JAKOB DINESEN - Keys & Strings
Stunt Records STUCD 19052
Disc 1: Keys
Jakob Dinesen (tenor saxophone); Carsten Dahl (piano & percussion); Nikolaj Torp Larsen (keyboards & effects)
Disc 2: Strings
Jakob Dinesen (tenor saxophone); Anders Christensen (bass); Jakob Høyer, Morten Ærø, Magnus Hjorth, Heine Hansen (drums)
String Section: Andreas, Karen Johanne Pedersen, Josefine Dalsgård (violin); Sidsel Feher Most, Niels Levinsen (viola); Samira Dayyani (cello)
Closing track featuring Jakob Dinesen (tenor saxophone); Darin Pantoomkomol (piano); Noppadol Tirataradol (bass); Sarute Witjitwechakarn (drums); Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra; Prateep Suphanrojm (conductor)
Recorded between January 2016 & November 2018
Every now and again, among the many recordings received for review, their is something that jumps out as something rather special and Keys & Strings by Jakob Dinesen is one of those albums. This is an astonishing recording that is immediately deeply affecting, and in many ways reminds me of the first time that I encountered the music of fellow tenor saxophonist, Trygve Seim with his ECM debut Different Rivers and the follow up, Sangam. Although both musicians work in quite different ways, there is that sense of adventure and the unexpected inherent in their respective work.
Over the course of two discs there is a lot of music, much of it original and presumably written for these particular musicians and ensembles, and three standards which appear on Disc 2 that are so well intergrated into the fabric and concept of the album as to fit like hand in glove. The only constant across nearly ninety minutes of music is the tenor saxophone of the leader, yet such is the conviction of his playing that there is never a dull moment, and is testament not only to the writing and arranging coupled with the playing of the different ensembles, from the trio on Keys to the larger tonal palette available on Strings, that there is a sonic consistency and temperament throughout.
Indeed the music moves seamlessly with each disc giving the impression of being conceived as a single suite, and is especially true of Keys that contains all original pieces that float effortlessly from one 'movement' to another. Dinesen's mastery of his instrument is evident from the outset, playing with a delicate lyricism in all registers of the tenor, with a big warm sound in the middle and lower registers of the horn, and a teasing fragility in the upper register.
The trio, sans drums, provide a wide variety of textures for the saxophone to float its lyrical lines, each statement providing a narrative for the unfolding story, and broadly speaking this device is also used across the music written and arranged from the larger ensemble, with the more static and formal setting proving no barrier for improvisation and Dinesen's storytelling.
There is very little in change of dynamics from one disc to the other, but this hardly matters as the music provides a perfect setting for the gently hued playing of the leader that is totally absorbing.
If his previous album, Yasmin also released on Stunt Records in 2014, garnered much praise from Danish critics then it is hoped that Keys & Strings may help to spread the word further afield about this exquisite album from a master storyteller and balladeer.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
Stunt Records STUCD 19052
Disc 1: Keys
Jakob Dinesen (tenor saxophone); Carsten Dahl (piano & percussion); Nikolaj Torp Larsen (keyboards & effects)
Disc 2: Strings
Jakob Dinesen (tenor saxophone); Anders Christensen (bass); Jakob Høyer, Morten Ærø, Magnus Hjorth, Heine Hansen (drums)
String Section: Andreas, Karen Johanne Pedersen, Josefine Dalsgård (violin); Sidsel Feher Most, Niels Levinsen (viola); Samira Dayyani (cello)
Closing track featuring Jakob Dinesen (tenor saxophone); Darin Pantoomkomol (piano); Noppadol Tirataradol (bass); Sarute Witjitwechakarn (drums); Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra; Prateep Suphanrojm (conductor)
Recorded between January 2016 & November 2018
Every now and again, among the many recordings received for review, their is something that jumps out as something rather special and Keys & Strings by Jakob Dinesen is one of those albums. This is an astonishing recording that is immediately deeply affecting, and in many ways reminds me of the first time that I encountered the music of fellow tenor saxophonist, Trygve Seim with his ECM debut Different Rivers and the follow up, Sangam. Although both musicians work in quite different ways, there is that sense of adventure and the unexpected inherent in their respective work.
Over the course of two discs there is a lot of music, much of it original and presumably written for these particular musicians and ensembles, and three standards which appear on Disc 2 that are so well intergrated into the fabric and concept of the album as to fit like hand in glove. The only constant across nearly ninety minutes of music is the tenor saxophone of the leader, yet such is the conviction of his playing that there is never a dull moment, and is testament not only to the writing and arranging coupled with the playing of the different ensembles, from the trio on Keys to the larger tonal palette available on Strings, that there is a sonic consistency and temperament throughout.
Indeed the music moves seamlessly with each disc giving the impression of being conceived as a single suite, and is especially true of Keys that contains all original pieces that float effortlessly from one 'movement' to another. Dinesen's mastery of his instrument is evident from the outset, playing with a delicate lyricism in all registers of the tenor, with a big warm sound in the middle and lower registers of the horn, and a teasing fragility in the upper register.
The trio, sans drums, provide a wide variety of textures for the saxophone to float its lyrical lines, each statement providing a narrative for the unfolding story, and broadly speaking this device is also used across the music written and arranged from the larger ensemble, with the more static and formal setting proving no barrier for improvisation and Dinesen's storytelling.
There is very little in change of dynamics from one disc to the other, but this hardly matters as the music provides a perfect setting for the gently hued playing of the leader that is totally absorbing.
If his previous album, Yasmin also released on Stunt Records in 2014, garnered much praise from Danish critics then it is hoped that Keys & Strings may help to spread the word further afield about this exquisite album from a master storyteller and balladeer.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
