Home » Jazz Musicians » AHL6

AHL6

Jazz may once have referred to a particular style, but it has always described a particular approach to making music – relevant, egalitarian, and above all one that allows its practitioners the freedom to express themselves without fear of crossing some invisible boundary. More than anything else, jazz is a borderless music – and Lukas Aichinger’s AHL6 embodies this understanding.

There’s a whole lot to like about this record: the leader’s risk-taking and gratifyingly solid playing; guitarist Markus W. Schneider’s seemingly endless sonic invention (and, occasionally, his unabashed guitar-hero stylings); a muscular horn section able to deliver precision without sacrificing sound. The improvising is thoroughly convincing, but the real star here is the ensemble and the music itself: Aichinger’s compositions are dense without being busy, complex and quirky but not alienating. A little reminiscent of Sex Mob or John Lurie and the Lounge Lizards, each piece guides the listener with a steady hand along the paths conceived by the composer. The title track, “Thinker Try To Dance”, lives up to its name: a four-and-a-half-minute odyssey in shifting, truncated rhythms and displaced accents – but it’s also weirdly danceable. Granted, it might be the kind of dance you’d do while wearing two different shoes, but it’s definitely got a groove all its own. And there are simpler pleasures as well: the funky, Scofieldian “Duck Disco” or the spacious “DMIAL” invite us to simply sit back and enjoy the ride.

Aichinger’s inspiration comes largely from current societal developments, particularly our ongoing negotiation with new technologies – and these ideas find their way into the pieces as well; glitchy electronic effects from guitar and trumpet(!) are woven seamlessly into the music, as if to say yes, it’s a weird new world, but we may yet make our peace with it. In short, AHL6 has created a world of sound all its own – urgent, packed with surprises and open in heart and mind.

Tags

Videos

Get more of a good thing!

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