Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Christina von Bülow: On The Brink Of A Lovely Song

8

Christina von Bülow: On The Brink Of A Lovely Song

By

View read count
Christina von Bülow: On The Brink Of A Lovely Song
American saxophonist Lee Konitz first toured Scandinavia in 1961, his wonderfully original saxophone playing leaving a lasting impression on, among many others, an aspiring Danish alto player, Christina von Bülow.

Konitz, who played on the classic Gil Evans/Miles Davis Birth Of The Cool session, is now in his nineties. It is to be hoped that, no matter the vicissitudes old age may have visited upon him, when he listens to this album, he will smile slowly to himself and perhaps shed a tear as he realizes, hopefully for the umpteenth time, that his living has not been in vain.

In her sleeve note, von Bülow eulogizes: "Mr Lee Konitz... has been a constant inspiration throughout my musical career. This album is a reflection of this inspiration—I owe a lot to this legendary alto player and master of improvisation."

While this is true, she has taken matters one step further. Konitz was very masculine in his approach. Like a man mucking about with an old car, he liked to experiment, tinker with the music he played, at one point in his career even seeking the aid of electrical amplification. This did not please everyone.

Von Bülow, being a woman and a mother, prefers to concentrate on nurturing songs to all-round fruition. Her melodic lines are rich and full and combine to create a musical oneness. You hear Konitz in her playing but it is always a very feminine interpretation.

The end result is a truly magnificent album.

To take just one number, "I Loves You Porgy," written by Gershwin to be sung by a woman, her interpretation wrings meaning from the melody, exposing the very heart and soul of the song.

There's also her own tribute to her mentor, "Out Lee," which features her son Pelle on guitar—the Konitz legacy passed on to a new generation.

All these songs are immaculately polished musical gems. Von Bülow has been greatly helped in her creation of what is surely destined to become a landmark of Scandinavian jazz by the sympathetic, intuitive playing of young Pelle as well as that of Palle Danielsson on bass and Eliot Zigmund on drums.

Together they have created a modern classic.

Track Listing

I Should Care; Just Too Very; Still Love You So; Out Lee; Don’t Blame Me; I Love Paris; I Loves You Porgy; Of A Lovely Song; The Peacocks; Sörgemarch.

Personnel

Christina von Bülow: alto saxophone; Pelle von Bülow: guitar; Palle Danielsson: bass; Eliot Zigmund: drums.

Album information

Title: On The Brink Of A Lovely Song | Year Released: 2018 | Record Label: Storyville 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.