Welf Dorr Unit: Blood

NY-based, German saxophonist Welf Door pilots this exciting multinational quartet through hardcore jazz fusion, funk, and detours into the solar system via these impressive pieces, often executed with tenacity and forthright intentions. Essentially, the band packs a massive punch as they grind out a diverse track mix with plenty of flare-ups, embellished with progressive jazz lines and blistering improvisations.

The band gets right to the point on the opener "Sympathicus," featuring Dave Ross' scorching electric guitar licks along with the leader's piercing lines atop drumming ace, Joe Hertenstein's zesty support. Here, the musicians enjoy a little bloodletting while toggling into the outside jazz realm. On "Blood" they dish out a hard-hitting funk rock groove with the frontline's wily unison runs amid Ross' distortion-spiked phrasings and Door's animated spirited attack atop Dmitry Ishenko's bulging bass patterns.

The quartet goes for the gusto during these kinetic performances. And they spin guitar legend James Blood Ulmer's "Big Tree" into a straightforward medium-tempo rocker in concert with Door's resonating extended notes, soulful lines and Hertenstein's pummeling tom rolls. Moreover, Ross' feverish riffs and the band's sinewy developments instill a sense that the musicians have become possessed with a take no prisoners line of attack.

Door and associates straddle the free zone, where semblances of convention seamlessly interact with mind-bending movements. Ross is often an instigator, partly evidenced on the thorny bop oeuvre "Outcry," where his speedy chord progressions and unorthodox phrasings tender an ominous vista. In sum, the artists breeze through several modulations and alter the pitch with chopping and soothing theme building installments, as they max out the needle on the fun factor gauge.

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