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Daniel Schläppi / Marc Copland: Alice's Wonderland
by Dan McClenaghan
Alice's Wonderland is the third duo outing from bassist Daniel Schlappi and pianist Marc Copland, following Essentials (Catwalk, 2012) and More Essentials (Catwalk, 2015). Both Copland and Schlappi have carved out their spots as leaders of various sized ensembles, but the leaderless duo outing format seems to fit both instrumentalists well—Copland has teamed with bassist Gary Peacock on Insight (Pirouet Records, 2009) and What It Says (Sketch, 2004), pianist Bill Carrothers on No Choice (Minium Music, 2006), and saxophonist Dave ...
read moreDaniel Schläppi/Marc Copland: Alice's Wonderland
by Jakob Baekgaard
Since they first documented their work together on Essentials (Catwalk, 2012), bassist Daniel Schläppi and pianist Marc Copland have refined the musical language of the duo. Essentials was followed by More Essentials (Catwalk, 2015) and saw the establishment of a pattern: standards, original compositions, compositions played by Miles Davis and, not least, compositions played by pianist Bill Evans' famous trio with drummer Paul Motian and bassist Scott LaFaro. It's no surprise that Schläppi and Copland would choose ...
read moreDaniel Schlaeppi/Marc Copland: More Essentials
by Dan McClenaghan
The experience of this duo outing, More Essentials, begins with the packaging, the cover art, a gorgeous photo of two jelly fish immersed in the softened hues of shallow submersion in the sea. The disc spins, an introductory bass solo by Daniel Schlaeppi that leads into Miles Davis' “Blue In Green," with pianist Marc Copland's liquid, anti-gravitational, chord-to-chord glide as lovely as anything he's ever laid down, immersed in turquoise, tethered by the (planetary) Neptune-ian pull of bassist Daniel Schlaeppi's ...
read moreDaniel Schlaeppi/Marc Copland: More Essentials
by Budd Kopman
More Essentials is just that, a continuation, after much touring, of the partnership between bassist Daniel Schlaeppi and pianist Marc Copland. The extremely high standards set by its predecessor, Essentials are more than met by this second release. The structure of this release is the same as before: tunes, some more, some less well known (including one original by Copland) are connected by “Essentials," which are short improvisations, mostly by Schlaeppi, with one duo effort. These are numbered ...
read moreTomas Sauter: Double Life
by Budd Kopman
Tomas Sauter, known heretofore as a fine guitarist, leads a quartet--Ralph Alessi, trumpet and bass; Luzius Schuler, electric keyboards; Dominik Burkhalter, drums--as an electric bassist on the intriguing album, Double Life. For those who are always looking for, and expecting, new sounds, this session will shock in how retro it sounds. The overall vibe is, superficially, 'soft groove' atmospheric background music projecting the image of low lights, glasses of wine and an overstuffed sofa--and it can be listened ...
read moreDaniel Schlaeppi: Essentials
by Budd Kopman
Bassist Daniel Schlaeppi, in response to his efforts in playing, recording and producing top-notch jazz for the past ten years, won a six month scholarship to come to New York in 2010. During his stay, he heard Marc Copland's New York Trio with Gary Peacock and Bill Stewart, and afterward sent Copland an email with links to mp3s on his site. Copland responded positively and, in the end, he and Copland spent weeks playing together, ultimately resulting in ...
read moreDaniel Schlaeppi: Voices Live
by Budd Kopman
For what more could one ask? A live gig, excellently recorded; an appreciative audience; a band which is sharp as a tack that comes charging out of the gate smoking, playing music to which one cannot help but move. The previous live album of bassist Daniel Schlaeppi, was Dimensions Live, and he brings us this time a set from Jazzfestival Schaffhausen with a band that has no harmony instrument. Consisting of two saxophones/bass clarinets, Jurg Bucher ...
read moreDaniel Schlaeppi / Jurg Bucher / Colin Vallon: Dimensions Live
by Budd Kopman
The very fine Dimensions Live is the second release from the band led by bassist Daniel Schläppi, which contains saxophonist Jürg Bucher and pianist Colin Vallon, the first simply named Dimensions (Brambus, 2003). Schläppi has also released Forces (Catwalk, 2007) on which he joined forces with Vallon, trombonist Nils Wogram, and teamed up with guitarist Tomas Sauter on the delightful Indian Summer (Catwalk, 2006). This double CD release was recorded at the Bird's Eye Jazz Club in ...
read moreDaniel Schlaeppi: Forces
by Budd Kopman
Bassist Daniel Schläppi, whose previous release was Indian Summer (Catwalk, 2006) with guitarist Tomas Sauter, establishes himself as both a composer of note and someone who can bring together fine players and get the best from them with Forces. The quartet, led by Schläppi consists of virtuoso trombonist Nils Wogram, also heard on The Move (Between The Lines, 2005), pianist Colin Vallon from Ailleurs (Hatology, 2007), and drummer Samuel Rohrer, who also played on Sauter's Magic Carpet ...
read moreTomas Sauter: Magic Carpet
by Budd Kopman
Guitarist Tomas Sauter, whose last release was the wonderful duo recording Indian Summer (Catwalk, 2006) with bassist Daniel Schlaeppi, now gives us a quite different sound and vision with Magic Carpet. As before, the sound is superb, having been recorded by Daniel Dettwiler and mixed and mastered by Jan Erik Kongshaug (of ECM fame). For these compositions, Sauter has assembled a quartet consisting of reedman Domenic Landolf, bassist Patrice Moret and drummer Samuel Rohrer. Given the extra ...
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