Gebhard Ullmann / Chris Dahlgren / Jay Rosen: Cut It Out

German multi-woodwind player Gebhard Ullmann found the cover art for Cut It Out in the hallway of his Berlin apartment building, and he and bandmates "found the music"—these spontaneous compositions—in bassist Chris Dahlgren's Brooklyn living room, where they recorded the disc, creating a set of sounds that have an spontaneous feeling all the way through.

Ullmann presents his music in various ensemble setups, from big band to mid-sized groups to trios. Two of the prolific musician's best works come from his trio outings. BassX3 (Drimala Records, 2005) featured Ullman on bass clarinet and bass flute, backed by two string basses; and now Cut It Out finds him with bassist Chris Dahlgren and drummer Jay Rosen. Again, Ullman plays bass clarinet and bass flute, showing off his affinity for the lower register on a mostly minimalist set that often seems to creep and crawl on a subliminal level, like burgeoning life churning implacably in the humus on the jungle floor.

The minimalist/subliminal/low-register character can cause a listener who's not wired into the free nature of the sound to miss out of the inticacies of the three-way converstations. Drummer Jay Rosen, who plays on numerous CIMP Spirit Room discs, is a marvel at subtle textures juxtaposed with interludes frenetic cymbal explosions, while Ullmann and Dahlgren lurk around in the shadows, issuing deep-toned proclamations.

Cut It Out is not for listeners who are uninitiated to the sounds of the freer side of jazz, but for those who've been there, it has a definite allure.

Visit Gebhard Ullmann on the web.

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