MATHIAS HEISE QUADRILLION – Decadence
Giant Sheep Music: GSM0272
Mathias Heise: harmonica, keys; Mads Christiansen: guitar; David Vang; bass; Aksei Stadei Borum: drums
Recorded Studio Zed, LA
Quadrillion have been around for about five years and this is their second CD (following 2015’s ‘Sudden Ascent’). They play Jazz Fusion. Much of the chugging rhythm and guitar soloing on this CD come direct and unfiltered from the 1980s. So too does the singing on (track 5), the vocoder-singing on track 2, ‘Heartbeat/ Humanoid’, and the passé attitudes that think the lines ‘A glass of wine / Your wife’s behind…’ are OK. What is not apparent is whether this is meant to be ironic, with the idea that the 80’s were a decade that celebrated conspicuous consumption, and so would be the ideal time to situate a collection of songs that are all about Decadence; or whether the musical styles, lyrical content and instrumentation point to a deep and unreconstructed love of all things '80s and fusion.
There are hints of many of the main (chart-bound) jazz-funk bands of the period, which gives the whole set a dated feel, particularly in the way that Heise’s keyboards emulate “horn” sections. This is not to deny that he has a very assured keyboard style that perfectly matches the rhythm. For me a stand-out track is the spacey dub of ‘Electroshock – interlude’ (track 7) over which Heise plays a trancey harmonica solo, and it is his soulful harmonica playing that saves the album from becoming a pastiche of Fusion. Personally, I would have liked more of this and less of overblown guitar soloing on the tracks here. There are some very elegant harmonica solos on the ballads ‘Naked Ladies’ (track 4) and ‘Damn Good Coffee’ (track 9). It is not surprising that the CD comes alive when Heise turns to the harmonica. He was Chromatic Harmonica World Champion in 2013, ‘New Jazz Star of the Year’ in 2015, the ‘Crown Prince Couple’s Stardust Award’ in 2016, and the ‘Ben Webster Prize’ in 2017. Still only 23, he continues to show how the harmonica can play an essential role in the development of jazz.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Giant Sheep Music: GSM0272
Mathias Heise: harmonica, keys; Mads Christiansen: guitar; David Vang; bass; Aksei Stadei Borum: drums
Recorded Studio Zed, LA
Quadrillion have been around for about five years and this is their second CD (following 2015’s ‘Sudden Ascent’). They play Jazz Fusion. Much of the chugging rhythm and guitar soloing on this CD come direct and unfiltered from the 1980s. So too does the singing on (track 5), the vocoder-singing on track 2, ‘Heartbeat/ Humanoid’, and the passé attitudes that think the lines ‘A glass of wine / Your wife’s behind…’ are OK. What is not apparent is whether this is meant to be ironic, with the idea that the 80’s were a decade that celebrated conspicuous consumption, and so would be the ideal time to situate a collection of songs that are all about Decadence; or whether the musical styles, lyrical content and instrumentation point to a deep and unreconstructed love of all things '80s and fusion.
There are hints of many of the main (chart-bound) jazz-funk bands of the period, which gives the whole set a dated feel, particularly in the way that Heise’s keyboards emulate “horn” sections. This is not to deny that he has a very assured keyboard style that perfectly matches the rhythm. For me a stand-out track is the spacey dub of ‘Electroshock – interlude’ (track 7) over which Heise plays a trancey harmonica solo, and it is his soulful harmonica playing that saves the album from becoming a pastiche of Fusion. Personally, I would have liked more of this and less of overblown guitar soloing on the tracks here. There are some very elegant harmonica solos on the ballads ‘Naked Ladies’ (track 4) and ‘Damn Good Coffee’ (track 9). It is not surprising that the CD comes alive when Heise turns to the harmonica. He was Chromatic Harmonica World Champion in 2013, ‘New Jazz Star of the Year’ in 2015, the ‘Crown Prince Couple’s Stardust Award’ in 2016, and the ‘Ben Webster Prize’ in 2017. Still only 23, he continues to show how the harmonica can play an essential role in the development of jazz.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
