Record Reviews

PABLO HELD ~ BUOYANCY HOPALIT 004 (Barcode: 4064832992199) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2021 Released: 2022 This is the 16th album by German pianist / composer Pablo HeldFind albums by this artist, recorded with his quartet, which includes British trumpeter Percy PursgloveFind albums by this artist and organist Kit DownesFind albums by this artist, and German drummer Leif BegerFind albums by this artist. Legendary British vocalist Norma WinstoneFind albums by this artist guests on one track, to which she also wrote the lyrics. The album presents eight tracks, five of which are original compositions by Held, one is by Berger and two are from other sources. The liner notes were written by the great British composer Michael GibbsFind albums by this artist, which makes this album even more connected to British Jazz that it is already. Held is a popular artist on the German / European scene and a prolific recording artists with eighteen albums as a leader to his credit at the time of writing, most recorded with his trio. His music is very melodic, but by far not simplistic, and he is an accomplished pianist and composer. This album presents an unusual lineup of piano and organ, trumpet and drums, which enables him to present deeply melodic vistas, which allow extensive improvisations by all the members of the quartet. The resulting sound is intriguing and highly unusual, as usual when Downes is aboard, and should be very interesting to many listeners not familiar with his playing. Overall, this is a very introvert, slow and somewhat demanding album, which offers many surprising moments and a highly unusual atmosphere, which all add to create a fascinating sonic voyage. The only pity is that Winstone is not present on more tracks, as her presence is always invaluable. This album is a great introduction to Held’s music, which hopefully more listeners will discover.

Updated: 09/08/2024Posted: 09/08/2024

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PABLO HELD ~ LINEAGE PIROUET 3094 (Barcode: 4260041180949) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2016 This is the 8th album by the German pianist / composer Pablo HeldFind albums by this artist and his trio with bassist Robert LandfermannFind albums by this artist and drummer Jonas BurgwinkelFind albums by this artist, which marks the 10th Anniversary of the trio’s existence and recording career. The album presents eight tracks, all original compositions by the leader. The music is excellent modern European Jazz, based on solid compositions, with a melodic core but a lot of freedom and odd meters, as appropriate for the occasion. The trio is perfectly synchronized and the music flows briskly, despite the fact that the rhythmic structures are quite complex and require patience and attention in order to be followed. Held is a very gifted pianist with a wide array of technical abilities, who is able to switch moods and atmospheres on the flow, which is perhaps not very easy to follow by a less trained ear, but highly effective. The rhythm section is able to support these uneven changes in mood and tempi with ease and stands behind the leader faithfully for the entire duration. European Jazz followers will notice that the entire aesthetics of the music and the trio’s performances are very close to the Scandinavian school and the early ECMFind albums on this label sound, which is not explicitly mimicked, but definitely recognizable, which should make the connoisseurs of these genres very happy. Overall, this is a very good piano trio album, with a modern and quite open attitude to Jazz, almost Free but not quite, which is far from being easily likeable, but offers high quality musical experience, rewarding the attentive listener. Definitely not music for cocktail parties ;)

Updated: 11/09/2024Posted: 30/08/2024

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OWL ~ IMPROCODE FSR 2020/21 (Barcode: 5905279364790) ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is the second album by Polish Jazz trio The OwlFind albums by this artist, comprising of violinist / composer Marcin HalatFind albums by this artist, bassist Maciej GarbowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Krzysztof GradziukFind albums by this artist. On this album they expanded the lineup to a quartet with the addition of German pianist Pablo HeldFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine original compositions, three of which were composed by Halat and six are group improvisations, credited to all four participants. The music on this album is split between two almost separate environments, the almost "classic" Jazz on the composed pieces and the completely free spirited improvised pieces, which fit together rather well and provide a much more structured listening ambience than most strictly Improvised Music recordings. The addition of Held had a major impact on the overall sound and musical approach of the trio in comparison to their debut album recorded almost three years earlier, all for the good of the music. On the three composed pieces Held is able to weave a wonderful melodic layer and on the freely improvised pieces his contributions become a wonderfully expressive and balancing element, full of self confidence and clear musical vision. Halat made a significant progress since his early days in the Free Jazz realm (i.e. on the debut album) and managed to embrace the freedom of improvisation without clinging to his Classical background as before, which takes this album another step further towards the bona fide Improvised Music idiom. Of course the rhythm section is feeling like a pair of whales in the ocean, which is hardly surprising considering their long-lasting experience in the field. Overall this is a most welcome sophomore outing by the trio and a superb collaboration with the guest pianist, combining the best of what these four wonderful musicians have to offer. Considering the exquisite sound quality of this complex music, which enables every detailed nuance to be perfectly audible, this album is a true feast for the ears and surely one of the best Improvised Music albums released in 2020. One can only hope we won´t have to wait for another three years to hear again from The Owl and hopefully to meeting with Held will lead to further future recordings – a trio by Held and the GG rhythm section sounds salivating. Well done Gentlemen!

Updated: 30/12/2020Posted: 30/12/2020

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