Record Reviews

TOM ARTHURS ~ ONE YEAR OZELLA 077 (Barcode: 4038952000775) ~ UK ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2016 Released: 2018 This is an album by British trumpeter / composer Tom ArthursFind albums by this artist recorded in a trio format with his long time collaborator pianist Richard FairhurstFind albums by this artist and Finnish drummer Markku OunaskariFind albums by this artist. The album presents six original compositions, all by Arthurs. The music is beautifully intimate, with melodic themes sketched lightly and later improvised upon just by being gently touched by the trio members, like a balloon floating in the air. Obviously minimalist and brilliantly transparent, the music is deeply moving and in complete contrast to its form completely overwhelming and mesmerizing. All three musicians are masters of achieving the maximum effect with a minimal number of notes and sounds. As a result the music they create consists as much of the sounds they produce as of the silence trapped within the music. The calmness and the elegance of this music are completely unique and stand above most of contemporary Jazz / Improvised Music efforts of this kind. Arthurs indicates that the inspiration to his open compositions originates in the process of cinematic work by the Russian director Anderi TarkovskyFind albums by this artist (especially the making of his masterpiece "Mirrors"), which was based on filming a huge amount of scenes and then shuffling the selected material around until the end product was finally reached. Arthurs describes his process of creating the music on this album as "Composing like Tarkovsky", which in his case manages to achieve the same astounding outcome as in the case of Tarkovsky´s movies. It is impossible to categorize this music by the existing genre categories, as it escapes classification, perhaps even pointing to a new musical direction, which is based on European modernism but incorporates all the beauty and emotion from all known genres and is an absolute mind-blowing and soul-expanding experience. "Quiet is the new loud", which was initially coined to describe the Nordic pop music, is hereby expanded to apply to all contemporary music. Perhaps subconsciously, but unmistakably, this album marks a new phase for British Jazz as well, with the Kenny WheelerFind albums by this artist / John TaylorFind albums by this artist spirit omnipresent here, but taken a step further no doubt. Overall this is a magnificent piece of music, one of the best to arrive on my desk in 2018, and wholeheartedly recommended to everybody who still looks at music as a source of joy and enlightenment.

Updated: 23/10/2018Posted: 23/10/2018

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

JAN SIMONS ~ ANSWER SILENCE 0002 (Barcode: 6418770600230) ~ FINLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 1999 Released: 1999 This is the debut album by Finnish Jazz bassist / composer Jan SimonsFind albums by this artist, recorded with a sextet which surprisingly includes the great British trumpeter Kenny WheelerFind albums by this artist alongside young (at the time) Finnish players: saxophonist Manuel DunkelFind albums by this artist, guitarist Niklas WinterFind albums by this artist, pianist Samuli MikkonenFind albums by this artist and already well known drummer Markku OunaskariFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven original compositions, six by Simons, two by Winter and three co-composed by all the five Finnish musicians participating on the album. The music is beautifully melodic, typically full of Finnish lyricism and Nordic climates, but which also allows for openness and freedom during the many excellent solo parts. The level of the compositions is impressively mature and coherent and the entire album is a true European Jazz gem. As expected, Wheeler plays splendidly alongside these much younger musicians, but their performances are by all means equally expressive and impressive. As a result the album presents an ensemble effort with Wheeler accepting the role of an equal participant, rather than a star guest, which perfectly fits his good natured character and his respect towards fellow musicians, which he displayed throughout his entire career. For people not familiar with Finnish Jazz (sadly not many Jazz fans are even aware of the fact that Jazz exists in Finland), this is a wonderful opportunity to get exposed to one of the most interesting and advanced European Jazz scenes out there. After following the Finnish Jazz closely since the 1960s, I have developed a deep and profound love and respect towards Finnish Jazz and was able to write quite a lot on the subject as well as count many Finnish Jazz musicians as personal friends since many years. Thanks to a splendid level of Jazz education and a lively local scene, as well as the geographic proximity to other Scandinavian Jazz centers, Finnish Jazz was able to produce over the years many first-rate European Jazz musicians and a fabulous legacy of hundreds of Jazz albums, which include some of the most impressive European Jazz recordings ever made. Overall this is of course a rare opportunity to hear Wheeler play with young and relatively unknown musicians, which for his many connoisseurs and collectors of his albums is an absolute must. But at the same time the album is a great introduction to modern Finnish Jazz at its best, which hopefully will prompt some listeners to discover that fascinating scene. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 28/03/2019Posted: 28/03/2019

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend