Record Reviews

CHRISTIAN BALVIG 6-TET ~ MUSIC FOR HUMANS AMP 022 (Barcode: 662578831167) ~ DENMARK ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2016 - 2017 Released: 2018 This is the debut album by Danish pianist / composer Christian BalvigFind albums by this artist and his sextet, which is in fact an amalgam of a classic Jazz piano trio and a Classical string trio. In addition to Balvig the other members of the sextet are: bassist Jens Mikkel MadsenFind albums by this artist, drummer Siv Oyunn KjenstadFind albums by this artist, violinist Louise GormFind albums by this artist, violist Mikkel SchrieberFind albums by this artist and cellist Maria EdlundFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine original compositions, all by Balvig. As expected from the lineup the music is a Jazz-Classical Fusion project, based on highly melodic compositions, which Balvig masterly weaves, and incorporating the string trio layer, which emphasizes the meditative nature of the music. At times the music becomes almost chamber and spiritual in nature, and its slow paste and limited dynamics inspire reflection and contemplation. Stylistically the music floats between cinematic music and European Jazz-Classical explorations, with clear Nordic influences. The individual performances are all spotless and inspired, yet restrained and quite minimalistic at times. Balvig plays single note successions, beautifully supported by Madsen, which are taken over by the strings and ornamented into more harmonically expanded structures. Kjenstad is present only on the more Jazz oriented swinging piano trio parts, which are relatively limited. The music is obviously an ensemble effort and the cooperation between the ensemble members is the essential ingredient contributing to the success of the result. Overall this is a very interesting project, which takes some effort to get into, but creates an intimate connection with the listener, taking him on an imaginary ride through an imaginary musical landscape. This album and the other album Balvig released on the excellent Norwegian label AMPFind albums on this label Records, called "Associated With WaterFind albums with this title", present a talented and dedicated pianist / composer, who is searching to expand his musical horizons within the contemporary European instrumental music, close to Jazz but not limited to its defined areas and terminology. Definitely worth investigating!

Updated: 07/04/2018Posted: 07/04/2018

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NIKOLA BANKOV ~ BRIGHT FUTURE AMP 051 (Barcode: 662578831310) ~ SLOVAKIA ~ Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the debut album by young Slovak Jazz saxophonist / composer Nikola BankovFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quintet setting with young Danish musicians: guitarist Jonas GravlundFind albums by this artist, keyboardist August KorsgaardFind albums by this artist, bassist Jens Mikkel MadsenFind albums by this artist and drummer John RiddellFind albums by this artist. NY based saxophonist Seamus BlakeFind albums by this artist guests on five of the seven tracks of the album, all of which were composed by Bankov. The music offers a fresh, up to date sound with synthesized layers of electronics, atmospheric sheets of guitar reverberations and highly energetic rhythm section, with the saxophone (or saxophones) riding on top of the dense background. But there are also contemplative, relaxed moments, still crusted with electronics, but much less intensive. Beautiful melodic themes are carefully weaved along the way. Bankov managed to create a unique ensemble sound, which becomes an integral part of the music itself, which is very rare these days. The individual performances by all the musicians are nothing short of stunning and awe inspiring, especially considering the age factor. In view of the fact that Bankov is only twenty years old, God only knows what he will come up with next. The ensemble communication is remarkable and the resulting music is extremely effective, almost "physically" overwhelming, which might need getting into by less experienced listeners, but is definitely striking from the first exposure. Although European Jazz is incredibly creative at all times, it is relatively rare that somebody comes up with a new formula, which combines Jazz, Rock, Electronics and Ambient so effectively as what can be experienced on this album. As usual in such cases it completely shuns any attempt of genre definition and simply defines itself. Is this the future of Jazz? Well, since it is already here, it is certainly one of the possible directions. Overall this is certainly a stunning debut effort, which hits the listener right between the ears. It is very rare that music of such immediate impact lands on my desk, but when it does it is instantly recognizable. There is something for everybody here, providing one wishes to be open minded and let the music sink right into one´s soul. A revelation! Godspeed to all young Lions, bright future indeed!

Updated: 15/09/2019Posted: 15/09/2019

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ALEX JONSSON ~ HEART OF GOLD NOT ON LABEL 03 (Barcode: 5707471048047) ~ DENMARK ~ Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2016 This is the third album by Danish guitarist / composer Alex JonssonFind albums by this artist, this time recorded live in a trio setting with bassist Jens Mikkel MadsenFind albums by this artist and drummer Andreas SkambyFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions, all by Jonsson. The music is somewhere on the border between Jazz and Rock, but nothing like a typical Fusion recording. Jazz is definitely the dominant ingredient, with the basic approach to the improvisation and the almost traditional rhythm section, but the overall sound of the trio is closer to instrumental Rock music than to Jazz. Altogether the clean sound and spacey sound create a fresh and very enjoyable listening experience. The music is somewhat minimalistic and full of Scandinavian melancholy, which of course is usually very well received by music lovers. Jonsson uses a very unique style of playing the guitar, using almost exclusively single notes rather than cords, which makes the music full of breathing space and delicacy. The rhythm session plays very amicably along, creating a round overall sound. There are a few bass solos, but in general the rhythm section stays respectfully in the background, leaving the centre of the stage to the guitar. Overall this is a very enjoyable guitar dominated album, which should be very interesting to the many guitar lovers both form the Jazz and Rock circles. The unique ability to float between the genres should be definitely quite puzzling to those listeners, who think that they have already heard everything. Definitely worth investigating!

Updated: 03/06/2017Posted: 03/06/2017

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KASPER TOM 5 ~ I DO ADMIRE THINGS THAT ARE ONLY WHAT THEY ARE BAREFOOT 046 (Barcode: 5707471042632) ~ DENMARK ~ Jazz Recorded: 2015 Released: 2015 This is the second album by the exceptional European Jazz quintet Kasper Tom 5Find albums by this artist led by Danish drummer / composer Kasper Tom ChristiansenFind albums by this artist, which also includes German clarinetist Rudi MahallFind albums by this artist, Polish trumpeter Tomasz DabrowskiFind albums by this artist, Swedish trombonist Petter HangselFind albums by this artist and Danish bassist Jens Mikkel MadsenFind albums by this artist. The album was recorded live and presents seven original compositions, all by Christiansen. In the last decade or so Kasper Tom Christiansen emerges as one of the most talented and thankfully prolific modern European Jazz musicians and his many projects and recordings amount to a most impressive legacy already at this early stage of his career. The ensembles in which he takes part are all wonderful examples of the borderless artistic Europe, which seems to flourish infinitely better that the politically torn apart Europe. This quintet presents the perfect balance between composed and improvised music, keeping the form and structure of "conventional" composed music, but stretching way beyond the basic layout and explodes with imagination and musical freedom. Christiansen collected in this quintet an exceptional group of highly talented musicians, and their collective abilities, emotions and of course technical skills as players and improvises add up to a total that is much bigger than just the sum of the components. The mutual respect and the level of communication, which is especially apparent on this live recording, are simply phenomenal. It is also important to note Christiansen the composer, in addition to his tasks as bandleader and drummer. His compositions are the solid basis upon all the improvised music is firmly based. His quirky, beautiful and fascinating little melodies are always superbly crafted, both melodically and harmonically. In fact they are perhaps in some respect the most important facet of Christiansen´s multitalented persona. For fans of well organized Free Jazz (no, this is not an oxymoron) and improvised music this album is simply a fulfillment of a perfect dream. Not a dull moment, from start to finish, countless examples of superb individual and collective skills and above all an atmosphere of joy as a result of playing together. As usual in his case, this is one more triumphant achievement for Christiansen and the Kasper Tom 5, which should not be missed!

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KASPER TOM 5 ~ OST BINGO SKRUER BAREFOOT 031 (Barcode: 5707471031551) ~ DENMARK ~ Jazz Recorded: 2013 Released: 2013 This is the debut album by the European Jazz quintet Kasper Tom 5Find albums by this artist, led by Danish drummer / composer Kasper Tom ChristiansenFind albums by this artist, with German clarinetist Rudi MahallFind albums by this artist, Polish trumpeter Tomasz DabrowskiFind albums by this artist, Swedish trombonist Petter HangselFind albums by this artist and Danish bassist Jens Mikkel MadsenFind albums by this artist. Christiansen and Dabrowski are also members of the excellent Hunger PangsFind albums by this artist trio. The album presents ten original compositions, six of which were composed by the leader and the remaining four are credited to the entire quintet. The quintet is constantly walking on a tight rope between "usual" and "unusual", which is of course great fun. Seemingly a standard quintet and yet the brass section features a completely nonstandard bass clarinet / trumpet / trombone front line, which has a completely different sonority from a regular saxophone dominated ensemble. Seemingly playing melodies, yet there is actually more freedom and free improvisation than one might expect or even be able to hear upon the initial encounter. This stuff requires some serious listening in order to be properly digested, which is usually the case with unusual music. With all the freedom and group improvisation involved, this music is surprisingly "easy" on the ear, mainly because it is completely non aggressive, even in the most passionate moments. The flow of the music is all natural, following a melodic theme or a harmonic sequence, often even introducing several complex intertwined leads, but always executed with grace and obvious mutual respect and understanding between the quintet members. The whole proceedings are a rare example of group members that actually complete each other rather than compete between each other. There is no obvious leader; nobody gets more solo space than anybody else, in short a wonderful unity is achieved herein. Of course the album is also a superb display of individual skills and talents, but those can be truly appreciated only with repeated listening sessions, allowing the listener to concentrate on a specific instrumentalist rather than listen to the entire ensemble. One way or another, this album is full of wonderful moments, which are simply waiting there to be discovered. With young European Jazz musicians like these one can look forward to the future with at least some optimism. The renaissance of ambitious music in Europe is truly heartwarming, against all odds and like an oasis in the desert of mediocrity that modern life pushes down our throats. Well done indeed!

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