Europe Jazz Media Chart – Februar 2023
Die Releasetipps der europäischen Jazzredaktionen und mit neuer Musik von u.a. George Dumitriu, Eyolf Dale Trio, Anja Lauvdal, Auziņš & Čudars & Arutyunyan, Bruun & Kjærgaard &Westergaard, London Brew, Esbjörn Svensson.
Henning Bolte, Written in Music (Netherlands)
George Dumitriu: Monk on Viola (Evil Rabbit Records)
When thinking of Viola or Bratsch, composers as Morton Feldman or György Ligeti come to mind. Thelonius Monk is not the most obvious match. Dumitriu has changed it in fascinating ways and sheds a light on Monk’s depth of form and sense for essential detail to make music enthralling and living on. This album is about how the Monk substance emerge from the rich sonorities of the viola. Dumitriu achieve and illuminates it by playing with process and result in a dialectical way. Monk is maybe the most played jazz composer every night on this planet. Dumitriu contributes and gives us a recording that can repeatedly listened to with pleasureful astonishment night by night for a while.
Lars Mossefinn, Dag og tid (Norway)
Eyolf Dale Trio: The Wayfarers (Edition Records)
Matthieu Jouan, Citizenjazz.com (France)
Anja Lauvdal: From a Story Now Lost (Smalltown Supersound)
Kaspars Zavileiskis, Jazzin.lv (Latvia)
Auziņš – Čudars – Arutyunyan: Tutti Off Duty (SKANi)
Auziņš – Čudars – Arutyunyan is a Latvian contemporary jazz trio at the peak of its strength. At the beginning of this year, the third album Tutti Off Duty was launched, the name of which is a reference to the time of the pandemic, when all the duties of musicians were indeed postponed, but there was no desire to turn off the creation of new music. This is also not possible for saxophone and bass clarinet player Kārlis Auziņš, guitarist Matīss Čudars and drummer Ivars Arutyunyan, because all three have studied at jazz schools in different countries and are musicians full of creativity, who like to connect on the same wave from time to time to improvise together and watch what will happen. As a result, a new album has happened, which reflects both rural and urban landscapes in a Northern European flowing manner, using extended techniques and electronic effects in the creation of the sound, but also maintaining the melodiousness. This is the first jazz album released by the Latvian National classical and choral music label SKANi, and probably not the last. Tutti Off Duty is also released on CD.
Jan Granlie, Salt-peanuts.eu (Pan-Scandinavian)
Bruun/Kjærgaard/Westergaard: Thēsaurōs (ILK RECORDS)
The Danish trio with drummer Peter Bruun, piano player Søren Kjærgaard and bassist Jonas Westergaard have collaborated occasionally since they left the Rhythmic Conservatory in Copenhagen a lot of years ago. But since they do not live in the same city, or country, and all three are very busy with other musical projects, the trio has not been given the highest priority. Thēsaurōs has become one of the finest records I can remember hearing from a piano trio since the records with the Bill Evans Trio from the early 60s. Here we get music that speaks to the inner self, performed by three musicians who know each other very well, who have the same ideas about music, and can manage Peter Bruun’s compositions in the very best way. A true treasure trove of a trio recording. And one of the many reasons why we are spending so much time listening and writing about jazz and other strong music for free. Has this year’s best record already arrived?
