Record Reviews

URI GINCEL ~ FREE UNIT 4402 (Barcode: 7640114794025) ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz Recorded: 2010 Released: 2013 This is the debut album by Israeli (resident in Berlin) Jazz pianist / composer Uri GincelFind albums by this artist and his trio, which also includes Danish bassist Andreas LangFind albums by this artist and German drummer Moritz BaumgartnerFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight compositions, one of which is an original by Gincel, two are by John ColtraneFind albums by this artist, one is a standard, one is a folk tune, one is a classical tune, one is by the Israeli bassist / composer Eyal GanorFind albums by this artist and finally the last one is credited to all the trio members. The album presents a classic Jazz piano trio, playing pretty diverse musical themes, which are all transformed into the mainstream Jazz milieu. Of course Gincel demonstrates excellent technique and sensitivity, but this recording does not show his ability to break away from the Jazz tradition and take a step beyond. With Coltrane´s music aboard the listener expects much more freedom, especially when conditioned by the album´s title, which is not truly present herein. Even the album´s title track, which is the most "free" piece of music on the album, sounds still very conventional to Free Jazz connoisseurs. On the other hand as a mainstream piano trio album, this is quite an excellent effort. The rhythm section is absolutely superb, with Lang being among the finest European bassist these days. Baumgartner also performs very well, supporting the piano with just the right amount of rhythmic seasoning. The music is beautifully recorded (in one of Poland´s best recording studios) with beautiful sonic ambience, which will make piano trio fans extremely happy. Considering the fact that this is a debut recording, it is definitely quite an achievement and shows a lot of potential, which will be hopefully fully realized in the future. In the meantime this is definitely a very pleasant listening experience.

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KENNETH DAHL KNUDSEN ~ WE`LL MEET IN THE RAIN TWO RIVERS 008 (Barcode: 5060428630086) ~ DENMARK ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2016 Released: 2016 This is the third album by Danish bassist / composer Kenneth Dahl KnudsenFind albums by this artist, this time recorded with a Big Band (including a string quartet) consisting of nineteen musicians originating from many different countries, like Polish trumpeter Tomasz DabrowskiFind albums by this artist, Israeli (resident in Berlin) pianist Uri GincelFind albums by this artist and others. The album presents nine original compositions, all by Knudsen. As all Big Band projects, this is a much more ambitious undertaking than Knudsen´s first two albums, which were recorded by small ensembles. The music is also much more complex and moves outside of the mainstream Jazz idiom into contemporary Classical and orchestral music, which is more difficult than his earlier efforts. Of course more ambitious music is a sign of personal development and can only be seen as a move in the right direction. Knudson writes beautiful melodies and his music has always been based on his solid compositions, which is also the case here. Performed by a big ensemble the melodies are less straightforward of course, as the orchestral arrangements sometimes hide the melody, but that is the nature of the beast. The performances by the individual players are all quite impressive and the whole band is kept on track by the conductor Malte SchillerFind albums by this artist, who does a splendid job. The introduction of the human voice, with vocalist Marie SeferianFind albums by this artist who sings superb vocalese parts, is a nice touch and adds another layer to the music, but on the other hand takes it away from the Jazz core. The entire ensemble manages to keep a nice balance between the brass section, the string section and the rhythm section, producing an overall coherent result. I have been following Knudson´s career for a few years now and it is great to see his musical personality grow and take on new challenges, like the making of this album. This album puts his composition skills at the focus of our attention, rather than his abilities as a bass player, but those have been already amply demonstrated on his earlier recording as a leader and sideman. One can only hope that this album reaches as many open-minded listeners as possible, as this music certainly deserves to be heard and enjoyed my many. Congratulations on a job well done and looking forward to your next endeavors, my young and talented friend!

Updated: 06/05/2016Posted: 06/05/2016

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ANNA MARIA STURM ~ TALES OF WOE WHYPLAYJAZZ 015 (Barcode: 4050486915066) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2014 Released: 2014 This is the debut album by German actress Anna Maria SturmFind albums by this artist, recorded with her quintet which also includes German multi-reedman and arranger Wanja SlavinFind albums by this artist and drummer Peter GallFind albums by this artist, Israeli pianist Uri GincelFind albums by this artist and Danish bassist Andreas LangFind albums by this artist. The album includes nine songs, which are a mixture of Jazz standards, French chansons (written by Serge GainsbourgFind albums by this artist) and other popular material, sung in German, French and English. From the very first notes of this album it is obvious that Sturm is not a singer, but honestly neither was Marlene DietrichFind albums by this artist, Brigitte BardotFind albums by this artist or Marilyn MonroeFind albums by this artist for that matter. Therefore rather than dismissing this album outright one should not judge it by the same criteria as those applied to vocal Jazz albums, but rather consider it in a framework of a cabaret performance, which is more suitable here. It is obvious that Sturm loves these songs and interprets them in her own theatrical manner, which works fine despite of her vocal limitations. The accompanying quartet is absolutely wonderful, as are the arrangements, which make this album a continuous pleasure to listen to. Slavin, who plays a myriad of instruments, is the main instrumental soloist, but Gincel´s piano work is the most important layer which stays with Sturm´s vocals. The rhythm section does everything that is expected of it, providing wonderful bass pulsation and steady beat, but stays unobtrusive and elegantly in the shadows. Overall this is a "different" vocal album from most other similar efforts appearing on the scene and one that is a true fun to listen to. I suppose that this music works even better live. Definitely worth investigating!

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