Jesper Zeuthen: Plus

Jesper Zeuthen (sax)

Plus (Barefoot Records; 2012)

Adam Pultz Melbye (bass)

Kasper Tranberg (trumpet)

Henrik Pultz Melbye (sax)

Thomas Praestegaard (drums)

Jens Kristian Bang (trombone)

Kristian Tangvik (tuba)

Discovering Jesper Zeuthen late last year was a welcomed experience. While he has been on the European scene for years, I had only heard on his material as leader until recently. His last releases with his trio and now Plus have been an artist revitalized and discovering a new voice and direction. The self-titled debut album and its follow-up live album seems to have been only building blocks to what has arrived now from the larger sextet.

Simply titled, Plus opens with the raucous "Ti Ar Og To Dage" which feels like a cross between the Dirty Dozen Brass Band with Ornette Coleman and Albert Ayler leading the charge in a wall of avant garde bliss - New Orleans style. It's fun and adventurous with various moving parts, including Zeuthen's revolving sax and the bellowing march of Tangvik's tuba. "Plus" has a rural, almost folk-ish quality that moves along like a pictorial journal through the countryside.

"Den Navniose" with its subtle marching drums just underneath the horns is a commanding mid-tempo piece that this pleasant and intense all at once. It builds into a number of complex changes as the piece moves forward and Zeuthen makes it feel cinematic as you head towards the end. "Zig Maj" and "Merit" both feature the entire sextet in funky form while Zeuthen sounds fresh and commanding, with a lot multiple textural lines. Both pieces are fully effected with bold patterns and rhythms by Melbye, Bang and Tangvik. Enjoyable and refreshing with a lot of energy.

Plus is a stronger and a very well focused project - showing that Zeuthen is feeling more comfortable with his band and his ever growing book of compositions. This is big music with wide eyed direction. Plus is another excellent outing for Jesper Zeuthen. You should seeks this out.

Preservation Hall Jazz Band: 50th Anniversary Collection

Preservation Hall Jazz Band (ensemble)

50th Anniversary Collection (Sony Legacy; 2012)

Various Artists

Finally a welcomed document of one of the most famous yet under appreciated ensemble within the jazz scene, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band. More an ethos of jazz - New Orleans jazz in particular - than the face of its musicians. The music was the essence of the cultural nature of America's swing and later early bop era. This massive collection spans the rich, vibrant and highly influential pieces performed by the ensemble of fifty years.

The beginnings were mainly to have a performance space for the ever-growing jazz scene. It turned into a breeding ground of talent. "Eh La Bas" opens the set and shows the jubilation and energy the ensemble creates every time they set foot on stage or in the studio. The call to arms by Dee Dee Pierce (and cornet) along with ferocious playing from the horn section will have you dancing out of seat faster than you know it; a lot learned from Armstrong's Hot Five Hot Sevens.

The versions of "Corina, Corina" and "St. James Infirmary" are fantastic. Wendell Brunious and Thadddeus Richard (trumpet and piano respectively) are killer standouts on Corina. While Lewis Nelson (trombone) and Billie Pierce tear it up on the vamp-tastic "...Infirmary" It is dark beauty and bluesy.

A more recent recording with Del McCoury (guitar, vocals) on the lovely "I'll Fly Away" stretches across gospel, jazz, bluegrass and country with ease, all with a special New Orleans flare. Another call-and-response barn burner "Shake That Thing" led by John Brunious (vocals, trumpet), Michael White (clarinet) and Joe Lastie (drums) pounds its rhythm into soul with passion and lots of humour.

"I'm Confessing That I Love You" and "Precious Lord" are those classic heart-gutting numbers that will make you reflect and cry but also show you the long way home through adversity. Sublime without a doubt.

There are so many tracks on this collection that it just will take way to long to talk about. And there are a number of collections that have been released already. But make no mistake this is one of those archival records that is a serious must have for music fans of any genre.

This set has been years in the making and it is well worth the wait. You can hear and think of almost every jazz artist you love at present that owes everything to this ensemble. Preservation Hall Jazz Band 50th Anniversary Collection is not only one of the best reissues of year--it should easily be one of the best records of year. It may cost some many but its definitely--HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Fabrizio Paterlini: Autumn Stories

Fabrizio Paterlini (piano)

Autumn Stories (FP Records; 2012)

Fabrizio Paterlini has exhibited a unique talent that at the piano that has everyone including me, trying to figure out how to categorize it.

It's not on the same level as Keith Jarrett, although the emotion and ethereal qualities are the same. Yet it is more rooted in the classical tradition of Satie and Debussy with contemporary touches of Harold Budd or Nils Frahm. Modern Classical might be the best way to capture it. But either way you describe it - Paterlini should quickly turn into a household name outside of his native country, Italy.

With his forth solo album, Autumn Stories, Paterlini shows a growing strength in creating structured arrangements which the listener clearly draw their own picture. The album was recorded over a 14 week period and quietly illustrates the movement of the seasons. "Week 1" opens with a soft hushed wind that blows the leaves gently aside. This imagery soon reveals the listener to the subtle, lonely notes of its protagonist. The stillness so opens up to "Week 2," a stripped bare version of Massive Attack's "What Your Soul Sings." Here though Paterlini allows the listener to dig deeper with his or her own thoughts to uncover a meaning. The subtraction of Sinead O'Conner's vocals from the Massive Attack version was hard for me but after a second listen it really does become Paterlini's piece.

"Week 4" has the feeling of rolling emotions at sunset. There is almost a Keith Jarrett quality to this piece that is playful yet well constructed, and soon builds overflowing notes and then elegantly descends. "Week 8" is delicate like Satie meets Glass; singularly focused with brief intersections of improvisation. The closing number for this beautiful journey is "Week 14." A minuet with multiple facets, Paterlini shows you the light at the end of the road. A light that's letting everyone know that life can continually be amazing.

Fabrizio Paterlini has made another beautiful record that I hope more people will find out about. Fabrizio Paterlini is cycle about a brief period in life. But a period which is reflective and constructive. This is one of those solid records that goes upon recommendation for almost every friend you have--no matter what style of music they listen to. Highly Recommended.

Lund Quartet

Lund Quartet (group)
Lund Quartet (self-produced; 2012)
Simon Adcock (piano, theremin)
Sam Muscat (drums)
Jake Wittlin (turntables, electronics)
Rob Childs (bass)

A real surprise for me earlier this summer was the discovery of the band Lund Quartet. I first heard the band after a jazz competition in their hometown of Bristol. I didn't hear anything about them again until last month when I stumbled across their name the site Bandcamp. They've been on the scene for about 3 years, but have built a nice following in the UK jazz scene. And finally everyone else gets to find out what they are all about, with their self titled debut.

Combining the raw urban energy of the vibrant Bristol scene with European aesthetics, Lund Quartet explodes in your ear drums like a bouillabaisse of Harold Budd, Portico Quartet, Arve Henriksen and Portishead. It's a mixture that's delicate, dark and industrial. "Sequoia" reflects the band's diverse interests of ambient tones, trip hop grooves and pulsating piano dynamics. Lots of echo treatments and subtle uses of electronics/turntables hitting against Child's tight drum kit. The reverberation soon becomes hypnotic and emotional.

"Loves Madness" adds a playful Latin tinge aided by dark, eerie sampled vocals from the great African singer, Miram Makeba, that float in the mix are almost reminiscent of Beth Gibbons (of Portishead) combined with Ute Lemper. Adcock's performance is strong and holds the piece together with mastery. "Lonn" allows Muscat and Wittlin to carry the weight with a deep funky progression in association with Adcock and Childs' circling notes. Adcock adds in his violin, which sounds so beautiful within the texture of this groove. It really is killer. The soft touch of "Zill Bell" is the absolute perfect way to end this experience, filled with an almost classical reverence but infused with a sense of dark ambience projected through Adcock and Muscat's abraded notes.

Lund Quartet's subtle use of electronics and turntables is brilliant. It helps in the deconstruction of acoustic instruments and allows the group's personality to rise above the notes. The ethereal quality that the quartet emits is exquisite and should be applauded by fans of jazztronica and European jazz alike. Lund Quartet again show that the UK scene is bubbling with creative talent from every direction of the isle. This is an album that I can't stop from its infinite loop. Highly, Highly Recommended!