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Ben Schwendener/Uwe Steinmetz: Apfelschaun
ByThe title of this record means something like "looking at apples," a reference to a certain autumn peace to be found on the grounds of Steinmetz's home in northern Germany. The full-fledged collaboration between the two players in contexts from solo to quintet was collected over the course of five live performances in Boston, Berlin, and Caux, Switzerland during 2001 and 2002. Boston is Schwendener's home base (he teaches at New England Conservatory and Longy School of Music) and the place Steinmetz went for his doctorate (NEC).
The opening quartet piece, "Eternal Harvest," pairs a catchy piano riff with a loosely anthemic saxophone theme, expanding and contracting in time through pensive and exuberant moments, with just a touch of a backbeat. Its warm glow persists in various forms to the very conclusion of the record. Schwendener's "Folk Dance" (briefly interpreted by Steinmetz on solo sopranino saxophone) sounds vaguely classical in its baroque motifs and ornamentation. The ballad that follows moves from melancholy lament through loose swing into a cleansing rush of resolution. "Mood Swings" also connects meditative softness with a spiritual flare.
Having spun this disc many times over the past few days, I have found it veers oddly in and out of my life as a sort of active soundtrack. Rather than demanding attention, Apfelschaun tends to coax it from you. Warmth and understatement are ideal partners in this autumn adventure, fortifying you no matter what sort of chill might lie ahead.
Sound samples are available here .
Track Listing
Eternal Harvest; June 13th; Folk Dance; Freunde, dass der Mandelzweig...; On a Theme by George Cumming; Noddy likes to watch the Noddy Show with Tessie Bear, sometimes; Southern Scale; Underwater; Mood Swings; Two Walls of a Circle; Dona Dona; Desert Games.
Personnel
Ben Schwendener
pianoBen Schwendener, piano (1-2,4-12); Uwe Steinmetz, saxophone; Sven Klammer, trumpet (2,5,12); Prasanna, guitar (11); Bill Urmson, bass (1,4,11); Oliver Potratz, bass (2,5,7-9,12); Eric Schaefer, drums (1-2,4-5,7-9,12); Miki Matsuki, drums (11).
Album information
Title: Apfelschaun | Year Released: 2004 | Record Label: Gravity Records