Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Gunter Baby Sommer: Live In Jerusalem

Gunter Baby Sommer: Live In Jerusalem

By Glenn Astarita
April 12, 2011
View read count

Track review of "Yo Yo Yo"

Legendary German jazz and improvising drummer Gunter Baby Sommer's boundless creative sparks and superior technical ability are well-documented. He's a quintessential innovator, largely within the European progressive jazz and avant-garde strata. On Live in Jerusalem, he aligns with an alternating ensemble that ignites a veritable firestorm amid some temperately organized passages.

On "Yo Yo Yo," Sommer's adventurism is prolifically accentuated. Bass clarinetist Yoni Silver's deep intonation and edgy intro is followed by the quartet's' tension-building motifs, firmly nestled within foreboding undercurrents. Here, guitarist Yona Albalak's distortion-laden phrasings and tenor saxophonist Yonatan Kretzmer's chatty and yearning lines help generate a doomsday panorama, while Sommer prods the band via simple 4/4 beats and a pummeling polyrhythmic assault that infuses a dissimilar vibe into sum of the multifarious parts.

The band pushes the envelope, while projecting a mind-opening experience that offers an enigmatic brew consisting of austere persuasions coupled with good-natured fun via freedom of expression.

Personnel

Gunter Baby Sommer

drums

Gunter Baby Sommer: drums; Yoni Silver: bass clarinet; Yona Albalak: guitar; Yonatan Kretzmer: tenor sax.

Album information

Title: Live In Jerusalem | Year Released: 2011 | Record Label: Kadima Collective

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Veto
< Previous

The Back-Talk Organ Trio at Le Petit...
Next >

Support All About Jazz

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.