Record Reviews

PHILIPP GROPPER / PHILM ~ LICHT WHYPLAYJAZZ 007 (Barcode: 4050486070048) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2011 Released: 2012 This is the debut album by the quartet called PhilmFind albums by this artist, led by German saxophonist / composer Philipp GropperFind albums by this artist and including Norwegian pianist Havard WilkFind albums by this artist, Danish bassist Andreas LangFind albums by this artist and German drummer Oliver SteidleFind albums by this artist. Gropper is also known as the leader of the trio Hyperactive KidFind albums by this artist and the group TauFind albums by this artist, as well as a member of FUSKFind albums by this artist, SONNEFind albums by this artist and several other projects. With over thirty albums as a leader and sideman he is one of the most prolific German (Berlin based) Jazz musicians since the turn of the Millennium. The album presents six original compositions, all by Gropper. The music presents a set of passionate statements, beautifully crafted by their composer and wonderfully executed by the quartet, which combines four individual talents into a fresh amalgam, where the total is greater than the sum of its parts. Since I´m already familiar with Gropper, Lang and Steidle from other recordings, it is Wilk who is the nicest surprise of this album, playing some superbly imaginative lines and proving to be pianist definitely worth following in the future. Lang plays his usual wonderful bass staccatos and keeps the rhythm section as an integral part of the collective improvisation. Steidle, who is another veteran on the German scene and has a fine reputation as a highly imaginative and gifted drummer justifies his standing in full. Although most of the music is improvised, it has a strong melodic ingredient, sometimes clearly noticeable but most of the time only present subconsciously. This music has a clearly defined direction and a sense of purpose, which many Free Jazz / Improvised Music recordings simply lack completely. To be completely free and unrestrained within specified harmonic and melodic boundaries is a much more sophisticated form of expression than complete tonal anarchy, something free improvisers tend to forget. Overall this is an excellent debut group effort and I´m looking forward to hearing more from where this music came from, hopefully soon!

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SONNE ~ SONNE WHYPLAYJAZZ 001 ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2005 Released: 2005 This is the debut eponymous album by the young German (based in Berlin) quartet called SONNEFind albums by this artist, which comprises of saxophonist Philipp GropperFind albums by this artist, pianist Carsten DaerrFind albums by this artist, bassist Johannes FinkFind albums by this artist and drummer Christian Lillinger.Find albums by this artist The album presents nine original compositions, three composed by Lillinger, two each by Daerr and Gropper and the remaining two credited to the entire quartet. The music of SONNE is quite typical of young European Jazz, which rebels against the mainstream Jazz tradition by decomposing its basic structures and putting them together in a form of a new collage, which is fresh and daring, but not disrespectful. Although unconventional and somewhat Avant-Garde / Free, this music still preserves the basic Jazz qualities of improvisation on a theme and cooperation with the other band members to create a new form of creative expression. This music might prove challenging to the less experienced listeners at first, but after a while it becomes in fact quite logical and even melodic, in spite of the initial strangeness and alienation. It is also beautifully preformed and well recorded, which sums up to quite a satisfactory aesthetic challenge, with should last. Gropper and Lillinger are both members of the excellent trio Hyperactive KidFind albums by this artist, which is also worth following. This album is also the debut release of the small independent German label WhyPlayJazzFind albums on this label, which in the decade since releasing this album became one of the sources of most consistently interesting European Jazz, for which it deserves our gratitude and praise.

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

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