Record Reviews

HALYM KIM / BIJUL ~ MY ILLUSION OF KOREA BAREFOOT 070 (Barcode: 5706274011104) ~ GERMANY ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2019 Released: 2021 This is an album by German (of Korean origin resident in Copenhagen) Jazz-drummer Halym KimFind albums by this artist and his ensemble BijulFind albums by this artist, which also includes Danish saxophonist Nana Pi Aabo LarsenFind albums by this artist, Swiss bass clarinetist Eloi CalameFind albums by this artist, Norwegian trumpeter Erik Kimestad PedersenFind albums by this artist and Polish pianist Grzegorz TarwidFind albums by this artist. The album presents four tracks, all composed by Kim. The album’s duration is below half an hour, which makes it rater an EP than a full album. The music is typical Free Jazz / Improvised Music outing, based on sketchy compositions barely recognizable as far as melody is concerned, and personally I was also unable to recognized any Korean Music references, as alluded by the album’s title and the PR material attached to the album, which was released by the adventurous Danish BarefootFind albums on this label label, home to many similar projects, obviously flourishing in Copenhagen, one of the epicenters of young European Jazz / Improvised Music. The album offers a plethora of excellent statements by the participants, most impressive of those being (not surprisingly) by Tarwid, who is able to create his own microcosm whenever he touches the keyboards. But all the rest of the musicians, including the leader, are also very expressive and creative. The music, however, sounds sadly really dated, like something that might have been recorded in the 1960s, when Improvised Music and Free Jazz exploded into the consciousness. This reflects the paradox of Avant-Garde / Improvised Music, which although completely innovative and revolutionary at the time, simply almost entirely (with very few exceptions) froze in time, adding virtually nothing new to the genre in the last five decades. Overall, for lovers of Improvised Music, this album is as good as any of the many recordings currently released within that genre, but the music is unable to penetrate beyond a very narrow niche that it occupies. Personally I enjoyed the music while it lasted, but I’ll probably never return to listen to it again. Still it is definitely worth exploring and as far as Tarwid is concerned, it is a valuable addition to his already quite impressive recorded legacy.

Updated: 01/07/2021Posted: 01/07/2021

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