Peter Madsen's Seven Sins Ensemble: Never Bet The Devil Your Head
Madsen's translation of Poe's most famous poem, "The Raven," sets the stage for the program. The string quartet plays with an energy of high-octane jazz married to adventurous classical stylings. The strings dominate the sound in the beginning, then the jazz guys sneak in, adding a muscular foundation and an appropriately haunting mood supplied by Herbert Walser's muted trumpet.
The close touchstone for this sound seems to be saxophonist Stan Getz's Focus (Verve, 1961), an early and highly successful jazz "with strings" album. Call it pared-down Third Stream.
Each of Madsen's tune comes from an individual Poe tale. The stories are dark stuff for the most part, and so are Madsen's compositions. "Tell Tale Heart" sounds like doom, like something that could thrive in a heavy metal rendition—it's not stylistically that far from it. "A Dream Within A Dream" is a foreboding, slinking-in-the-dark-hallway piece of work. On the other hand, "The Cask of Amontillado" exudes light-stepping whimsey, like the soundtrack to a Pink Panther cartoon. Add to the mix on the tune some cool Ellingtonian, jungle cat growling from Walser to lighten the mood, followed by Madsen's crisp, astringent, Ellingtonian piano.
Never Bet The Devil Your Head, inspired by Edgar Allen Poe, takes the jazz with strings genre into scary and deeply emotional territory.
Track Listing
The Raven; A Dream Within A Dream; The Tell-Tale Heart; The Cask Of Amontillado; The Sphinx; Never Bet The Devil Your Head; The Fall Of The House Of Usher; Mesmeric Revelation; The Masque Of The Red Death; A Descent Into The Maelström.
Personnel
Peter Madsen: piano; Herbert Walser: trumpet; Aleksandra Lartseva, Monica Tarcsay: violin; Simon Frick: viola; Bianca Riesner: cello; Herwig Hammerl: bass; Martin Grabher: drums.
Album information
Title: Never Bet The Devil Your Head | Year Released: 2018 | Record Label: Playscape Recordings
Post a comment about this album
FOR THE LOVE OF 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 create 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.
WE NEED YOUR HELP
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve 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.
About Peter Madsen
Instrument: Piano
Article Coverage | Calendar | Albums | Photos | Similar ArtistsTags
Showcase
Contest Giveaway
