Record Reviews

MARTIN BRUNNER BAND ~ LEVELS OF LIFE ANIMAL MUSIC 080 (Barcode: 8594155999538) ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the fifth album by the Czech Jazz pianist / composer Martin BrunnerFind albums by this artist and his first recording with the quartet called Martin Brunner BandFind albums by this artist, which also includes guitarist Tomas FuchsFind albums by this artist, Slovak bassist Rastislav UhrikFind albums by this artist and drummer Roman VichaFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine original compositions by Brunner, but on the album’s artwork the composer gives credit to the other members of the band for shaping the final arrangements of these compositions. The music was excellently recorded at the SONO Records studio and engineered by Milan CimfeFind albums by this artist. Brunner is a member of the composers’ collective The Prague SixFind albums by this artist (see Concept Art OrchestraFind albums by this artist) and collaborated with many other musicians on the local scene in various genres. He is considered as one of the leading young composers in the Czech Republic. His previous four albums as a leader were recorded with a piano trio (or in one case piano trio and string quartet) and are all excellent. This album finds Brunner in a completely new musical environment, playing contemporary Fusion (for a lack of better definition), which offers a set of wonderful compositions performed with a Rocky attitude. But the music is quite different from what most listeners consider as Fusion these days, since it is way more ambitious and sophisticated than the usual contemporary Fusion doodling. Brunner plays a lot of acoustic piano (which is already unusual for a Fusion album) and an analog synthesizer and the guitarist uses a plethora of different sounds, eschewing unnecessary boring long solos. The rhythm section is also superb, playing excellent polyrhythms and odd times with ease and elegance. The bass adds a wonderful basis for the entire sound, and although soloes sparingly, his playing is absolutely virtuosic. Overall this music is simply ravishing from start to finish, fondly reminiscent of the early days of Fusion, when the music was truly innovative and challenging, setting new rules of what was possible within the symbiosis of Jazz and Rock. Brunner’s compositions are full of unexpected turns and twists, which keeps the listener in check for the duration. For all appreciative Fusion lovers, especially those of the older generation, who remember the idiom at its prime and the younger, who wish to learn how it can be done at its best, this album is an absolute must. Hats off!

Updated: 27/02/2021Posted: 27/02/2021

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VERTIGO ~ DALEKO ANIMAL MUSIC 081 (Barcode: 8594155999545) ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Jazz Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 This is the seventh album by Czech / Slovak Jazz ensemble VertigoFind albums by this artist, which comprises of saxophonist / clarinetist / vocalist Marcel BartaFind albums by this artist, trumpeter / vocalist Oskar TorokFind albums by this artist, cellist / vocalist Dorota BarovaFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Vojtech ProchazkaFind albums by this artist, bassist Rastislav UhrikFind albums by this artist and drummer Daniel SoltisFind albums by this artist. The album presents eleven original compositions; five by Barta, three by Prochazka and one each by Barova (with her lyrics), Torok (with lyrics by Slovak poet Ivan KraskoFind albums by this artist) and Soltis. The music is a highly interesting mixture of contemporary Jazz, Chamber Classical music and some Fusion elements, a wonderfully weird, almost Zappaesque concoction, which offers a superb balance of composed and improvised music and should leave no open-minded listener indifferent. Since I am exposed on a daily basis to huge quantities of new music, it is not surprising that it is very difficult to surprise me ;) However this music is definitely a breath of fresh air with its chutzpah and seemingly complete disregard of conventionalism or populism. As a result the listener gets exposed to something different with each track on the album and yet the entire continuity preserves an aesthetic coherence, despite the diversity. The modus operandi of the ensemble is definitely focused on group performance, with the soloing being rather secondary, which does not however limit the superb individual contributions by all the members, which can be distinctly heard by an attentive listener. The intense ensemble sound dominates the proceedings and interestingly the usage of the human voices as instruments empowers the total result and adds another dimension. This music might require more than one listening session in order to penetrate the complexity and intricacy, but is definitely worth the effort. Personally it´s time for me to dig into the earlier recordings by the group, which are hopefully bearing gifts of the same nature. Overall this is a heck of an album, completely innovative and stunning by its chest of musical treasures, which is wholeheartedly recommended. My respect towards Czech / Slovak Jazz is well justified again and if you are bored by the mundane Jazz albums that clutter our life, this is definitely a fountain of youth ;) Enjoy and well done people (of the universe without plastic)!

Updated: 12/10/2020Posted: 12/10/2020

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VERTIGO ~ NIC ANIMAL MUSIC 107 (Barcode: 8594211850100) ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2022 Released: 2022 This is the eighth album by Czech / Slovak Jazz ensemble VertigoFind albums by this artist, which comprises of saxophonist Marcel BartaFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Oskar TorokFind albums by this artist, cellist Dorota BarovaFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Vojtech ProchazkaFind albums by this artist, bassist Rastislav UhrikFind albums by this artist and drummer Daniel SoltisFind albums by this artist. The album presents fourteen original compositions; eight by Barta, two by Prochazka, one by Uhrik and three collective improvisations. The music was recorded at the Sono Records studio and engineered by Milan CimfeFind albums by this artist, with the usual stunning sound quality. The music is a sublime amalgam of cross-genre explorations, including contemporary Jazz, Chamber Classical Music, some Rock / Fusion elements and everything in between, completely shunning any simplistic definitions. Perfectly melodic at one moment, it becomes almost Improvised Music at the next, taking the listener on a see-saw journey of epic proportions. This music remains definitely a breath of fresh air with its chutzpah and seemingly complete disregard of conventionalism or populism. As a result, the listener gets exposed to something different with each track on the album and yet the entire continuity preserves an aesthetic coherence, despite the diversity. The emphasis on creating an ensemble sound rather than featuring expressive soloing is typical of contemporary European music, and Vertigo functions perfectly within that realm. The ominous title (“nothing” in English) reflects well the emptiness of the contemporary non-culture, which dominates our lives, and perhaps suggests how the void can be filled by something else, with a tinge of pessimism attached. Overall, this is a brilliant album from start to finish, which continues the Vertigo legacy, now twenty years in existence, filling our hearts with hope for the future. As long as European music has ensembles like Vertigo creating music, not all is lost. This album is well beyond recommendation; it is an absolute must to every true music connoisseur anywhere on this planet, as are in fact all their earlier recordings. This is bloodcurdling (in the best meaning of the word) stuff!

Updated: 05/10/2022Posted: 05/10/2022

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