Welf Dorr, Elias Meister, Dmitry Ishenko, Kenny Wollesen: So Far So Good

Germany-reared saxophonist Welf Dorr has been a fixture in the New York City avant-garde jazz scene since 1995 and brings his distinctive blend of experimental and free jazz to life with this album. Dorr has been a relentless innovator, merging elements of blues, jazz and rock into his compositions. As leader of his group, Welf Dorr Unit, he has consistently pushed the boundaries of modern jazz. With So Far So Good, he continues this tradition, delivering a collection that is thought-provoking and sonically venturesome.

The album itself is a genre-hopping joyride. One minute one may be cruising down a smooth free bop highway, the next neck-deep in a funky swamp, and with no warning, Dorr has launched into a stratospheric exploration of free jazz that may leave the head spinning (in a good way). It is a testament to Dorr's skill that these disparate elements connect into a cohesive whole, a testament to his ability not just to play the notes, but to truly conduct an aural adventure.

"Keep On Keeping On" is a medium-tempo, loosely enacted funk piece, featuring Elias Meister's skronking guitar work and popping unison choruses with Dorr. Yet during the bridge, the guitarist unleashes ravaging psycho jazz licks. Here, the band is intense but tempered with a happy-go-lucky musical gait. On "Impatience" the musicians fuse an Ornette Coleman-like melody, complete with the leader's sultry phrasings as they teeter toward the free zone. Moreover, Kenny Wollesen's perky drumming is surrounded by his cohorts' smoldering mid-section amid fierce crash and burn breakouts. Dorr slants the primary theme, segueing into the lower registers, led by the drummer's tumbling tom rolls.

"Crazy S" is a brief piece, which contains the soloists' succinct unison lines and the leader's rapid single-note riffs. Here, the guitar's scraping and quivering notes provide the knockout blow. It sounds like a good soundtrack for an off-centered horror movie. Otherwise, fans of the legendary NYC Downtown scene ensemble Curlew may be smitten with this presentation.

Nonetheless, Dorr proves that the journey of jazz is as exciting as ever. He aims to take the listener on a ride through the unexpected twists and turns of his musical landscape—because so far, it has all been very, very good.