SCOPES - Age Of Reason
Whirlwind Recordings: WR4777
Matt Chalk: alto saxophone; Tony Tixier: piano, synth; Tom Berkmann: bass; Mathias Ruppnig: drums
Recorded October 2020 by Martin Ruch at Recpublica Studios Lubrza, Poland
This is the second outing for the group (following 2018’s self-titled debut). On this set, Matt Chalk takes over saxophone duties from Ben Van Gelder, but the mood of relaxed, well-constructed jazz remains the same. Across this interplay, Tixier’s keyboards are constantly probing and stretching the lyrical and rhythmic structures of each tune. His work here, and elsewhere, is such that his name on a recording is, for me, a stamp of quality. Of course, he doesn’t disappoint here. But in Scopes he has found a quartet of like-minded adventurers.
Each musician contributes two tracks (Ruppnig 3) to the set and this democratic approach to composing duties also appears in the tunes. This is not simply to say that the musicians all get their fair share of solo spots but more that the way in which the quartet supports each other suggests that there is as an open and honest distribution of duties across the tunes. So, in while the piano and sax major on the lyrical and the bass and drums on the foundational, there is scope for all four musicians to slips into lyrical or rhythmic roles. At times this takes the form of a solo, but more often there is a blurring on edges between roles so that drum patterns or bass licks create tunes of their own inside the songs. On their eponymous first album, the band pointed out they chose their name to highlight the idea of playful exploration of potentials, and one can hear this goal clearly in the tunes here. Berkmann and Ruppnig’s idea for Scopes as an experimental unit that could play beautifully crafted, melodic jazz was well illustrated by their debut. Here, the bar is raised even further.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Whirlwind Recordings: WR4777
Matt Chalk: alto saxophone; Tony Tixier: piano, synth; Tom Berkmann: bass; Mathias Ruppnig: drums
Recorded October 2020 by Martin Ruch at Recpublica Studios Lubrza, Poland
This is the second outing for the group (following 2018’s self-titled debut). On this set, Matt Chalk takes over saxophone duties from Ben Van Gelder, but the mood of relaxed, well-constructed jazz remains the same. Across this interplay, Tixier’s keyboards are constantly probing and stretching the lyrical and rhythmic structures of each tune. His work here, and elsewhere, is such that his name on a recording is, for me, a stamp of quality. Of course, he doesn’t disappoint here. But in Scopes he has found a quartet of like-minded adventurers.
Each musician contributes two tracks (Ruppnig 3) to the set and this democratic approach to composing duties also appears in the tunes. This is not simply to say that the musicians all get their fair share of solo spots but more that the way in which the quartet supports each other suggests that there is as an open and honest distribution of duties across the tunes. So, in while the piano and sax major on the lyrical and the bass and drums on the foundational, there is scope for all four musicians to slips into lyrical or rhythmic roles. At times this takes the form of a solo, but more often there is a blurring on edges between roles so that drum patterns or bass licks create tunes of their own inside the songs. On their eponymous first album, the band pointed out they chose their name to highlight the idea of playful exploration of potentials, and one can hear this goal clearly in the tunes here. Berkmann and Ruppnig’s idea for Scopes as an experimental unit that could play beautifully crafted, melodic jazz was well illustrated by their debut. Here, the bar is raised even further.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
