Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Michiel Stekelenburg 5: Layers

39

Michiel Stekelenburg 5: Layers

By

View read count
Michiel Stekelenburg 5: Layers
Dutch guitarist/composer Michiel Stekelenburg expands his group to a quintet for his second album as a leader. Joined by saxophonist Efraim Trujillo, pianist Jeroen van Vliet, bassist Guus Bakker, and drummer Pascal Vermeer he presents a sharp set of contemporary jazz originals. The opener "024" begins with folk guitar strumming, a sound recalling Pat Metheny, clearly a significant influence. That impression is confirmed by the implied dedication in the closing tune's title "Letter To Missouri" (Metheny's birthplace).

The strumming is followed by the insistent odd-meter ostinato of "Spudneck," then the ballad "The Nephilim." Trujillo sings on the long saxophone line of the theme, and the leader turns in a lyrical guitar solo. "Slowpoke" earns its title by the long, slow build over the course of the piece: this is a band that can hold back when necessary. "Viñales" (presumably taken from the name of a small Cuban town) features acoustic guitar layered with electric guitar, and a subtle Latin feel.

The aptly named "Jazzz" gives the group a chance to swing in an alternating section with walking bass—Trujillo and Stekelenburg blow hot on this one. "Morning Song" showcases the saxophone again, with an exciting solo over the closing vamp. The previously mentioned "Letter To Missouri" closes the album on a chamber jazz note. Acoustic guitar and Bakker's bass play a duet, which is eventually joined by an overdubbed electric guitar solo: a lovely, low key ending.

An excellent, varied set of contemporary jazz. Stekelenburg shines as composer and guitarist, and his fine band never fails to deliver. I look forward to hearing more from all of them.

Track Listing

024; Spudneck; The Nephilim; Layers; Slowpoke; Viñales; November; Jazzz; Bloom; Morning Song; Letter To Missouri.

Personnel

Michiel Stekelenburg: guitar; Efraim Trujillo: sax; Jeroen Van Vliet: piano; Guus Bakker: bass; Pascal Vermeer: drums.

Album information

Title: Layers | Year Released: 2016 | Record Label: Zennez Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter 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.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.