Catching up with Gebhard Ullmann (Part 1 of 2)

By Paul Acquaro 

Last year, German woodwind player and composer Gebhard Ullmann turned 65, but judging by his recent output, it seems safe to say that retirement is not on the agenda. In fact, between the latter half of 2022 and into early 2023, he has released an impressive batch of recordings that not only bristle with creative energy but also show off quite different sides of his musical personality. Today's review focuses on his latest acoustic leaning recordings, followed tomorrow with a dive into his recent electro-acoustic releases. Let us begin with the transfixing sounds of the venerable Clarinet Trio...

Clarinet Trio - Transformations and Further Passages (Leo Records, 2022)

In a sense, the albums here range from the most traditional to the most boundary pushing. However, Ullmann's work is multifaceted and even the most 'traditional' of it is far from, well, being that traditional at all. Strands of avant-garde, conventional jazz melodies and improvisation are intricately intertwined in all of this music. Some just lean more heavily to one than the other, in a sense.

The Clarinet Trio is as advertised, three clarinets. It's understandable that one may be a bit prejudiced and think, 'hmm that Bb clarinet has its charms but can also pierce the most hardened eardrums...,' however, let go of these notions, on Transformations and Further Passages, Ullmann, along with Michael Thieke and Jürgen Kupke show just how versatile and lovely not only the standard Bb clarinet (Kupke, Thieke) can be, but also how sumptuousness of the bass clarinet (Ullmann), and that the alto (Thieke) is not so bad either. 

 

The trio are celebrating their 25th anniversary this year. They have released five other recordings since 1999, and on this one, their sixth, they explore choice modern jazz compositions from the 1950's and 60's from a brilliant line-up of German musicians including Albert Mangelsdorff, Karl Berger, Rolf and Joachim Kühn, E.L. Petrowsky, Jutta Hipp, Joki Freund, and Manfred Schoof.

To start, they begin with a collective composition of their own, entitled 'Collective #13'. Sweeping melodic lines and connective legato tones helps set the tonal stage, highlighting the unique timbres of each instrument, from the gentle to the piercing, the lulling to the vibrant. Then, they launch into 'Cleopatra,' a swinging number by saxophonist Joki Freund. The mood is light, and the interplay is intricate. The melody bounces between the instruments and the combination of the instruments seems to produce more sound than one may expect from three unadorned acoustic woodwinds. The atmosphere can also turn on a dime, as it does in the middle of the tune, where extended techniques and harmonic overtones take over. 

 

Next up is Albert Mangelsdorf's 'Tension' and 'Varie' from the trombonist's 1963 album Tension. The track is indeed a study of tensions and tones, sounding more like a modern classical composition than the jazz-inflected originals. Towards the track's end, the originals rhythmic groove is meticulously emulated on the woodwinds. Jumping deeper into the recording, each player has a solo track, Thieke takes the first, followed by Ullmann and lastly, Kupke. These short interludes are fascinating, short interludes that add some additional variety to an already varied assortment. Not only are the arrangements satisfyingly eclectic -- compare the devilish arrangement of clarinetist Rolf Kuhn's 'Don't Run' to the satisfyingly blue-note rich 'Der Blues ist der Koenig' from clarinetist Ernst Petrwosky, for example -- but the individual musicianship is absolutely peerless.

Gebhard Ullmann / Steve Swell / Hilliard Greene / Barry Altschul -We're Playing In Here ? (NoBusiness, 2022)

This, and the next recording, feature the long-standing musical relationship between Ullmann and NYC based trombonist Steve Swell. The rest of the quartet on We're Playing in Here ? is rounded out by New Yorkers too, namely bassist Hilliard Greene and drummer Barry Altschul. This dynamic quartet has at least one other recording, Desert Song (CIMP, 2004).

We're Playing in Here ? came out last summer, although it was recorded back in 2007. While in a sense an archival recording, it sounds as if could have been made last week. The album begins with an drum solo from Altschul, an unorthodox and bold start. Soon Greene is laying down a solid groove oriented bass line and the 'front-line' joins with the tandem melody of Swell's 'Planet Hopping on a Thursday Afternoon.' The upbeat track then opens up with a looping, driving rhythm while Ullmann and Swell deliver at first  simultaneous melodies, and then split off individually. The solid, pulsating support gives Ullmann, and then Swell, a real chance to just let loose. 'La Mairposa,' another composition from Swell, follows an undulating path consisting of rapid scales that run headlong into long, expressive passages. Ullmann gives his bass clarinet a workout, effortlessly switching between extended tones and sudden squawks. 

 

The title track - another composition from the trombonist - answers its own question. Whether or not it is an expression of negative or positive wonder - the inspiration for the title is not revealed - the group explores the here with purposeful vigor. The album closes with Ullmann's quirky contribution 'Kleine Figuren #1.' Swell and Ullmann once again offer a tangle of melodies while Altschul and Greene lay down a solid, non-repetitive foundation - a fine free-jazz closer to an excellent recording.

The Chicago Plan - For New Zealand (NotTwo, 2022) *****

 

The Chicago Plan is, like the group above, based on the long-standing cooperation between Steve Swell and Ullmann, who first worked together in the 1990s in the group Basement Research. Here the pair are joined by cellist and electronics master Fred Lonberg-Holm and drummer Michael Zerang.

Released in November 2022, at the same time as the Clarinet Trio, this one finds Ullmann in a fiery mood, and for good reason: For New Zealand is dedicated to the 2019 Mosque shootings in Christchurch. The attack, perpetuated by a white supremacist, killed 50 and injured dozens more. The album's opener, Swell's 'Composite 13 - For New Zealand' bottles the rage and frustration from the horrific event into a stunning and dense 10 minutes of sound. Trombone, cello, sax, and drums congeal into a musical fist, drawing blood as its grip tightens until the very last forlorn tones. The follow up, 'Welcome to the Red Island,' begins with Ullmann playing solo bass clarinet. His sonorous expressions signal a different approach from the last track and when the others join, Lonberg-Holm provides sympathetic harmony, which then welcomes a touching passage from Swell. 'Sketch 6' begins with a exploratory attitude with each player offering a parallel melody, sometimes connecting, sometimes contrasting. After a short, composed passage, Zerang takes over with a percussion interlude and continues to be a dominant force as the track finally opens up for an eviscerating set of solos.

The other tracks continue to offer up their own contrasts and surprises. 'YoYo' begins with the two horns playing a simple, syncopated melody, while the cello offers a legato counter melody over the rumbles of the drum. The track then turns noisy and Lonberg-Holm shreds the sonic curtains (mostly acoustically too, there seems to be very little overt electronics at all). 'BA-8' builds in swelling freely improvised waves, the passages organized around short composed sections - or at least ones where the musician seamlessly connect - which ultimately leaves an impressionistic soundscape in its wake. The closer is 'Variations on a Master Plan (part 1)' a return to a theme that has appeared on other work from Ullmann, like his 2003 album of with the same title from his group Conference Call, as well as on several other albums. What one can say about 'Part 1' is that is thrives off the same energy that possesses the other tracks here, and wraps the masterful For New Zealand in a taught, defiant bow. 

 

Fantastic album.

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Aurélien Besnard, Jean Pierre Jullian, Adrien Dennefeld - Echos (Rude Awakening, 2013) ****

By Stef

If you like modern clarinet music, or even modern music in general, I can highly recommend this trio with Aurélien Besnard on clarinet, Jean Pierre Jullian on percussions and Adrien Dennefeld on cello. The three musicians improvise freely and manage to create a really strong sonic universe, accessible, inventive and compelling. 

From the very first notes of "Caminando", Besnard's clarinet dives into deep emotional sounds, full of melancholy sadness, supported by repetitive hypnotic phrases of the cello and intense and dark sounds from the bass drum. And if anything, that's the band's real quality, to create a total sound with just three instruments, one that is coherent and powerful. Listen to the ominous "Eclats De Cercle", with menacing and monotone clarinet and cello propulsed forward by mad percussion, in a crescendo of darkness and volume.

Other pieces are calmer, such as the slowly developing "Stabile", a beautiful melancholy and eery piece, with stretched tones not moving too far from the tonal center, sparsely supported by cello. "Esprit Fugace" is more lively, with bouncing interaction of short bursts of sound in full free improv mode, which continues on "Babylone Est", a somewhat more lightfooted and joyful track.

The trio leads us through different emotional soundscapes, ending with the magnificent "Eclipse", a haunting piece again, with heartrending playing, creating a feeling that is at dark and yearning at the same time, full of suppressed hope and longing despair, making the album go full circle.

They have crafted something with a strong and recognisable voice, a great feat, and if the next album takes this even a step deeper and with more overall coherence, the result might even be more fabulous. 

Listen and buy from eMusic. 

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Maikotron Unit - Ex Voto (Jazz from Rant, 2011) ****

By Paul Acquaro

From Quebec, the Maikotron Unit refers to themselves as 'mythic' in some of their press material. Now, the 'mythic' may refer to the elusive maikotron, a reed instrument with a range that dips below that of the bass saxophone, or perhaps it is related to the scope or origin of their mission, which is "dedicated to research in New Music." Regardless, the trio has been together for over 26 years but this year's "Ex-Voto" is their first release on CD (and online).

The combination of reeds, like the maikotron and the bass clarinet give the unit a sonic palette rich with deep hues with which to work. Pierre Côté's bass and Michel Lambert's percussion provide both definitive grooves and more textural undercurrents as Michel Côté bounces around with melodies that embrace free jazz and pays homage to past masters and keeps up with current trailblazers. Snippets of melody may recall post-bop, just as much as Eric Dolphy, and others on the fringes of jazz.

"Ex-Voto" is an album to enjoy the sound of the instruments, luxuriate in the woodwind tones and nod to the rhythms. The 20 short themes that make up the album range from one to five minutes and are like stanzas in a poem, each one able to stand alone but more meaningful when taken together.

Mythical or not, the existence of this album is at least some fleeting proof, like a grainy still of a Sasquatch, that can keep the believers satisfied for a good long time.

© Paul Acquaro

Listen and download from eMusic.




© stef

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Free Fall - Gray Scale (SMJZ, 2010) ****½

By Paul Acquaro

Free Fall is a trio of Ken Vandermark, Havard Wiik, and Ingebrigt Haker Flaten on clarinets, piano and bass respectively. The trio, apparently modeled after the early 1960s Jimmy Giuffre's Trio with Paul Bley and Steve Swallow, has delivered a challenging and sophisticated effort that reveals itself more with each listen.

The albums cover, a stark grey scale image of a pier stretching into the water is iconic for the music within. The depth and interconnectedness of the music increases as you wade out further into the abstract melodies and harmonies. This is music with sharp angels and twisting contours, and its contrasts can both attract and repel, tantalizingly so.

'Lividus' begins quietly, with squiggles of clarinet, splashes of piano and punches of bass. Soon, the sound becomes denser, if not less diffuse, and the clarinet expresses a great range in its melodies. 'Griseus' is more percussive, the clarinet bleating, bass slapping and piano runs providing abstract but purposeful harmony. 'Ravius' showcases the subtle, low hushed tones of the bass clarinet with sprinkles of piano and atmospheric upright bass as the tune builds, slowly revealing more textures. The 8 plus minute 'Cinerius', to me, is the centerpiece of the album. Freely melodic clarinet runs are contrasted with abstract ramblings by the piano, and dark underpinnings by the bass, only later to explode into a controlled but devastating burn. Here, as in the other songs, the seeming independence of each player is actually very much interdependence and together they cohere into something very free and exciting.

Gray Scale is a provocative name, and at times the music reflects stark atmosphere of cover but transcends it as well with colorful musicianship and daring explorations. Though not an easy album to digest on the first pass, it leaves a lingering taste and compells repeated listening.

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Jason Stein’s Locksmith Isidore – Three Kinds Of Happiness (Not Two, 2010) ****1/2

By Guy Peters

I have a soft spot for the bass clarinet. The quirky look of the instrument certainly has something to do with that. Also the fact that it has rather few practitioners and the realisation that some of them (like Rudi Mahall and Louis Sclavis) do tremendous things with it. Of course, there’s also the peculiar, bleating sound, especially in the lower register. As it happens, the latter is almost absent on this third album by Jason Stein’s trio, on which the leader does so much more than stressing the instrument’s extremes.

Like its predecessor “Three Less Than Between” (Clean Feed, 2009), it marks quite a departure from the debut “A Calculus Of Loss” (2008), on which Stein and drummer Mike Pride were joined by cello player Kevin Davis. The album continues the more traditional approach of the second album (on which bass player Jason Roebke replaced Davis), while sounding even more ‘traditional’. There’s not much aggression, dissonance and bleating going on here, while Stein’s lighter approach stresses the melodic qualities of the songs. Several of these have a carefree, almost breezy quality that makes the album a joy to listen to, without ever succumbing to blandness or predictability. And Stein sounds, more than ever, like a regular clarinet player.

Opener “Crayons For Crammy” immediately makes its case, with a catchy melody and appropriately subtle backing by Roebke and Pride. It is music with an original yet natural flow, creativity in abundance and a good-natured atmosphere. The album also has its thornier moments, like “Arch And Shipp” (starting off with unpredictable probing by the rhythm section and a venture into free jazz) and “Man Or Ray” (sudden starts & stops and an almost cartoonish atmosphere). These pieces sometimes hint at more radical terrain (just like “Cash, Couch & Camper”), but usually end up finding a refreshing balance between the tradition and the experiment.

To prove that the trio is still capable of setting the house on fire, the album also includes a live version of “Miss Izzy” (from the previous album), which has a tougher, more muscular style that ends the album on a forceful note. Make no mistake: these guys have the chops to move into any direction they wish to explore, but the willingness to include a more conventional basis and turn it into something exciting and entirely refreshing, as they see fit, makes it a compelling delight from start to finish and an album that only benefits from repeated listenings. If it were vinyl, I’d need a second copy in the meantime. Jovial interplay, gentlemanly adventure, an embarrassment of riches!

* The trio is currently touring in Europe at this very moment. Check out Stein’s website for the dates. For the Belgians out there: this Saturday, the band will play at Kunstencentrum BELGIE (Hasselt), along with Cinc (Vandermark/Lytton/Wachsmann).

Buy from Instantjazz.

  

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Louis Sclavis, Craig Taborn, Tom Rainey - Eldorado Trio (Clean Feed, 2010) ****

 France has two great clarinet players: Jean-Marc Foltz whose latest album, "To The Moon", still figures in the "Albums Of The Month" section.The other one is Louis Sclavis, without a doubt better known, and quite prolific. The problem with him is that he switches genres easily, between film music, straight-ahead jazz, avant classical, avant chamber jazz, over his great African trio, duets with Aki Takase, tightly composed modern jazz, to more adventurous music. Not all his initiatives are successful, and the breadth of his scope make each new album a surprise in style. That can be good, but sometimes also disappointing.

This trio is pure jazz with composed pieces and improvised tracks, but all with an adventurous streak, and that's only possible and successful because of the superb musicianship both technically and creatively. Sclavis is of course on bass clarinet, but also on soprano sax, Craig Taborn plays piano and Tom Rainey drums, without a doubt each among the best on their instrument today.

The compositions range between the melancholy ("La Visite") and the joyful ("Up Down Up", "Possibilities"), or even the slightly insane ("Luccioles"), but all of them are musical delights. On "La Visite", on which after a long and sad Taborn piano moment, Sclavis brings some of the most heart-rending bass clarinet-playing that I've heard in a while, slowly driving his beautiful playing to a wailing climax.

Sclavis is excellent throughout, using his full skillset on the clarinet from classical over swing to modern music, Taborn and Rainey are not only functional but they create the overall environment becoming a perfect fit for the variations in mood and styles, not just accompanying but creating the context in which the soloist must journey. Despite the variations, the music is still very coherent. One of Sclavis' least polished albums, yet the rawness of the adventure suits him quite well.

Listen and download from eMusic.

Buy from Instantjazz.

© stef

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Last Seen Headed - Live At Sons D'Hiver (Ayler - 2010) ****

No doubt this is one of the most unusual and most fascinating clarinet trios you will hear, with Joëlle Léandre on bass, François Houle on clarinet, and Raymond Strid on percussion. Together, they weave sonic environments without recognizable anchor points, except in some deepfelt unconsciousness. The pieces evolve organically, out of the sound of one instrument, a few notes emerge, the rest adds to that, shaping it further, moving it further, yet cautiously, carefully, respectfully, full of empathy and sensitivity. The end result is fragile. A freshly budded leave. An animal awakening from hibernation. Vulnerable. Surprised. Alive. Listening how out abstract sound, Léandre's bass develops the simplest of forms : a repeated hypnotic pulse of a single note. Yet how precise in giving the music a heart.

On the third track intensity increases, mayhem arises, dissonance, distress and tension take over, evolving into soaring lyricism while keeping the intensity going in the following piece, introduced by Léandre's expressive arco work. Houle follows suit, mirroring her sounds with tongue clacking, while Strid adds minimalist touches, but then the pieces opens up completely, shifting from intimate to extravert.

This is very captivating, adventurous and very rewarding music. Minimalist and powerful.

© stef

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Enterout Trio - Pink Ivory (Multikulti, 2010) ****

When the Cracow Klezmer Band stopped playing, I was sad, because I liked their combination of traditional music with jazz and classical, of the dark menace behind the joyful themes, the combination of melancholy and aesthetic beauty, combining entertainment with virtuosity. Now, the Enterout Trio, equally Polish, is here with the same ingredients, but making a different stew out of it, more jazz, rawer, more adventurous. No klezmer this time, but rhythmic, melodic and lyrical improvisations full of gloom and foreboding.

Piotr Mełech plays clarinet and bass clarinet, Adam Wróblewski plays cello, and Sebastian Grzesiak drums. With just the three of them, they alternate composed with fully improvised pieces. The first track, "Terminus", combines it all: a somewhat abstract intro evolves into a forward driven rhythm, with the cello's supportive drone setting the ideal backdrop for the clarinet's joyful theme followed by free improvisation, and when the rhythm slows down again, the drums goes and the clarinet and bowed cello converse in a modern classical way, then the cello goes forth on its own, full of vulnerable hesitancy and clear of tone, tearing the composition out of its pattern and pushing it deep into uncharted territory, yet without losing its inherent lyricism, and when the clarinet and drums return, they rejoin the - now mournful - theme. The improvised pieces vary between free improv and melodious creativity. The longest piece, "Księżycowy" ("Lunar"), is a gem, but then one of terror and madness, with a dark unison theme that develops into nightmarish improvisations and volumes of sound you wouldn't expect from a trio. A great album: excellent musicians and the coherence of their creative vision is even more impressive if you know that this is only their debut.

There are some clips to be found on Youtube, but the sound quality is so bad, that I don't share it.

© stef

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Jason Stein

Jason Stein is a bass clarinetist. He plays no other instrument. This gives him the opportunity to focus his skills, and with great success.

Jason Stein is a musician. He records to make music, not to demonstrate his technical skills.

Jason Stein's Locksmith Isidore - Three Less Than Between (Clean Feed, 2009)****

After "The Calcululs Of Loss", this is the second release by the trio, now with Jason Roebke on bass, and still with Mike Pride on drums. The album consists of eleven compositions by Stein, covering lots of ground, using the entire jazz catalogue to bring his music, that is free and exploratory in nature, yet swings, bops and sings at the same time.The switch of cello to bass gives the compositions a totally different color, with the bass a better complement to the bass clarinet because of their low sound companionship, and a better complement for the drums because of their comparative power and drive. Despite the lower sound registers, Stein is a master in seeking contrast too. He can play high sensitive notes, whether in overtones or straight, as he does on "Stevenesque", the second track, which is very airy and open-textured, as is the sensitive "Most Likely Illiterate". Other pieces, in contrast, such as "Izn't Your Paper Clip" bring quite dense, nervous agitation, propulsed forward by the excellent rhythm section. "Saved By A Straw", and the title track, are pure avant-garde sound exploration by the trio. But then you get some real boppish pieces like "Protection And Provocation", or "Amy Music" (see clip below), on which the legacy of Dolphy shines through. You get the picture, a rich, varied, warm and exploratory album.

Listen and download from eMusic.

Jason Stein - In Exchange For A Process (Leo, 2009) ****

Playing solo is the absolute art of creativity and inventiveness or the perfect recipe for absolute boredom. It is like the ultimate exercise any musician should try to accomplish, not only with his instrument or his own restraints and possibilities in mind, but also taking the listener into consideration. Pushing the envelope. Going beyond the borders of your own creative limitations. Jason Stein manages to be captivating while exploring his instrument and doing something meaninful musically. It is also a physical exercise. You can hear him breathe, squeeze out the last note of a phrase, get multiphonics out of his reed, play around with timbral explorations. All that's fine, but it also makes for a great listen: the sensitivity, the lyricism, the internal dialogues, the joy of playing, the sad quality of sounds, the distress, it is all here, .... just for you to enjoy.

Listen to an extract.

Here are some other solo bass clarinet albums

Rudi Mahall - Solo (Psi, 2006)
Louis Sclavis - Clarinettes (IDA, 1985)

And some with not exclusively bass clarinet

Evan Ziporyn - This Is Not A Clarinet (Cantaloupe, 2001)
Ned Rothenberg - The Lumina Recordings (Tzadik, 2006)

Other suggestions are welcome!

Which album would I recommend? Truth be told, I love the naked power and vulnerability of the solo album. The trio album is surely more accessible. Both are really good.

Watch Locksmith Isidore on Youtube




Both albums are available from Instantjazz.

© stef

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The Light - Afekty (MultiKulti, 2009) ****½

Almost exactly a year ago, a wrote this enthusiastic review of "The Light", the debut album of the Polish trio consisting ofWacław Zimpel on clarinet, bass clarinet, and tarogato, Wojciech Traczyk on bass, and Robert Rasz on drums. Now, with their sophomore album, they confirm their quality, musical skills and vision. It is even more focused than the first album, and they perform only their own material. The approach is still as gentle, sensitive and free as the previous one, with great explorations of timbre and sound, finding a wonderful balance between rhythmic drive as on the last track "Shangri La", and lyrical and emotional delivery, as on "Rozpacz", on which a plaintive tarogato dialogues with a mourning arco, or intense creativity, as on "Hridaja", or percussive improv as on "Sattwa" on which the bass clarinet is propulsed forward by Rasz's drumming, short, compact and powerful. Despite all the adventure and freedom of spirit, the trio is still fully entrenched in the jazz tradition, a great vantage point from which to explore. And the best thing is that the three musicians share the same vision and hence interact to perfection on this highly varied album. Highly recommended.

© stef

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Han Bennink Trio - Parken (ILK, 2009) ****

Han Bennink is without a doubt one of the best and also most entertaining drummers in the free improv scene. I should have gone to a concert* by him tonight with this same trio, with Simon Toldam on piano and Joachim Badenhorst on clarinet, but for one or the other reason I couldn't go. Anyway, this is their new album, and one on which the trio shows their broad background in jazz, ranging from blues and swing to wild excursions into uncharted territories. Badenhorst is a promising young Belgian musician, currently based in New York, Toldam an equally talented young Danish pianist. Together, they are younger than Bennink, yet that would be a totally irrelevant comment if it didn't characterize Bennink so well: young in spirit, and really open to learn from the young too. Whether it's the sad Ellington tune "Lady Of The Lavender Mist", or the wild madness of "Myckewelk", you get mature quality or childish fun. And Ellington does come back, with an adventurous rendition of "Isfahan" and the lightly dancing "Fleurette Africaine". The other improvised tracks such as "Reedeater" and "After The March" show a more artistic and slightly darker side of the trio, but the contrast does not disturb the album's unity. An entire album in that style would have received my preference though. The trio is joined by Qarin Wikström on vocals for the melancholy last track "Parken". A really nice album, full of creative craftmanship, respect for music and an inherent sense of fun and joy in every note being played.

*Actually the whole evening was a tribute to Bennink with the release of a biography of him ("De Wereld Als Trommel" - the world as a drumkit), a film about him, ("Hazentijd"), the presentation of this new CD, and various concerts.

The art work of the CD is by Bennink himself.

Buy from Instantjazz.

Han Bennink was on Dutch television on Tuesday in the context of all this tribute work. The world is a drumkit indeed.

© stef

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Waclaw Zimpel, Wojtek Traczyk, Robert Rasz - The Light (Multikulti, 2008) ****

In the history of music, from the creation of the universe till today, "Lonely Woman" stands out as an absolutely sublime composition, regardless of who plays it. Any performer who lays his or her hands on this Ornette Coleman piece, regardless of the instruments used, regardless of the style in which it's played, is guaranteed to make a success of it. Even the most incompetent cannot destroy the sublime.

Yet it is up to the very good to present this wonderful composition in a new dress, as does this Polish trio, consisting of Waclaw Zimpel on clarinet and bass clarinet, Wojtek Traczyk on double bass and Robert Rasz on drums. "Lonely Woman", with arco bass and bass clarinet, is played very slowly with lots of emotional intensity, very free, evolving into barely audible high clarinet sounds weeping over a single sustained note on arco and finger-played drums, ending in dark silence.

This trio's play list is diverse, from Dolphy over Coleman to Nirvana, interspersed with some of their own compositions. The music is rhythmic, powerful, sensitive, delivered with care and passion. And free. Even Dolphy's "Straight Up And Down" is played in a totally non-straight way, starting with Rasz's creative drumming, evolving in the joyful theme, which is both respectful of Dolphy while adding to it. The Nirvana tune "Where Did You Sleep Last Night (My Girl") is the rawest piece on the track. Traczyk's bass plays an important role in most pieces, sometimes reminding me of Charlie Haden in his deep and warm approach, with a great sense of finding the right note. The "intro" is a bass solo and "The Light" is a slow track on which the bass really shines. But don't misunderstand me: this a true trio album, with Waclaw Zimpel leading the dance, very openly and with lots of fresh ideas and approaches, unhurried but precise, and with Robert Rasz's drumming restrained and subtle, as is the music itself. Free, gentle, sensitive and open.

Listen to samples on MySpace.

© stef

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Jörgensmann/Oles/Oles - Alchemia and Poznan

Theo Jörgensmann, Marcin Oles, Bartlomiej Oles - Alchemia (Hatology, 2007) ****

Listen to
Direction
Perrata

Theo Jörgensmann, Marcin Oles, Bartlomiej Oles - Live In Poznan (Fenommedia, 2008) ****½

Listen to
Menace
Buy from Fennomedia.

German clarinetist Theo Jörgensmann issued two CDs before with the Polish Oles brothers, "Minitatures" and "Direction", both of which are excellent. To up the ante, the trio now released two live CDs, with some of the material coming from these studio recordings, and they are as good, no less could be expected from them. On both CDs Jörgensmann plays the basset clarinet, which allows for the playing of additional notes in the lower range. One CD was recorded at the now becoming famous Alchemia club in Krakow, Poland, in May 2006, and the other one in Poznan, Poland in March 2006. One might question the value of two live CDs with the same band, recorded in such a short time frame and with overlapping material : "Perrata", "Giuffree", "Menace", pieces accounting for half the length of both records, but since the 12 CD release of the Vandermark 5 at Alchemia, this kind of questions has become irrelevant, because the performance is what counts, on an equal level with the material, and believe me, both CDs are really worth listening to. And there are differences : "Menace" clocks in at 19 minutes on the Alchemia performance, while only at nine minutes in Poznan, just to demonstrate that the trio plays as the moment tells them to. Jörgensmann's playing is abstract but fluid, melodic and soulful, free and anchored in the tradition. He can play deliriously long high speed phrases, but also enjoy slow, bluesy and yearning moments as on "Giuffree", his hommage to Jimmy Giuffre, one of the icons of the jazz clarinet. And the Oles brothers? Well, what can I say more than what I wrote before? They are one of the best rhythm sections around : sensitive, innovative, intrinsically musical and free. One a treat for the ear, the other a pleasure to hear, and vice versa. If I had to choose one of the two albums, I would go for the Fennomedia release, because of the absolutely impeccable sound quality, giving the live performance an even more direct feel, as if you are part of the audience.

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Jason Stein's Locksmith Isidore - A Calculus Of Loss (Clean Feed, 2008) ****

"Locksmith Isidore" is a trio consisting of Jason Stein on bass clarinet, Kevin Davis on cello and Mike Pride on percussion. Locksmith Isidore is also Jason Stein's grandfather, figuring on the cover. Stein has played on some real free albums in the past year, Bridge 61, with Ken Vandermark, Kyle Bruckman's Wrack and in Keefe Jackson's Project. Mike Pride received good marks from your servant for his "Scrambler" last year, because of his uncompromosing approach. Stein started playing clarinet only when he was twenty, obsessed as he became with jazz after listening to Monk and Dolphy. That fascination drove him to study music at Michigan University where he graduated. Kevin Davis was unknown to me, and appears to be an experimental and free jazz cellist now living in Chicago. His cello-playing on this album is mostly limited to pizzicato playing. The music the trio performs here is special. Their approach is light, open, with lots of space for the individual musicians. The first track is very gentle, with all three musicians outdoing themselves in the softness of their touch and the sparsity in the use of notes, as if they were a rare commodity, to be used with care and in rationed amounts. The second track is more assertive in tone, with stop-and-go rhythms, now aggressive, then plaintive wails coming from the bass clarinet, all improvised but with a strong unity and focus in the approach. Only the third track, "That's Not A Closet", has a more traditional structure : a joyful theme is expanded upon with some raw improvisation. The longest piece, "Caroline And Sam" starts with slow experimental sounds, one woven on top of the other, more avant-garde than jazz, but gradually, ever so slowly, the cello starts playing some gentle and graceful arpeggios, accentuated by light vibe sounds, as a fragile lullaby. And that's probably the strength of Stein's musical approach : he loves sounds and he loves silence and he loves intimacy and the possibilities of free forms. Yet the trio does not shy away from intense interplay either, as they demonstrate on the fifth track, on which Davis plays arco, competing with Stein in shrillness of sound and both with Pride in some rapid machine gun interaction, but never (totally) out of control, using intensity to emphasize the contrast with the soft underbelly of their improv. The last track is again in a fully composed form, unisono even, sweet and nice, fading out in 30 seconds of absolute silence, resigned. A young band with a great musical vision and strong emotional approach.

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Ulrich Drechsler - Daily Mysteries (Cracked An Egg, 2007) ***½

Much in the same vein as his previous album, "Humans & Places", Ulrich Drechsler continues with sad, sophisticated jazz, that falls within the post-bop category. Next to Drechsler on bass clarinet, the trio further consists of Heimo Trixner on Guitar and Jörg Mikula on drums. Much as on the previous album, human emotions play a central role. Not the all-important dramatic incidents, but the daily mysteries, these little things that affect us, quietly, compassionately, tenderly, ... And so is the music. Despite the drums, this can be qualified as chamber jazz, because the mood is still, the moment silent, the context calm. Drechsler looks for the esthetics in melody and performance, and he succeeds well in this endeavour. His playing is great, subtle, full of nuance and emotional depth. Adding the guitar to replace piano and drums gives his music an even stronger fragile touch of vulnerability. Both Trixner and Mikula are excellent, not only technically, but especially in capturing the mood of the music in all its openness and frozen emotions. For lonely or even romantic late evening moments ... and therefore a little too soft in its approach for my taste.

Listen and download from eMusic or from Crackshop.

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Marc Boutillot Trio - ... Et Alors? (Petit Label, 2007) ****

It is the frustration of many modern jazz musicians that excellence does not necessarily pay. Take these albums for instance, from the appropriately named French "Petit Label" ("small label"), which releases CDs that are only pressed in copies numbered from 1 to 100. I advise you to have a look on their website and also listen to other albums than the ones reviewed. The art work and the refinement of their website is illustrative of the quality of the music, which ranges from modern mainstream over more free jazz to pure improv and noise.

Marc Boutillot Trio - Et Alors? ****

This clarinet trio brings some excellent music, relatively free, with high intensity and great interaction, with Marc Boutillot on clarinet and bass clarinet, Sébastien Beliah on bass, and Frédéric Delestré on drums. The music varies the whole time, is now joyful, then sad, then dancing, with lots of rhythmic changes. A pleasure to hear. A great mix of free form and structure.

Listen and order from Petit Label.

Scraps - L'Enigme Du Sphynx (Petitlabel, 2006) ****


Scraps is a "bigger" band, with a three horn front : Samuel Belhomme on trumpet, Rémy Garçon and Jean-Baptiste Perez on sax, Emmanuel Piquery on keyboards, Antoine Simoni on bass and Emmanuel Peunfeunteun on drums. Together they bring a really nice form of modern jazz, complex polyrhythms, wonderful counterpoint action for the horns, great harmonic development, with long sweeping movements alternated with free intensity and rawness, yet always contained and falling within the overall structure. No ferocity here, but joyful, playful and refreshing music.

Listen and order from Petit Label

I hope these guys get some wider recognition.

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Amendola/Goldberg/Hoff - Plays Monk (Long Song Records, 2007) ****½

One of the essential elements in great music is the enthusiasm of the musicians. If they're not 100% behind what they're playing, then why would you care as a listener? There are moments when musicians excell at bringing this enthusiasm with the material across very well, and this CD is an example in case. "Plays Monk" consists of Scott Amendola on drums, Ben Goldberg on clarinet and Devin Hoff on bass, and they bring ten pieces by Monk. And what these guys do, is absolutely fabulous : the rhythm section is re-creating the tunes all by themselves, hard-hitting and very creative and modern with Monk's material, while Goldberg is trying to keep the original melodies intact, and lifting them even to unknown territory, his clarinet as fast as the right hand of the absent piano-player. Especially Amendola is fierce at times and Hoff's bass is more often "running" rather than "walking ", because they turn the tempo a notch higher than on the originals. The band's objective is to find the depth and breadth of Monk's music and they do it well, "… always aiming for the distilled truth of the music”, as they say themselves. This is indeed music stripped to its barest essence : melody, harmony, rhythm and interplay. And the material is great, and the musicians are great. Pure joy, pure fun! What more do you want?

You can listen, buy or download the album from Long Song Records

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