfully combines seeming alien musical traditions into a new amalgam, which proves that music is completely borderless and finding the common roots is only up to the musicians. Wholeheartedly recommended.

Updated: 09/03/2022Posted: 09/03/2022

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WDR BIG BAND ~ JAZZ AL` ARAB BIGBAND 1001 (Barcode: 4250459910016) ~ GERMANY ~ Big Band Jazz Recorded: 2006 Released: 2012 This is an album by the German WDR Big BandFind albums by this artist from Cologne, dedicated to Maghreb (the western part of North Africa, including Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia) Jazz motifs. The Big Band is conducted by British composer / conductor / arranger Michael GibbsFind albums by this artist. The guest soloists are Maghrebian musicians: Karim ZiadFind albums by this artist, Aziz SahmaouiFind albums by this artist, Mehdi AskeurFind albums by this artist and Rhani KrijaFind albums by this artist, all of whom contribute vocal and percussion parts. The album presents nine tracks, a mixture of traditional and original compositions by Sahmaoui, Ziad and others, arranged by Gibbs. The WDR Big Band is one of several German Big Bands, such as the NDR Big BandFind albums by this artist (from Hamburg) or the HR Big BandFind albums by this artist (from Frankfurt), which function side by side with the regional state broadcasting corporations active in Germany, being decentralized by law and remaining as one of the last bastions of independent publicly sponsored cultural organizations, adding a tremendous input into European Jazz in particular and European Culture in general. The musicians employed by these Big Bands have ideal working conditions and are free from economic struggles, which take a heavy toll on most freelance musicians. Also many projects, like the one documented on this album, would have never happened in a purely unsponsored commercial environment and the existence of these bands is simply a cultural miracle. The music is a brilliant amalgam of the Orchestral / Big Band Jazz and Jazz-World Fusion idioms, which combines the best of the two worlds. The Maghreb music is a wonderful treasure chest of music, especially the Berber and Gnawa traditions, and it produced some world-famous figures, like my Friend Majid BekkasFind albums by this artist, and had some influence on the European Jazz scene over time, but a meeting with the Big Band environment is relatively rare, and this is a splendid opportunity to enjoy it to the max. It should be noted that Maghreb music, like all Middle Eastern musical traditions, includes intrinsically the element of improvisation, which of course makes it more open to Jazz than most European musical traditions. Especially so in the vocal music, which is almost entirely improvised and at times can last as long as half an hour, improvising just on one basic tune. Overall, this is a truly delightful piece of music, which can be enjoyed by a wide audience of Jazz listeners. Of course Big Band lovers, especially those of the European Big Band variety, will be completely smitten by the virtuosity of the performances and the depth of the music found on this album. Gibbs’ arrangements are especially charming, and deserve to be listened to with attention and admiration.

Updated: 10/10/2024Posted: 10/10/2024

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