Tobias Hoffmann Jazz Orchestra: Innuendo

Although German-born maestro Tobias Hoffmann can readily lay claim to a pair of music-inspired hats, he wears only one of them—that of composer and arranger—on the Tobias Hoffmann Jazz Orchestra's second recording, Innuendo, while placing the other (that of eloquent tenor saxophonist) in the capable hands of the ensemble's dynamic duo, Robert Unterköfler and Martin Harms. That proves to be a wise decision, as Harms shines brightly on "Sanctuary" and Unterkofler does the same on the closing "Perseverance."

As a writer, Hoffmann does not hesitate to color outside the lines, interweaving seductive melodies and harmonies with bypaths that may best be described as iconoclastic and at times rather dissonant. Even so, he never loses sight of the music's essential purpose, which is to enliven the heart as it entices the ear. And so it is that the album's opening number (and title song) moves quickly from its strident preface into a calmer and more gratifying mode, as do most of Hoffmann's handsome compositions.

"Sanctuary," for example, is an eloquent ballad with a hymn-like ambience, perfectly suited to Harms' eloquent tenor, and he makes the most of his moment in the sun with an extended solo that satisfies and sparkles. The more animated "Perseverance" weaves an alluring melodic pattern before making room for perceptive solos by Unterkofler and trumpeter Florian Menzel. Following "Innuendo" (whose soloist is alto Florian Trübsbach), Hoffmann explores relative consonance on the luminous "Summer Solstice" (artistic trombone solo courtesy of Simon Harrer) before moving again to a more sophisticated motif with the supple and challenging "No Way Back," whose charismatic soloists are trumpeter Gerhard Ornig and pianist Viola Hammer.

"Convictions," inspired by an exercise by trombonist Bob Brookmeyer in which only the white keys of the piano are used, uses familiar melodic and harmonic patterns to announce a piercing solo by alto Patrick Dunst before renewing its customary mode in which the ensemble eagerly takes command and ushers it to the finish line. The lissom "Bipolarity," which Hoffmann says was written "to sound like an arranged saxophone solo," showcases instead valve trombonist Robert Bachner with the ensemble's superb sax section and, later, the trumpet section as well. "The Lake," which precedes the closing "Perseverance," is an evocative anthem whose charming melody leads to a rough-hewn guitar solo by Vilkka Wahl and a more lyrical statement from trumpeter Jakob Helling.

Hoffmann, who is already a celebrated composer and arranger, continues to show his growth and maturity in both areas on Innuendo, a chromatic showpiece on which his masterful orchestra also shines.

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