Peter Evans & Petter Eldh – Jazz Fest (More is More Records, 2025)

By Don Phipps

Invigorating, like a splash of early morning cold water on one’s face, a wake-up call to get your mind and body moving, trumpeter Peter Evans and bassist Petter Eldh’s Jazz Fest is chock full of adventurous soundscapes that fascinate and amuse. Sunrise, sunset, traffic, road music, bluesy mornings, loneliness - the moods and shapes of the tunes run a gamut of feelings in unique and unusual fashion.

The duo is backed by a large array of musicians, led by free jazz luminary Dave Liebman (soprano saxophone). Contributors include Alice Teyssier (vocals, flute), Immanuel Wilkins (alto saxophone), Joel Ross (vibraphone), Andy Berman (guitar), Nick Joz (keyboards), Michael Shekwoaga Ode (drums), Mazz Swift (violin), and Ryan Muncy (saxophone). Given the various instruments used, one can quickly understand why the palette is so diverse.

“The Berm” is illustrative. Listen to the funk, guitar riffs, drum smacks, and Eldh’s roll abouts on electric bass. Evans plays high atop Ode’s funky, syncopated, and polyrhythmic beats, and Berman rips it on guitar – his fingers lightning fast. On “Waves,” Ode uses the trap set to generate a heartbeat effect and Evans paints a solitary figure with his trumpet. It’s amazing how he can slide so easily to the top of the trumpet register. Liebman contributes a bluesy trippy rejoinder over Ode’s pattern. The electronics are sci-fi, giving a weird other worldly feel to the vibe. And you can hear smacking and breathing above the guitar chords.

On “Tony Tony Tony,” Liebman opens with dreamy floating phrases over the keyboard chords. Ode plays loose and yet controlled. His rapid pacing contrasts with the lilting, graceful Liebman lines and the chordal abstractions. The piece continues this dichotomy – fast and quick underneath – agile and flowing overhead. Teyssier adds surreal vocals to the effort in the wind down. And the album’s last number, “HIME,” feels like travel music – spaceship or land vessel – creating a visual pattern out of rolling surprise as if transported across an audio multiverse.

What Jazz Fest adds up to is a robust and colorful experience - fascinating through its audacious creativity and entertaining voicings. This one will keep you smiling. Enjoy.