Record Reviews
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  | TOBIAS HOFFMANN JAZZ ORCHESTRA ~ CONSPIRACY
MONS 874757 (Barcode: 4260054557578) ~ GERMANY ~ Big Band Jazz
Recorded: 2021 Released: 2022
This is the second album by German (resident in Austria) saxophonist / composer / bandleader Tobias HoffmannFind albums by this artist. Following the debut album “RetrospectiveFind albums with this title” from 2019, which was recorded with a nonet, this time Hoffmann conducts a full-fledged eighteen-piece strong Jazz Orchestra, which performs ten of his original compositions.
The music emphasizes the wealth of possibilities a Jazz Orchestra is able to generate, based on excellent compositions, and featuring the full power of instrumental collaboration by the orchestra members. As usual in such circumstances, most of the orchestral performances feature soli by selected members of the orchestra.
The album is mainly a testimony of Hoffmann’s development as a Jazz composer, which shows significant progress in comparison to his debut album. Although still within the mainstream milieu, the music is interesting, diverse and coherently constructed, superbly utilizing the potential of a Jazz Orchestra. Hoffmann continues the European approach to Jazz Orchestra, which cultivates an overall ensemble sound, rather than the American approach, where the band mostly accompanies soloists.
Overall, this is an excellent Orchestral Jazz effort, with first class compositions flawlessly executed by the instrumentalists, which continues the splendid European Orchestral Jazz tradition, keeping it alive despite the difficulties involved with working and sustaining big ensembles in today’s climate. It seems that Austria manages to be the best environment in Europe for Orchestral Jazz these days. Well done indeed!
| | Updated: 02/10/2022Posted: 02/10/2022 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | TOBIAS HOFFMANN JAZZ ORCHESTRA ~ INNUENDO
MONS 874873 (Barcode: 4260054558735) ~ GERMANY ~ Big Band Jazz
Recorded: 2023 Released: 2024
This is the 3rd album by German saxophonist / composer / bandleader Tobias HoffmannFind albums by this artist and the 2nd album with his eighteen-piece Tobias Hoffmann Jazz OrchestraFind albums by this artist, which he conducts, released again on the Mons Records label. The album presents eight tracks, all original compositions by Hoffman.
Hoffmann continues his musical path as a composer of music for Jazz Big Band / Orchestral environment, developing his skills rapidly, as this album proves. His music becomes more complex and sophisticated, without losing coherence and melodic continuance. He knows how to use the rich potential that a Big Band offers, and utilizes it to the max.
His compositions ideally suit the European Jazz Big Band approach, which presents the entire Orchestra as one multi-headed (or rather multi-instrumental) body, which creates music together, in contrast to the American Big Band tradition, which mostly uses the Big Band to support leading soloist with rather simplistic arrangements. Although recorded just a couple of years following his previous album, Hoffmann uses this time a much wider and more imaginative palette of instrumental ingenuity, which adds spark and spirit to the resulting music.
Overall, this is a wonderful Jazz Big Band album, splendidly performed and offering an excellent collection of first rate compositions, which should offer a delightful listening experience to Orchestral Jazz enthusiast the world over. Thanks for keeping me up to date with your achievements, my young Friend, following our brief meeting in Vienna a few years ago. God speed with your career!
| | Updated: 15/08/2024Posted: 15/08/2024 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
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