Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Nils Wogram/Konrad Bauer/Dominic Duval: Serious Fun + One

142

Nils Wogram/Konrad Bauer/Dominic Duval: Serious Fun + One

By

Sign in to view read count
Nils Wogram/Konrad Bauer/Dominic Duval: Serious Fun + One
The CIMP meeting between German improvising trombonists Nils Wogram and Konrad Bauer captured on Serious Fun was one of the most unusual and satisfying entries in the label’s batch of 2000 releases. Unbeknownst to most listeners (myself included) the session that yielded that disc had an addendum. Bassist Dominic Duval, on return trip from Guelph, Ontario stopped by the Spirit Room shortly after the original session and joining the Germans engaged in a fruitful second one.

Duval’s presence makes for a strikingly different sound, as the duo becomes trio. The most obvious effect is that of his real-time electronics additions, which incorporate loops and processing. On the opening “Dark One” they create an ambient sound scape that envelops the twining trombones. The tight telepathic palaver so much a part of the duo recording is also loosened significantly to include Duval’s confident contributions. Wogram frequently makes colorful and expressive use of mutes framing his lines and patterns in even more effective relief from those of Bauer. Trading knotty slurs the pair butts slides over a scurrilous bowed counterpoint from Duval on “Getting Started.” The rustically flavored “Country Ballad” is far less abrasive in mood and approach mixing Bauer’s lyrical line with Duval’s softly throbbing shapes prior to Wogram’s late entry. It’s on pieces like this one where the CIMP sound really works to the players’ advantage and unveils the levels of nuance ripe in their interactions that might otherwise be lost in a compressed environment. Two duets are also included allowing Duval to dialogue with each trombone in isolation and explicit differences audible in each encounter make for one of the highpoints of the disc.

Overall, excepting Duval’s electronic atmospherics, which on occasion prove distracting, this companion disc to the trombonists’ initial offering stacks up to its predecessor extremely well. Serious Fun has the slight edge if only because of the sense of the expected excitement that surfaced in hearing the two trombones joust so adroitly in quick-witted confabulation. Fans of the heavy horn owe it to themselves to check both volumes out.

CIMP on the web: http://www.cadencebuilding.com

Track Listing

dark one/ getting started/ country ballad/ beat/ Duet K D/ Duet N D/ Interruptet Repetitions/ Thoughtful

Personnel

Nils Wogram
trombone

Nils Wogram- trombone + mutes; Konrad Bauer- trombone; Dominic Duval- bass. Recorded: September 14, 1999, Rossie, NY.

Album information

Title: Serious Fun + One | Year Released: 2001 | Record Label: CIMP Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris
Candid
Sunny Five
Inside Colours Live
Julie Sassoon

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.