A Rev. Al classic, bluesy Monk, essence of Django and more all fizz with life
Low down
Including 3 tunes by bluesy Dutch guitarist Anton Goudsmit – a winner of the Boy Edgar Prize in 2010 – his younger compatriot Jasper Somsen is nevertheless better known to international audiences for his collaborations with Peter Erskine, Enrico Pieranunzi, Joey Calderazzo and many more.
It all begins like it could be an acoustic blues album. But then with the version of Bill Frisell’s ‘Strange Meeting’ the musical furniture is moved around again.
It all tilts more in the direction of explorative middle of the road modern jazz, the chiselled textures of guitar and resounding double bass – pinging the timbral secret inner fibres of every coy note given the way Somsen makes the soul of the wood sing – handsomely defined.
But the choice of material is even more wide ranging spooling out from 1940s European jazz to 70s American soul and on.
Somsen, like his fellow Dutchman Joris Teepe, steers a stately beat and this poise and pacing he does so well become a main zone of interest of this live album (location unknown but I guess not far from the sight of a dike or jingling bell of a bike) that overall has a very turn down the lamp and intimate aspect to it that is appealing.
There are vocalisations (rather than out and out singing) on ‘Ernesto’ that spiral pools of impetuous feeling ever outerwards in their cascading rush of spontaneity. And Goudsmit’s warm ascents and delicate feints make me think of the sound of Dominic Miller even a little although the equally beautiful soundworld of Absinthe is a much stiffer (dauntingly vertiginous ”Eicher sanction”) drink away. Goudsmit’s instrumentalism on ‘Ernesto’ is really superb in its own right given how much he seizes his own song by the scruff of the neck, pun intended.
Any album that has an instrumental reminder, taken real slow, of soul icon Reverend Al Green’s ‘Let’s Stay Together’ is all right by me – amen and a doff of the cap to the lyrics – and the feelgood choices here continue by taking a dramatic shift to journey back to the greatest of all European jazzers Django Reinhardt and his classic ‘Nuages’ next. Monk’s ‘Bye Ya’ is again another spot-on choice but Goudsmit is a little too heavy handed and the arrangement doesn’t quite come off. But earlier it’s better when ‘Blue Anton’ a paddingly patient Goudsmit piece segues into (right at the end – last 30 seconds or so) ‘Blue Monk’ after a lot of blues testifying which is satisfying and tidy.
But beyond the quasi-rockabilly stylings breakout passages from Somsen here ‘Bye-Ya’ contains some of his most spirited responses on what proves a likeable album. The two fiftysomethings have a niftily eclectic thing going on that prevents the set turning out too samey.
- More from marlbank – our track of the week, ‘Billy’s Waltz’