Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Jozef Dumoulin: A Fender Rhodes Solo

3

Jozef Dumoulin: A Fender Rhodes Solo

By

Sign in to view read count
Jozef Dumoulin: A Fender Rhodes Solo
Belgian keyboards player Jozef Dumoulin describes his new solo album, his first solo album, as the the first solo album in the history of the electric piano, the Fender Rhodes. It is also a culmination of a long exploratory journey into the various, weird, eccentric sonic qualities of this vintage instrument, enhanced with electronic effects.

The versatile Dumoulin developed a highly personal voice on the keyboards, including the Fender Rhodes, that always flirted with experimental sounds, whether he played with mainstream jazz musicians as saxophonist Mark Turner or pianist Bill Carothers or with innovative improvisers as guitarist Marc Ducret and saxophonist Ellery Eskelin or with his own trio,

Dumoulin says that he never planned consciously to research the Fender Rhodes sonic possibilities but slowly, organically studied more and more on its myriad characteristics. When he decided to record a solo album of the Fender Rhodes he insisted on four constraints—to use the Rhodes and only the Rhodes, to only record improvisations, to isolate tracks within 'regular' duration within these improvisations and to avoid overdubs. Dumoulin allowed himself to add any effects that may fit to each improvisation.

Dumoulin takes the Rhodes to new sonic terrains, liberating it completely from any funk, psychedelic, fusion, rock or jazz associations, and suggests evocative, often enigmatic and cinematic soundscapes. On the 16 concise improvisations recorded in his home he emphasizes the Rhodes almost infinite, resonating and vibrating possibilities while sustaining the instrument sounds, turning these mellow sounds into a meditative, drone improvisation with a series of overtones on "Observing Disorder" and atmospheric, space journey on "Sungloves"; investigates the options to distort, mutate and color its deep sounds with darker, disturbing shades as on "Warm Black" and "The Red Hill Medicine," and structures subtle dramatic narrative as on "The Entry Point."

Eventually Dumoulin succeeds to transform this instrument to a machine that generates experimental sounds that partially brings to mind sounds emanating from the sixties and seventies, the golden age of the Rhodes, but more as futuristic, otherworldly ones, still, all sound fresh.

Track Listing

Amber;Dissolve;Rapid Transportation; That; Warm Black; Inner White; The Entry Point; Observing Disorder; The Red Hill Medicine; Sungloves; Honeycomb; Try Four; Safety Orange; Questioning The Heroic Approach; And If, Remember; Uncountable Small Actions.

Personnel

Jozef Dumoulin
keyboards

Jozef Dumoulin: Fender Rhodes.

Album information

Title: A Fender Rhodes Solo | Year Released: 2014 | Record Label: Bee Jazz

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

Fiesta at Caroga
Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective
Fellowship
David Gibson
Immense Blue
Olie Brice / Rachel Musson / Mark Sanders

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

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