HENRIK JENSEN'S FOLLOWED BY THIRTEEN - Blackwater
Jellymould Jazz JM-JJ023
Henrik Jensen: double bass; Andre Canniere: trumpet / flugelhorn; Esben Tjalve: piano; Antonio Fusco: drums.
Recorded 12th/13th October 2015, Porcupine Studios.
Following their first release (Qualia, 2013), this CD builds on the relationship that the Followed by Thirteen quartet has developed since its formation in 2010. The music here continues to show the mature and sophisticated compositions of Jensen, and the robust playing of the quartet. The balance between the players has a spontaneity that feels like a friendly jam session, and this can often belie the complexity of Jensen’s tunes. These tunes enchantingly shift between light and shade against a well-sprung, rhythmic framework. A particular skill that Jensen has been developing is the composition of a well-turned riff that provides both a clear structure for the piece and the impression that the player is spontaneously creating this in response the opportunities offered by the bass-line beneath it. Throughout the pieces, Jensen’s rich, sonorous bass propels the tunes, with Tjalve providing intelligent and clearly defined accompaniment. In their solos, both musicians offer captivating and rewarding variations of the tunes. Fusco’s drumming keeps the tempo swinging, suggesting a variety of jazz styles in each piece as he shifts and swerves behind the musicians.
Against the rhythm section, Canniere plays a brassy trumpet which lends an air of trepidation to the pieces; nothing too menacing, but a slight sense of disquiet all the same. This is, perhaps, not so surprising, given the band’s name and Jensen’s admitted fear of all manner of superstitions (as he explained during the tour of the first album). The titles of the pieces hint at a personal mythology (with ‘The Dutch Danemann’, ‘Bonza’, ‘Ricardo’s Room’, ‘The Unready’ and ‘Cravings’) or autobiography (with ‘Lullaby for the Little One’, ‘London-Berlin’). There is an intimacy in the way that the pieces develop and the listener has the feeling of over-hearing a circle of friends sharing anecdotes and stories. When Canniere plays the flugelhorn, say on ‘Bonza’, his sound shifts to a lighter quality that gives a haunting shimmer that has a delicate balance between hesitation and commitment and which shows a mastery of a tricky instrument with a strong and swinging jazz style.
The quartet plays modern, intelligent jazz that draws upon a range of traditions and mixes styles in ways that are not overt and obvious but which create a unified experience that is uniquely their own. The balance between composed and improvisation, as in the best jazz, disappears so that one is left with a complete and perfectly coherent quartet performance.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Jellymould Jazz JM-JJ023
Henrik Jensen: double bass; Andre Canniere: trumpet / flugelhorn; Esben Tjalve: piano; Antonio Fusco: drums.
Recorded 12th/13th October 2015, Porcupine Studios.
Following their first release (Qualia, 2013), this CD builds on the relationship that the Followed by Thirteen quartet has developed since its formation in 2010. The music here continues to show the mature and sophisticated compositions of Jensen, and the robust playing of the quartet. The balance between the players has a spontaneity that feels like a friendly jam session, and this can often belie the complexity of Jensen’s tunes. These tunes enchantingly shift between light and shade against a well-sprung, rhythmic framework. A particular skill that Jensen has been developing is the composition of a well-turned riff that provides both a clear structure for the piece and the impression that the player is spontaneously creating this in response the opportunities offered by the bass-line beneath it. Throughout the pieces, Jensen’s rich, sonorous bass propels the tunes, with Tjalve providing intelligent and clearly defined accompaniment. In their solos, both musicians offer captivating and rewarding variations of the tunes. Fusco’s drumming keeps the tempo swinging, suggesting a variety of jazz styles in each piece as he shifts and swerves behind the musicians.
Against the rhythm section, Canniere plays a brassy trumpet which lends an air of trepidation to the pieces; nothing too menacing, but a slight sense of disquiet all the same. This is, perhaps, not so surprising, given the band’s name and Jensen’s admitted fear of all manner of superstitions (as he explained during the tour of the first album). The titles of the pieces hint at a personal mythology (with ‘The Dutch Danemann’, ‘Bonza’, ‘Ricardo’s Room’, ‘The Unready’ and ‘Cravings’) or autobiography (with ‘Lullaby for the Little One’, ‘London-Berlin’). There is an intimacy in the way that the pieces develop and the listener has the feeling of over-hearing a circle of friends sharing anecdotes and stories. When Canniere plays the flugelhorn, say on ‘Bonza’, his sound shifts to a lighter quality that gives a haunting shimmer that has a delicate balance between hesitation and commitment and which shows a mastery of a tricky instrument with a strong and swinging jazz style.
The quartet plays modern, intelligent jazz that draws upon a range of traditions and mixes styles in ways that are not overt and obvious but which create a unified experience that is uniquely their own. The balance between composed and improvisation, as in the best jazz, disappears so that one is left with a complete and perfectly coherent quartet performance.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
