Record Reviews

LISA WULFF ~ WONDROUS STRANGE LAIKA 4011786183609 (Barcode: 4011786183609) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2018 This is the second album by young German bassist / composer Lisa WulffFind albums by this artist and her quartet, which includes saxophonist Adrian HanackFind albums by this artist, pianist Martin TerensFind albums by this artist and drummer Silvan StraussFind albums by this artist. Vocalist Birgid JansenFind albums by this artist guests on two tracks. The album presents ten original compositions, all by Wulff, including the lyrics used in one song. Wulff came to my attention due to her appearance on the last album ("Yellow + BlueFind albums with this title") by my dear friend Rolf KuhnFind albums by this artist, who always keeps his ears open for talented young musicians. Wulff´s work on that album was beyond reproach and I decided to investigate further. The music on this album is typical contemporary European Jazz, which amalgamates the Jazz tradition with World Music influences and other contemporary music forms. Although melody based, it is open and allows freedom of expression to all the quartet members and leaves enough breathing space for the music to flow beyond rigid structures. The transformation between melodic, swinging parts and freely improvised sections is natural and organic, and shows the maturity and experience of all band members. The scale and diversity of the compositions reflects well on Wulff´s compositional abilities. The quartet´s performances are excellent as well. Obviously Wulff gets relatively more exposure than normally reserved for bass players, but noting too exaggerated. She plays acoustic uprights bass and electric soprano bass guitar, which allow her to change the voicing of her playing from one tune to another. The bass guitar parts often sound groovy, but again all within good taste. Her acoustic performances are definitely my favorite. Both Hanack and Terens play interesting solo parts, as well as contribute collectively in the background when needed. They can be soft and romantic and wild and searching, which of course adds to the diversity and interest. Strauss is a bit too busy at times and too high in the mix to my liking, but that´s a minor point. Jansen sings vocalese on one song and lyrics on another, which add relatively little to the overall context of the album. My only problem with this album is the sound, which is muddled and harsh at times, especially the drum parts, which is not up to par with the usual sound quality of German recordings. Of course it might be just me… Overall this is an excellent piece of music, interesting, sometimes even challenging, and full of great melodies and excellent playing. Definitely something to keep on one´s watch list!

Updated: 01/10/2018Posted: 01/10/2018

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