MILD

CD Review: Wolfert Brederode Quartet - Post Scriptum

Wolfert Brederode Quartet - Post Scriptum
(ECM 276 4500. CD Review by Chris Parker

Dutch pianist Wolfert Brederode's first album with his international quartet, Currents, drew this comment from Jazz Journal's Michael Tucker: 'a patiently and intelligently shaped album […] the currents here are mostly deep and slow-moving, sometimes practically hypnotic in their ebb and flow', and this follow-up recording might be described in just the same way.

To assist him in achieving his often mesmeric effect, Brederode has Swiss clarinettist Claudio Puntin, Norwegian bassist Mats Eilertsen (something of an ECM regular, having recorded with Trygve Seim and Tord Gustavsen, among others) and another Swiss, Samuel Rohrer, on drums, and they flicker in and out of prominence around and behind his thoughtful piano musings, creating what Brederode calls 'a very natural way of working together … As we play the music one of us may be "featured" or come to the fore in a particular piece, but these things arise spontaneously, and change constantly.'

The material, mostly in-band originals, nine of the album's fourteen pieces by Brederode himself, is typical ECM fare: softly
pattering, lyrically fluent, occasionally rubato excursions hardening from time to time into quietly intense, subtle interaction between players more
interested in slow builds and unusual textures than in outright swing or straightforward propulsiveness.

Those listeners who came out of Tord Gustavsen's recent Cheltenham concert muttering about the difficulty they had staying awake during it will not be any more impressed with Brederode; more patient souls with a meditative streak, however, will find much to engage them in this painstakingly wrought and oddly compelling music.

ECM Records website

Justin Bieber & Selena Gomez on the beach in Hawaii

Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez enjoy the ocean waves during their vacation at the beach in Maui, Hawaii on May 26, 2011.

Miley Cyrus - Gypsy Heart Tour Photocall at Four Seasons Hotel in Mexico City

Singer Miley Cyrus attends a photocall and press conference for her "Gypsy Heart Tour" at the Four Seasons Hotel in Mexico City on May 26, 2011.

Preview: London Trumpet Ensemble with Mark Nightingale 9th June Pizza Express Dean Street.

Steve Fishwick writes:

This gig will mark the debut of the London Trumpet Ensemble, a co-operative group that we’ve set up to promote jazz and new music played on the trumpet. The aim is to feature special guests from the UK and beyond along with the core group. It’s quite a rare occurrence (in my experience at least) for trumpet players to play together in a small group context. Sure, we often get together in the ranks of a big band, but it’s an altogether different thing to be able to stretch out and bounce off each other in a small combo with a great rhythm section.

Percy Pursglove, Robbie Robson and I will be doing exactly this at the Pizza Express on the 9th of June. Percy and Robbie are two of my favourite trumpet players around today. Percy has a fiery and adventurous approach to the horn whereas Robbie has a more mellow lyricism, but with a contemporary edge.

And then there's trombonist Mark Nightingale. Mark is renowned throughout the music fraternity and beyond as one of the best trombonists in the world today. I first became aware of him in my college days in 1995 when another trombonist, Mike Feltham, played me his album, ‘What I Wanted to Say’, which features no less than Ray Brown on bass. My initial reaction was “are you sure that’s a slide trombone he’s playing?!” I’ve been an admirer ever since. I’ve been lucky enough to play with him many times in big bands and he never fails to play something that makes my jaw hit the floor. Plus he makes it all look so easy. This will be one of the few times I’ve played with him in a small group so I’m really looking forward to this one.

We’ll be playing some of Mark’s compositions specially arranged for this line up along with some of our music and the occasional re-imagined standard. We have a pretty fiery rhythm section too: Michael Janisch on bass, Andrew Bain on drums and Malcolm Edmonstone on piano.

Expect sparks to fly when you let four brass players off the leash like this. But these guys are also musicians of such quality, it's going to be far more than a higher-faster-louder competition. I'm looking forward to it.

Boookings at pizzaexpresslive.co.uk