Articles by Friedrich Kunzmann
Tobias Meinhart: The Painter
by Friedrich Kunzmann
During the past decade of working the jazz clubs of New York, German tenor saxophonist Tobias Meinhart has soaked up every inch of the musical tradition he started pursuing as a drummer in Bavaria in his early teens. A keen ear for melodic development, a gift for harmonic oversight and the whims for rhythmic intricacy already graced the saxophonist's last outing, Berlin People (Sunnyside, 2018), featuring the distinctive playing of Kurt Rosenwinkel. On The Painter, however, Meinhart has now also ...
Continue ReadingJohannes Wallmann: Elegy For An Undiscovered Species
by Friedrich Kunzmann
Supported by the Artemis supergroup members drummer Allison Miller and trumpeter Ingrid Jensen as well as by long-time collaborator Dayna Stephens and bassist Nick Moran, Johannes Wallmann can count himself lucky to have a celebrity packed core band behind him to present six new cuts fresh off the pianist's pen. In addition to the celebrity lineup, a sumptuous string orchestra (15-strong) adds harmonic depth and ornamental brushstrokes along the way, expanding crescendoing build-ups with further dynamic width and embellishing soloistic ...
Continue ReadingChristoph Irniger's Open City: Retracing The Tenor's Evolution On Intakt Records
by Friedrich Kunzmann
A sound poet of sorts, Swiss tenor saxophonist Christoph Irniger has gained quite a reputation for his lyrical tone and creative penmanship, more often than not responsible for the majority of the memorable repertoire he records and performs. The poetic nature of his music is owed not only to the artists that have influenced him over time, but also to the life events that inspire his musical creativity and the things that surround him in everyday life, such as his ...
Continue ReadingTrøen Arnesen Quartet: Tread Lightly
by Friedrich Kunzmann
The line that separates borrowing from stealing can be quite narrow in music, and even after judges rule on the matter, one may remain torn between the one and the other. It continues to be a very common issue in the mainstream pop world as the recent ruling against pop stars Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams for ripping off Marvin Gaye's “Got to Give It Up" in their 2013 world-wide number 1 hit “Blurred Lines" shows. Although not nearly as ...
Continue ReadingNikol Bókóva: Prometheus
by Friedrich Kunzmann
The quintet which pianist Nikol Bóková rounded up for her third album as a leader can be regarded as a showpiece of the young and dynamic talents stirring up the Czech jazz scene. Featuring the crafty skills of contemporary guitarist David Doruzka, French-horn player Radek Baborak's exceptional lyricism, and a versatile rhythm section made up of bassist Jaromir Honzak and Michal Wierzgon, Prometheus presents a highly melodious program which blends timeless lyricism with modern soundscapes to an effect that weighs ...
Continue ReadingIngi Bjarni: Lessons
by Friedrich Kunzmann
In the very brief liner notes accompanying this solo debut record, the Icelandic pianist-composer Ingi Bjarni Skúlason talks about the difficult challenge it proved, to record and produce his piano music all by himself. With regard to the timing of the recording, he admits he does not believe there is ever a “right time" for doing anything, “so why not do it now?." As many jazz releases have proved, Bjarni was not the only one to have this idea during ...
Continue ReadingBrad Mehldau Trio Live At The Konzerthaus
by Friedrich Kunzmann
Brad Mehldau Trio Konzerthaus Vienna May 26, 2021 After the prolonged dry spell of concert-less months owing to the Covid Pandemic, pretty much any live music was likely to attract an audience to the Konzerthaus in Vienna to experience the magic of space and sound in person, and in real-time once again. The fact that Brad Mehldau's trio would be one of the first acts re-opening the long-awaited Austrian live season only made that ...
Continue ReadingMichel Benita: Looking At Sounds
by Friedrich Kunzmann
Michel Benita's leader-debut with his Ethics band for ECM, 2016's River Silver, came as a welcome addition to his oeuvre and the label's catalogue, following the French bassist's earlier characteristic contributions in saxophonist Andy Sheppard's Trio Libero on Trio Libero (ECM, 2012) and Surrounded By Sea (ECM, 2015). As on the first Ethics album, 2010's self-titled effort released on OutNote, on River Silver Benita unified an international pool of musicians, with Norwegian guitar-scape designer Eivind Aarset washing atmospheric clouds over ...
Continue Reading2 Debuts = 2 Quartets
by Friedrich Kunzmann
Bebop idioms prove far from extinct on these debut albums from two hungry cats, leading vigorous quartets with the mission to carry the bop torch of a young jazz generation. Nathan Francis Nathan Francis Quartet Ajabu! Records 2021 American bassist Nathan Francis has been based out of Helsinki, Finland ever since moving to Scandinavia from San Francisco, to study at the Sibelius Academy of Music. On his leader debut he gathers a ...
Continue ReadingRoberto Pianca Sub Rosa: Mono No Aware
by Friedrich Kunzmann
The Roberto Pianca-led ensemble Sub Rosa's second release is a concentrated exercise in inter-communicative restraint, subtlety and woven odd meters that provokes the mind while consoling the soul. It's a cool affair that profits from the individual talents' accurate performances and inquisitive spirits as much as the leader's proficiently crafted compositions. Where the predecessor, self-titled Sub Rosa (Wide Ear Records, 2013) was a rather rigorously tempered and vigorously executed display of broad technical virtuosity, Mono No Aware scales things back ...
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