Record Reviews

A TRAVELLER`S TALE ~ J.J. EWM 680596922827 (Barcode: 680596922827) ~ NETHERLANDS ~ Smooth Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2016 This is the second album by the Dutch duo A Traveller`s TaleFind albums by this artist, which consists of bassist / composer Eric van der WestenFind albums by this artist and guitarist Aron RaamsFind albums by this artist. For this album the duo was expanded to a trio with the addition of trumpeter Angelo VerploegenFind albums by this artist. Vocalist Kim HoorvegFind albums by this artist guests on a couple of tracks. The album consists of eleven tracks, all composed by van der Westen, presenting a concept suite revolving around a collection of short stories, written by van der Westen (which are included in the album´s booklet), telling a sketchy story of travels across the vast North American continent by an imaginary character called J.J., somewhat similar to Jack KerouacFind albums by this artist´s tales. The music, although including improvisation, is only very marginally connected to Jazz and is a combination of cinematic vistas and Americana / Country motifs. The melodic contents is all very well weaved, full of interesting ideas and superbly executed by the trio, as well as excellently recorded. However the music falls between genre classification and as such might unfortunately be ignored by listeners, who focus on clearly defined musical trends. It seems as if this music is primarily oriented towards the American market, both musically and conceptually, but sadly it is way to complex and sophisticated for most American listeners. Overall this is definitely an album worth investigating for open-headed listeners, who are able to put pre-conceptions aside and simply listen to the music. There is plenty of great melodic offerings and excellent playing herein, which should be able to win over those who are willing to give it a chance.

Updated: 03/07/2018Posted: 03/07/2018

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