Andreas Willers: Tin Drum Stories - Inspired by the novel Die Blechtrommel' by Gunter Grass

Glenn Astarita

Senior Contributor since 1997

Longtime contributor to AAJ and Downbeat, Jazz Review, EjazzNews, Radio DirectX.

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Published: March 1, 2001

Guitarist Andreas Willers leads his trio through an impressionistic sojourn based upon and inspired by Gunter Grass’ novel, “Die Blechtrommel’. On Tin Drum Stories, Willers melds deft picking, supple themes and slashing crunch chords with firebrand lead soloing and circuitous developments along with a rhythm section, seemingly bent on employing refreshingly abstract ways and means of expressing cadence and flow.

With pieces such as “Tin Drum Stories; Parts 1 & 2, the guitarist slashes and burns atop Michael Griener’s swarming beats and shrewd utilization of assorted percussion instruments while bassist Horst Nonnenmacher provides a cohesive bottom-end for the trio’s multidimensional vistas. Willers is an expert at utilizing various volume control techniques as a tool for accentuation and spawning intersecting motifs yet displays a propensity for turning up the heat within various sequences. Basically, the group explores adventurous free jazz type dialogue in conjunction with Willers’ beefy lines, fleet-fingered single note runs, and mood evoking chord voicings. Hence, peaks and valleys abound via distinctly shaped tonalities and variegated undercurrents. On, “Wasser, Brot, Schute”, the guitarist pursues a slithery mode of execution as he incorporates blaring chunks of sound along with Jimmy Page-like stinging blues/rock leads, and resplendent thematic invention while the rhythm section regenerates a hybrid and somewhat surreal Rock/Afro-Cuban pulse. However, the underlying factor resides within the band’s curiously interesting implementations, as these musicians straddle the outside while also providing additional insight into familiar musical territories. Highly recommended.

Track Listing: Tin Drum Stories, Part 1: Shelter, Part 2; Glass: Part 3; Ahead, Apart: Part 4; Fortuna X: Piratenlied, Leinen Los!, The Bastard Period, Wasser, Brot, Schuhe, Reprise: Shelter, Behind the Fridge

Personnel: Andreas Willer; electric and acoustic guitars, devices, banjo (6), ukulele & doorharp (7): Horst Nonnenmacher; acoustic bass: Michael Griener; trap set, prepared trap set, dictaphone (7)

Record Label: Between the Lines
Style: Modern Jazz