Record Reviews

JACOB ANDERSKOV ~ I SANG APRIL 123 (Barcode: 5709498112329) ~ DENMARK ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2022 Released: 2024 This is an album by Danish pianist / composer / bandleader Jacob AnderskovFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quintet setting with trumpeter Kasper TranbergFind albums by this artist, drummer Jakob HoyerFind albums by this artist, vocalist Soffie ViemoseFind albums by this artist and vocalist / tuba player / trombonist Jakob MunckFind albums by this artist. A choir takes part on one track. The album presents ten tracks, all of which are arrangements of songs from a collection of Danish Folk songs, singalongs and hymns. Six of the tracks are instrumentals and four include vocals. Anderskov takes the original songs / melodies deeply into the Jazz idiom, creating an intimate, and quite minimalist atmosphere of reflection and typical Scandinavian dialogue with silence. I am not familiar with these songs, but somehow the entire album reminds me of a Christmas sentiment, but that is only associative. Most of the instrumental work is by the piano, with brilliant topping by the trumpet; everything else is purely secondary, except for the vocals of course. As already stated above, silence is one of the main ingredients of this wonderful music, which of course demands patience and aesthetic openness, but summa summarum is richly rewarded. Overall, this is a very unique, stimulating and charming album by an experienced musician, who knows exactly what he wants to achieve. Contemplative, relaxed and uncluttered, the music requires attentive listening, but flows gently, proposing some peace and quiet in today’s crazy stressed world.

Updated: 20/02/2024Posted: 20/02/2024

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TOMASZ DABROWSKI / FREE4ARTS ~ SIX MONTHS AND TEN DROPS BAREFOOT 041 (Barcode: 5707471040270) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015 Polish (resident in Denmark) Jazz trumpeter / composer / bandleader Tomasz DabrowskiFind albums by this artist is one of the leading upcoming European musicians and his prolific, almost feverish output manages to astound his fans time after time. This album follows suit several albums already released this year and as always maintains incredible quality. This time Dabrowski leads a quartet, which besides him includes three leading young Danish Jazz musicians: baritone saxophonist Sven Dam MeinildFind albums by this artist, pianist Jacob AnderskovFind albums by this artist and drummer Kasper Tom ChristiansenFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions, all by Dabrowski. This music is more free oriented than Dabrowski´s explorations so far, which seems to be a continuing development in his work. It is therefore further away from mainstream Jazz and explores other areas, like contemporary Chamber music and improvised Avant-Garde, although based on written themes. The entire scheme of using the quartet is also very unusual, as there is no conventional "soloists vs. rhythm section" setting at all, only an ensemble performance by the entire quartet as one body. The exclusion of the bass is also very significant, where some of the typical bass parts are taken over by the baritone sax and others by the percussion. This music is only as good as the level of cooperation achieved by the quartet members and therefore the interplay is its central ingredient. Luckily for Dabrowski these three musicians belong to the same "school of thought" like himself, enabling the quartet to become a unity. There is no doubt that this music points towards a new epoch of Jazz, which becomes an amalgam of all forms of improvised music, those previously experienced and those still undiscovered. Dabrowski and his generation are brave pioneers of these uncharted territories and it´s a great experience to bear witness while this music keeps unfolding in real time in Copenhagen, Warsaw, Berlin and other parts of Europe. This is quite difficult music for most people, no doubt about it, but it is also deeply rewarding and intellectually challenging. It is spearheaded by a relatively tiny group of musicians and has a limited audience. Nevertheless it encompasses perhaps some of the most important musical developments happening in a world which is rapidly turning away from challenge and cultural progress, and therefore becomes even more significant. It is in these young people that we entrust our Cultural feature.

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

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TOMASZ DABROWSKI / FREE4ARTS ~ WHEN I COME ACROSS AUDIO CAVE 2019/009 (Barcode: 5905669566810) ~ POLAND ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2017 Released: 2019 This is the second album by Polish Jazz trumpeter / composer Tomasz DabrowskiFind albums by this artist and his Danish quartet Free4ArtsFind albums by this artist, which also includes baritone saxophonist Sven Dam MeinildFind albums by this artist, drummer Kasper Tom ChristiansenFind albums by this artist and this time guitarist Simon KrebsFind albums by this artist, who replaced pianist Jacob AnderskovFind albums by this artist that played on the debut album. The album presents seven original compositions, all by Dabrowski. In many respects this album continues the direction set by the debut, which moves completely into Avant-Garde Jazz, far away from traditional, melody based Jazz, flirting also with contemporary Chamber Music explorations. The music offers some melodic motifs but those often get hidden to a less experienced listener by the group improvisations. Without the presence of bass and now also the piano, there is almost no conventional harmony and rhythmic continuity, which leaves it to the listener to connect the dots. The sharp sound of the guitar is initially somewhat weird and takes time to get used to within the otherwise acoustic environment. The music is mostly very subdued and delicate, low profile and quietly streaming, with long passages that involve solos, duets and trios and rarely the entire quartet. It seems Dabrowski is trying to re-define the known parameters of Jazz and Improvised Music, stretching the existing limits of these idioms. He uses the trumpet to produce a plethora of unusual sound effects that often do not resemble the conventional sound of the instrument. The same can be said about Christiansen, who again proves to be one of the most creative European Jazz drummers, moving on a completely unique acoustic parallax, again re-defining the role of drums in contemporary music. Unexpectedly, it is the guitar which turns out to be the most conventional factor of this music, playing at times long melodic strings of notes. In many respects this is the boldest and most adventurous project Dabrowski headed in the decade-long period of his artistic development. It is completely uncompromising and boldly unconventional, against all odds. Hopefully the music, despite its estranged exterior, will find sympathetic, open-minded audience in time. Avant-Garde was never a rewarding and smooth career choice and Dabrowski and his cohorts deserve our respect for pushing the boundaries time and again.

Updated: 04/10/2019Posted: 04/10/2019

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MEINILD / ANDERSKOV / TOM ~ SPECTRAL ENTANGLEMENTS BAREFOOT 081 ~ DENMARK ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2022 Released: 2023 This is the debut album by the Danish Jazz trio comprising of saxophonist / clarinetist / flautist Sven Dam MeinildFind albums by this artist, pianist Jacob AnderskovFind albums by this artist and drummer Kasper Tom ChristiansenFind albums by this artist. The album presents five tracks, all original compositions co-credited to all three members of the trio. Despite their relatively young age, all these musicians have already quite extensive experience playing and recording together, but not as a trio. Christiansen has been active on the European scene since 2006 and recorded more than two dozen albums as a leader and sideman, with various European musicians, mostly from Poland and Germany, and is certainly one of my favorite drummers / composers on the young European scene. The music is a wonderful example of contemporary European Improvised Music / Free Jazz at its absolutely best. Using, albeit with great care, electronics and sound manipulation, the music remains coherent and focused, despite the feeling of abstract and freedom prevailing for the duration. Although spontaneously improvised, the melodic / harmonic “backbone” remains, as they define it, “abstract compositional”, and the emotional restrain serves the desired effect perfectly. There is a lot of space, silence, minimalism and understatement present in this music, creating a delicate fabric, which leaves enough distance between the notes to stimulate the listener’s brain to fill the blanks at will, which makes him a partner in the creative process. This is definitely a superb example of the “less is more” approach, which I am always a great fan of. Overall, this is an amazing piece of music, which although perhaps somewhat demanding, is full of European aesthetics, cleverness and brilliant inventiveness. I find it uplifting and satisfying, and as such recommend it wholeheartedly to every lover of contemporary music out there!

Updated: 10/01/2024Posted: 10/01/2024

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KASPER TOM / JACOB ANDERSKOV ~ CHROMA BAREFOOT 037 (Barcode: 5707471036099) ~ DENMARK ~ Jazz Recorded: 2014 Released: 2014 This is an album by a duo of Danish Jazz musicians: drummer / composer Kasper Tom ChristiansenFind albums by this artist and pianist / composer Jacob AnderskovFind albums by this artist, both representatives of the new wave of Danish Jazz music, which has been experiencing a significant resurgence since the turn of the Millennium. Anderskov, who is commonly recognized as one of the leaders of the local Danish scene, is a prolific performer, composer and recording artists with a sizeable legacy of over twenty releases as a leader since his debut in 2001 and many more as a sideman. He won the Danish Jazz Composer of the Year award in 2013 and is definitely an Artist worth following. Christiansen, who started to record in 2007, participated in more than ten releases since, with a steady progress towards excellence. This album includes eight original compositions, seven of which are by Christiansen, and the opening track is a piece credited to both participants. The fact that Anderskov takes part in this album almost exclusively as a pianist is a tremendous vote of confidence in Christiansen´s talent as a composer. But more importantly, for anybody listening to this music, it becomes pretty obvious that Christiansen is a brilliant music weaver. His intrinsic melancholy, lyricism and feel for freedom of expression are his pillars, and then it´s up to the performers to translate these principles into actual soundscapes. Anderskov was an ideal choice to turn this music into what it finally becomes: a dreamy soundtrack of an imaginary voyage through space and time, delicate and fragile, illusive and mystical. The gentle piano strokes and the muffled drum parts work hand in hand towards a common goal of caressing the listener´s soul via his ears. This music can be absorbed on many different levels, from highly cerebral to completely emotional, all with an equally satisfactory aesthetic effect. This is a very intimate piece of music, humble in a way, somewhat minimalistic, and yet it contains more music and artistic expression that most other, much more flamboyant recordings. For me this is one of the most profound pieces of music I´ve had the pleasure to hear this year. As usual in such occasions, I simply raise my imaginary hat, thanking the Artists for sharing.

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