JO BEYER - Party
Berthold Records www.jobeyer.com/jo.html
Jo Beyer - Drums, Composition; Sven Decker - Tenor saxophone; Roman Babik - Piano; Andreas Wahl - Electric Guitar & Acoustic Guitar
Jo Beyer is a young musician of exceptional talent. I reviewed his last album 'Jo' a couple of years back and was impressed by the inventiveness in the compositions. I wrote, "There is an ever present depth and quality to the sound produced by the gathering of these exceptional musicians. Fun, fulsome and thoroughly enjoyable.....The potential held is considerable."
On his website Jo describes his take as, " Compose your favourite music, find your favourite musicians, give it a name and your favourite band is completed!.....Do what you enjoy - that's the motto of this band and that's exactly what the sound tells you. Uncompromised fun with the potential of top hit musical compositions, performed by some of the great improvisational musicians of contemporary jazz."
All of the above is true (as Jo says himself). In this album Jo shows his developing maturity and deepening understanding of composition. The arrangements are clever, well structured and give every musician the chance to shine.
Jo Beyer has played with several bands and at many venues. He studied jazz drumming at the Hochschule Osnabrück, Germany and the Royal Academy of Music Aarthus, Denmark. For this album he chose musicians where he could express himself, write the music and determine how it’s played, but also make important decisions regarding booking, PR and social media. He describes the band and album as "My baby, my band”.
His father, Andreas Wahl is the guitarist on the album, and also responsible for Jo's preference for jazz biased music. Jo preferred punk and rock in his teens but says, ' My Dad used to play a lot of experimental and modern jazz, which I didn’t like when I was younger, but when my father introduced me to the likes of Herbie Hancock, Jack de Johnette and Pat Metheny, my brain switched and I was hooked on the energy.” Both his parents encouraged Jo to found the band and focus on his passion which is to make this music.
Beyer has won newcomer jazz awards such as the “Europäischer Burghauser Jazzpreis 2015 and the Gexto International Jazz Competition 2017 with the group Malstrom.
'Cascada Geht Immer' opens - and what a beautiful way to enter this album. Piano rivulets, repeated time and again with sax coming in over the top, gentle at first and then developing into something quite extraordinary. The arrangement of this Beyer composition is superb, with the sax hitting perfectly, slightly off-key, sometimes sliding over that magical major 7th which hits the nerves and makes the listener sit up and take notice, waiting for the next if and when it comes. Sven Decker excels on this track - and is given rein to do so. The support is tight and so solid, it makes the perfect foil to Decker's off-kilter playing style. There is a contrapuntal guitar and piano section which is intriguing and comes at the perfect time to create a second third to this track before a funkier development takes the guitar into more rocky territory whilst the piano picks up the previously guitar-led off-beats before the music reverts to the original sax led arrangement. There is, it has to be said, an irksome repetitive beep in the final phrases but thankfully it lasts but a half minute and then vanishes, never daring to show its repetitive face again. The number finishes with the band as tight as a mosquito's arse and is a delight.
'Bei Rosa' ( a song inspired by a girl Jo met who never returned his calls) is piano led and the introduction is classical, gentle triplets, before there is a change of rhythm, tempo and emphasis. The drum is magnificent on this track and there are lots of tempo variations throughout. The piano of Roman Babik excels in the final stages before the outre. Excellent listening.
'Interstory Hashtag Tourlife' is introduced by the sax before the band come in and support. Then the sax leads and the others follow on a series of admirably adventurous musical escapades, varying from a repeated riff to a fast fingered, register-jumping sax solo. The structure and arrangements in this original piece pay homage to the great sax-led quartets of old, yet put a modern spin and some definitive twists , including a guitar solo section over percussion, which make it their own. Again, the tenor sax of Sven Decker is superb. 'Auf Jeder Jamsession Gibt Es Diesen Einen Tiger Bongo Latin Crasher' is gentle and free to start before a revolution around a short repeated phrase - before it changes again with piano leading sax in a soft, respectful conversation with percussion treading carefully underneath. The title should tell us a lot - it roughly translates to, 'On Every Jam Session There's This One Tiger Bongo Latin Crasher' and the crasher in this case is the rhythmic patterns which pervade this number, with their distinctly off-beat Latin assertions. Even the outre is worth holding on for.
'Zwischen Bier Und Poll Und 37 Grad Im Schatten' ( Between Beer, Poll and 37 Degrees In The Shade) is different in terms of rhythm and emphasis with a strong piano and guitar lead - including some lovely open string sounds - short but very sweet. 'Hallo Mein Name Ist Umberrto' is quirky and includes some deft keyboard work as well as a switch of rhythm where the keyboard riff suddenly swings - then goes back again before the sax flows in over the top to capture the ears. The slightly irksome riff from the piano re-appears just a tad too often in the first half but thankfully is over ridden and it is worth persevering because the sax and guitar dialogue in the second half is breathtaking. '15 Step' is a well-worked track with lots of trinkery and percussive noises in the introduction - all high and ear catching before the guitar introduces a gentle theme, shortly followed by the tenor sax, and the band takes off in a swingy, deeply rhythmic number which sways itself headlong towards the improvised solo from Sven Decker's sax - which is outstanding, and only just held in key and rhythmic check by the interspersed chords of the piano and later the drums and percussion. A guitar interlude follows with the accompaniment building, the piano crashing, together creating a heavy, deeply textured soundscape. The track ends with more trinkery and oddities from the percussion and keys. Astoundingly creative.
'Halloween Ist Doof' ( Halloween is Stupid) was written in response to Jo's dislike of carnivals and Halloween. It opens with percussion over piano chords, gentle guitar and sax, each filing the spaces left in the off-set rhythm. Sax and guitar work over the percussive lines from keys and drums and the number progresses into a free playing demonstration of intuitive listening and reaction from the musicians to each other. Don't listen for a tune, apart from the short sax solo, listen instead to the conversations - there are several going on.
' Wart Ihr Schonmal Auf Einer Bobbahn ' ( Have You Ever Been On A Bobsleigh Track?) is glorious in its expressiveness and again the sax makes light of complex improvisations around the themes, stoically maintained by piano and the rhythmic dynamism of the drums. The guitar gives a rocky, warping solo in the latter part of which is joined by the rest of the band in full-on gleeful accompaniment. Noisy, energetic and bursting with energy before the sax takes over towards the final stages with a repeated riff lasting the outre.
'Kalk Post Romantic' is the final track and opens with percussive noise over gentle piano lines, over which guitar and then sax enter. It develops into a short but beautifully structured piece with sax soaring over piano, guitar and percussion. An atmospheric finish to the album.
It is impossible to convey the difficulty of the arrangements and time-keeping within the quartet - or the cleverness and foresight needed to write like this and make it work but the arrangements are superb on this album - and each track is composed by drummer Jo Beyer who leads but also allows plenty of scope for the musicians to take the spot light - which they do with relish. An attraction on this album is the energy, the togetherness and also the ability the arrangements have for including some highly structured sections alongside freer sections, which makes it attractive for many. It is jazz in the good old sense on the one hand but it is also music in the here and now - a difficult combination but achieved here in absolute spades. That potential I spoke of in my earlier review is now realised and this band , with this composer are a force to be reckoned with. Good composition, great interpretation, wonderful music.
Reviewed by Sammy Stein
Berthold Records www.jobeyer.com/jo.html
Jo Beyer - Drums, Composition; Sven Decker - Tenor saxophone; Roman Babik - Piano; Andreas Wahl - Electric Guitar & Acoustic Guitar
Jo Beyer is a young musician of exceptional talent. I reviewed his last album 'Jo' a couple of years back and was impressed by the inventiveness in the compositions. I wrote, "There is an ever present depth and quality to the sound produced by the gathering of these exceptional musicians. Fun, fulsome and thoroughly enjoyable.....The potential held is considerable."
On his website Jo describes his take as, " Compose your favourite music, find your favourite musicians, give it a name and your favourite band is completed!.....Do what you enjoy - that's the motto of this band and that's exactly what the sound tells you. Uncompromised fun with the potential of top hit musical compositions, performed by some of the great improvisational musicians of contemporary jazz."
All of the above is true (as Jo says himself). In this album Jo shows his developing maturity and deepening understanding of composition. The arrangements are clever, well structured and give every musician the chance to shine.
Jo Beyer has played with several bands and at many venues. He studied jazz drumming at the Hochschule Osnabrück, Germany and the Royal Academy of Music Aarthus, Denmark. For this album he chose musicians where he could express himself, write the music and determine how it’s played, but also make important decisions regarding booking, PR and social media. He describes the band and album as "My baby, my band”.
His father, Andreas Wahl is the guitarist on the album, and also responsible for Jo's preference for jazz biased music. Jo preferred punk and rock in his teens but says, ' My Dad used to play a lot of experimental and modern jazz, which I didn’t like when I was younger, but when my father introduced me to the likes of Herbie Hancock, Jack de Johnette and Pat Metheny, my brain switched and I was hooked on the energy.” Both his parents encouraged Jo to found the band and focus on his passion which is to make this music.
Beyer has won newcomer jazz awards such as the “Europäischer Burghauser Jazzpreis 2015 and the Gexto International Jazz Competition 2017 with the group Malstrom.
'Cascada Geht Immer' opens - and what a beautiful way to enter this album. Piano rivulets, repeated time and again with sax coming in over the top, gentle at first and then developing into something quite extraordinary. The arrangement of this Beyer composition is superb, with the sax hitting perfectly, slightly off-key, sometimes sliding over that magical major 7th which hits the nerves and makes the listener sit up and take notice, waiting for the next if and when it comes. Sven Decker excels on this track - and is given rein to do so. The support is tight and so solid, it makes the perfect foil to Decker's off-kilter playing style. There is a contrapuntal guitar and piano section which is intriguing and comes at the perfect time to create a second third to this track before a funkier development takes the guitar into more rocky territory whilst the piano picks up the previously guitar-led off-beats before the music reverts to the original sax led arrangement. There is, it has to be said, an irksome repetitive beep in the final phrases but thankfully it lasts but a half minute and then vanishes, never daring to show its repetitive face again. The number finishes with the band as tight as a mosquito's arse and is a delight.
'Bei Rosa' ( a song inspired by a girl Jo met who never returned his calls) is piano led and the introduction is classical, gentle triplets, before there is a change of rhythm, tempo and emphasis. The drum is magnificent on this track and there are lots of tempo variations throughout. The piano of Roman Babik excels in the final stages before the outre. Excellent listening.
'Interstory Hashtag Tourlife' is introduced by the sax before the band come in and support. Then the sax leads and the others follow on a series of admirably adventurous musical escapades, varying from a repeated riff to a fast fingered, register-jumping sax solo. The structure and arrangements in this original piece pay homage to the great sax-led quartets of old, yet put a modern spin and some definitive twists , including a guitar solo section over percussion, which make it their own. Again, the tenor sax of Sven Decker is superb. 'Auf Jeder Jamsession Gibt Es Diesen Einen Tiger Bongo Latin Crasher' is gentle and free to start before a revolution around a short repeated phrase - before it changes again with piano leading sax in a soft, respectful conversation with percussion treading carefully underneath. The title should tell us a lot - it roughly translates to, 'On Every Jam Session There's This One Tiger Bongo Latin Crasher' and the crasher in this case is the rhythmic patterns which pervade this number, with their distinctly off-beat Latin assertions. Even the outre is worth holding on for.
'Zwischen Bier Und Poll Und 37 Grad Im Schatten' ( Between Beer, Poll and 37 Degrees In The Shade) is different in terms of rhythm and emphasis with a strong piano and guitar lead - including some lovely open string sounds - short but very sweet. 'Hallo Mein Name Ist Umberrto' is quirky and includes some deft keyboard work as well as a switch of rhythm where the keyboard riff suddenly swings - then goes back again before the sax flows in over the top to capture the ears. The slightly irksome riff from the piano re-appears just a tad too often in the first half but thankfully is over ridden and it is worth persevering because the sax and guitar dialogue in the second half is breathtaking. '15 Step' is a well-worked track with lots of trinkery and percussive noises in the introduction - all high and ear catching before the guitar introduces a gentle theme, shortly followed by the tenor sax, and the band takes off in a swingy, deeply rhythmic number which sways itself headlong towards the improvised solo from Sven Decker's sax - which is outstanding, and only just held in key and rhythmic check by the interspersed chords of the piano and later the drums and percussion. A guitar interlude follows with the accompaniment building, the piano crashing, together creating a heavy, deeply textured soundscape. The track ends with more trinkery and oddities from the percussion and keys. Astoundingly creative.
'Halloween Ist Doof' ( Halloween is Stupid) was written in response to Jo's dislike of carnivals and Halloween. It opens with percussion over piano chords, gentle guitar and sax, each filing the spaces left in the off-set rhythm. Sax and guitar work over the percussive lines from keys and drums and the number progresses into a free playing demonstration of intuitive listening and reaction from the musicians to each other. Don't listen for a tune, apart from the short sax solo, listen instead to the conversations - there are several going on.
' Wart Ihr Schonmal Auf Einer Bobbahn ' ( Have You Ever Been On A Bobsleigh Track?) is glorious in its expressiveness and again the sax makes light of complex improvisations around the themes, stoically maintained by piano and the rhythmic dynamism of the drums. The guitar gives a rocky, warping solo in the latter part of which is joined by the rest of the band in full-on gleeful accompaniment. Noisy, energetic and bursting with energy before the sax takes over towards the final stages with a repeated riff lasting the outre.
'Kalk Post Romantic' is the final track and opens with percussive noise over gentle piano lines, over which guitar and then sax enter. It develops into a short but beautifully structured piece with sax soaring over piano, guitar and percussion. An atmospheric finish to the album.
It is impossible to convey the difficulty of the arrangements and time-keeping within the quartet - or the cleverness and foresight needed to write like this and make it work but the arrangements are superb on this album - and each track is composed by drummer Jo Beyer who leads but also allows plenty of scope for the musicians to take the spot light - which they do with relish. An attraction on this album is the energy, the togetherness and also the ability the arrangements have for including some highly structured sections alongside freer sections, which makes it attractive for many. It is jazz in the good old sense on the one hand but it is also music in the here and now - a difficult combination but achieved here in absolute spades. That potential I spoke of in my earlier review is now realised and this band , with this composer are a force to be reckoned with. Good composition, great interpretation, wonderful music.
Reviewed by Sammy Stein
