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Artikel

01 maart 2024

Europe Jazz Media Chart – Maart 2024

Geschreven door:

Ook deze maand publiceren wij weer de Europe Jazz Media Chart, een lijst van de belangrijkste jazzalbums van dit moment volgens toonaangevende Europese journalisten binnen de jazz. Journalisten die voor Europese magazines, zowel print als online, hun artikelen en recensies schrijven.

Good Things: A Tribute to George Smith – Konstantin Kolesnichenko (Self-released)

Kateryna Ziabliuk, Meloport (Ukraine):

Good Things: A Tribute to George Smith is the latest album of Ukrainian harmonica virtuoso Konstantin Kolesnichenko, a familiar face in the international blues scene. Paying homage to the legendary George “Harmonica” Smith, Konstantin collaborated with a stellar lineup including Paul Seedorenko on guitar, Mykhaylo Lyshenko on piano, and the Dmytro Lytvynenko on drums. Tragically, the bassist Serhii Artemov, a valued member of the ensemble, fell victim to russian aggression in 2023 during the shooting in Bakhmut.

The album features guest harmonica players Dennis Gruenling, Matyas Pribojszki, and Big Harp George, along with vocalists Alabama Mike and Konstantin Tikhonov, and Daniel De Vita on guitar, sharing space with Paul Seedorenko. This offering is deeply authentic, full of the characteristic, quivery approach of Konstantin’s performance, which definitely stands out of others.

Pastor’s Paradox – Aruán Ortiz (Clean Feed)

Bega Villalobos, In & Out JAZZ (Spain):

Aruan Ortiz once again strengthens a talent and a way of understanding composition that for the moment have made him successfully move through avant-garde jazz, Afro-Cuban music, soundtracks, chamber music, works for dance, orchestral compositions, contemporary classical and any field of avant-garde improvised music. Risk, creative restlessness and a constant search to develop his own language are the distinguishing features of a unique and unpredictable creator. Read more (in Spanish)

Impressions in Colours – Izabella Effenberg (GLM)

Jacek Brun, Jazz-fun.de (Germany):

Impressions in Colors is a good portion of music, but it never gets boring, because the album is varied and self-contained. The music captivates with its content, convinces with its drama and above all offers a musical quality based on the fusion of melody and sound space. The sounds of the instruments used by Izabella Effenberg are simply fantastic. The complete absence of electronics is appealing; all the sounds you hear are “analog”.

A Celebration of Keith Tippett – 123 (Pig Records)

Peter Slavid, LondonJazz News (UK):

A series of six concerts recorded at St Georges in Bristol in 2021 to celebrate the life of jazz pioneer Keith Tippett, featuring a host of players with whom Keith worked or was closely associated. Duos, trios, and various sized groups culminating in the 17 piece The Keith Tippett Celebration Orchestra. More than four hours of glorious music featuring the cream of British improvising musicians. “An ambitious and successful tribute”.

Universum – Atom String Quartet (Warner Classics)

Paweł Brodowski, Jazz Forum (Poland):

Poland’s Atom String Quartet is one of the few truly improvising jazz string quartets in the world, the others that instantly come to mind are the Turtle Island Quartet from the U.S.A. and radio.string.quartet.vienna. The Atoms, as we like to call them, have been together now for 14 years. Universum, their seventh album, is their most ambitious endeavor. Over two CDs, it features four extended, multi-part string quartets, each composed by another member of the group, highlighting a different approach, style and a repertoire of performance techniques (each is a virtuoso).
Atomizations by violionist Dawid Lubowicz is a reflection on the universe and the infinity of time, Atlas of Butterfflies by cellist Krzysztof Lenczowski is a musical illustration for a children’s book, String Quartet No. 1“Pictures from Warsaw” by violinist Mateusz Smoczyński tells a heroic story of Warsaw through the ages, altoviolist Michał Zaborski’s Bolero was inspired by… Ravel’s Bolero, evolving gradually into a free jazz departure.
Overall, Universum is mostly serious music – classical, contemprary, minimal, with echoes of Polish folklore and world music, and a generous bonus of jazz improvisation. Read more (in Polish)

Serendipity – Olivier Ker Ourio & Quentin Dujardin (AGUA music)

Pierre Dulieu, JazzMania (Belgium):

Throughout “Serendipity”, the warm breath of chromatic mouth organ mixes with the caress of the strings for soft and light music that warms the winter air and makes it vibrate in a myriad of positive waves. Read more (in French)

Remedy – Thomas Heberer/Joe Fonda/Joe Hertenstein (Fundacja Sluchaj)

Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg, Jazz’Halo (Belgium):

With “Remedy II”, the listener and the musicians immediately reach the core of emotion, energy and love for music, with great spontaneity and the assurance of great creators. The sum of the parts surpasses that which we may already dream of when we read their names: Thomas Heberer, Joe Fonda and Joe Hertenstein: a cure for the prevailing gloom!

Groove Street – Dave Stryker Trio with Bob Mintzer (Self-released)

Kaspars Zavileiskis, Jazzin.lv (Latvia):

Not everything always has to be complicated. Not even in jazz. In these tumultuous times,
mood-enhancing stability is also needed from time to time, and this is exactly what American guitarist Dave Stryker offers in his latest album Groove Street together with his long-time colleagues – organist Jared Gold and drummer McClenty Hunter Jr., with the participation of the well-known tenor saxophonist Bob Mintzer. Such a company is able to create an upbeat feel and deep groove, making you smile and sway along to Stryker, Gold and Mintzer originals, as well as Wayne Shorter, Eddie Harris and Harry Warren standards.

Bleu – Ann O’aro (Cobalt / Buda)

Matthieu Jouan, Citizenjazz.com (France):

Reunion Island singer and poet Ann O’aro had warned us that her new album would sound “radical, music scraped to the bone. Her usual trio (voice, trombone, percussion) is joined by a piano, which she sometimes plays, and electronic modulations. The lyrics lose nothing of their wild freedom, and the scansion is as clear as ever. Bleu is the magic of an atonal dive into an ocean of cinematic improvisations.

Eagle’s point – Chris Potter (Edition Records)

Patrik Sandberg, Jazz Orkesterjournalen (Sweden):

Potters latest record as a leader Eaglés Point is filled with high-octane, contemporary jazz with a strong personal touch. This time Potter teams up with topnames like Brian Blade, John Patitucci and Brad Mehldau performing nine strong originals by Potter. Masterful interplay meets melodic thinking. One of Potters most adventurous records to date.

Solstice – Frank Kimbrough (Pirouet Records)

Cim Meyer, Jazz Special (Denmark):

More than seven years ago Frank Kimbrough (p), Jay Anderson (b), Jeff Hirshfield (d) met and made this recording, mostly first takes, without rehearsal or previous discussions. Only musicians who have worked together and know each other really well from numerous occasions can do that. The music selected by Kimbrough – by i.e. Carla Bley, George Gershwin, Paul Motian, Annette Peacock, Andrew Hill, and Maria Schneider – demonstrates his appetite for “the enigmatic and the translucent, the mysterious and the artlessly elegant.”

A Single Sunbeam – Daniel Herskedal (Edition Records)

Viktor Bensusan, Jazz Dergisi (Turkey):

Into each heart some tuba must fall… Daniel Herskedal is an eco-mposer weaving moods while weathering storms between jazz and the new age …

Another State of Rhythm – Old Mountain (Clean Feed Records)

Nuno Catarino, Jazz.pt (Portugal):

Old Mountain is a project by Pedro Branco (piano) and João Sousa (drums). They are joined on this album by a range of esteemed guests: the renowned Tony Malaby on saxophone, João Hasselberg and Hernâni Faustino on double bass. Based on collective involvement, this is contemporary music, fresh and rich, bringing together different voices and ideas in a common direction. Published by Clean Feed, “Another State of Rhythm” is a big surprise. Read more (in Portuguese)

Elusive – Félix Zurstrassen / NOVA (Igloo Records)

Dick Hovenga, Written in Music (Netherlands):

Brussels-based bassist Félix Zurstrassen releases a new album under the band name NOVA with Elusive. Within the band in addition to Zurstrassen, Ben van Gelder (alto sax), Antoine Pierre (drums), Nelson Varas (guitar) and this time Kit Downes (piano) as prominent addition, he has a great band to tackle. Men from different wind corners (Zurstrassen and Pierre from Brussels, Varas from Brazil, Downes from London/Berlin and van Gelder from Amsterdam) who have already played a lot together and find each other musically effortless and are always out for adventurous playing.
Zurstrassen writes compositions with strong melodies that also leave plenty of room for fine soloing, giving each musician, measured over the album, considerable space to place themselves prominently in the soundscape. From album opener Glowing Ride to closing track Epilogue, the musicians consistently pull up very beautiful and warm-blooded atmospheres.
The wonderful chemistry these musicians have together produces an album of great class. It all sounds so natural, so joyful, so loose, so free. Not surprising that these musicians keep seeking each other out for new projects/bands when the chemistry is always so present. Elusive is of great “European” jazz class. Read more (in Dutch)

Scratching Fork “II” – Marek Malinowski / Robert Rychlicki-Gąsowski / Wojciech Zadrużyński (Fundacja Słuchaj)

Krzysztof Komorek, Donos kulturalny (Poland):

An album is a fantastic display of the guitarist’s skills and abilities and the presentation of the guitar colours. The music corresponds brilliantly with the inspirations contained in the titles of some of the songs. And sometimes it itself hints at the sources from which the trio drew inspiration. There are no stylistic restrictions here – what counts above all is a good musical idea. And Marek Malinowski and his bandmates have plenty of these. Read more (in Polish)

Voor de volledige lijst en meer links: Europe Jazz Media Chart – March 2024