Among other skills, Germany's Joachim Zoepf plays various saxophones as well as bass clarinet and piano. Having recently come across free improv, in 1989 he recorded for the first time, the result being the solo album Solo Reeds -Elements (Musikverlag H. Burger & M. Müller, 1989) on which he played soprano and baritone saxophones plus bass clarinet. In his relatively small discography, it is notable that Geschmacksarbeit ("Taste Work," in English) is Zoepf's sixth solo recording and on it he again plays soprano sax and bass clarinet, a significant development being that Zoepf now also uses the electronics and processing which first appeared on his solo album Production: Berserker (Nur/Nicht/Nur, 2005). The fourteen tracks on Geschmacksarbeit are split equally between soprano sax and bass clarinet, alternately; the seven featuring soprano are titled "Kurzwellen" ("shortwave") while those featuring bass clarinet are "Langwellen" ("longwave"). None of the tracks is overlong, the shortest, "Kurzwellen No.7" lasting two-and-a-quarter minutes, the longest, "Langwellen No. 3," six-and-a-half. Such brevity, allied to the alternation between the two contrasting instrumental sounds, leads to an album that remains varied and fresh throughout. However, the album's greatest variety and interest is provided by Zoepf's improvising. While he started off playing mainstream jazz in the 80's and has demonstrated his virtuosity many times over in other contexts, his solo playing is knowingly exploratory and questioning, a way into sounds and attitudes which can feed into his group playing. In conjunction with his use of computer interfacing, which creates the effect of two (or more) players, this approach to solo playing produces a broad spectrum of sounds. For example, "Langwellen No.7" contains extended passages which could be the work of a reeds quartet with years of experience together, while the next track "Kurzwellen No. 2" features a fascinating forensic exploration of the sound of breath through a saxophone when the reed is just vibrating, the effect being uncannily ghostly at times. The common denominator of the fourteen tracks is that they are never dull and all stand up well to repeated listening. Released in a numbered and signed limited edition, the album comes housed in a distinctively tactile black felt sleeve. Attractive as they are, those features are not necessary to make Geschmacksarbeit appealing; the music alone achieves that.
All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make 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.
Go Ad Free!
To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves 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.
We sent a confirmation message to . Look for it, then click the link to activate your account. If you don’t see the email in your inbox, check your spam, bulk or promotions folder.
All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make 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.
