Hans Koller – Word from Bird
(AMM. Album evaluation by Charles Rees)
As the title of pianist/arranger Hans Koller‘s latest album indicates, Word from Bird has a Charlie (‘Bird’) Parker theme to all of its tracks. The German-born, London-based pianist assembled a thirteen-piece jazz orchestra comprised of like-minded gamers (full record under) for this venture. Many of them are musicians with whom he works in his capability as Head of Jazz at Trinity Laban Conservatoire.
The album opens with an unique composition entitled “Charles the First”, which – fittingly for an album celebrating the music of Charlie Parker – options John O’Gallagher on alto sax. The American-born saxophonist’s solos on the aforementioned monitor in addition to on “Milestones” are actual highlights of the album. On “Milestones” (a composition by pianist John Lewis, to not be confused with the Miles Davis tune), Koller opts for extra of a walking ballad really feel. The slower tempo doesn’t simply really feel very pure for the tune, it additionally affords listeners the possibility to understand the element of the dense harmonies of the top association as they evolve, one thing which might not be doable on the unique tempo.
Each of Koller’s seven preparations is masterfully crafted; they pay homage to the supply materials whereas expressing his personal creative character. Although there are moments throughout the efficiency the place the intricate writing sounds prefer it might have benefited from extra rehearsal time with this ensemble, such moments in the end detract little from the general album: the improvised moments are simply as necessary and so they come throughout very strongly certainly on this album. Koller offers all of his soloists with ample area to build out their improvisations, expertly balancing them alongside his organized materials. From Duke Ellington to Jim McNeely and Maria Schneider, that is the mark of what an excellent jazz arranger does.
Most of the tracks department far past the bebop stylings of Charlie Parker’s personal recordings. Koller’s association of “Parker’s Mood” is an efficient instance: it maintains a lot of the unique model’s entrenched bluesy traits whereas seemingly alluding to Gil Evans’ St. Louis Blues association on New Bottle Old Wine (1959); which itself featured the blues vocabulary of Bird aficionado Cannonball Adderley. Koller’s association of the Ornette Coleman tune “Word from Bird” steps in a distinct route, that includes a very free center part with simultaneous improvisation by Percy Pursglove (trumpet) and Josephine Davies (tenor). However consciously Koller utilized these influences, they’re intrinsically linked to Parker’s legacy and thus make for a deeper and extra multifaceted tribute to the bebop pioneer.
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Word from Bird is clearly not the primary and certainly won’t be the final recording to have a good time Charlie Parker’s immense affect. But what separates it from so a lot of its counterparts isn’t solely how Koller incorporates the individual voices of his gamers into his writing, however particularly how brazenly he embraces all of the developments in jazz since bebop. Perhaps that’s the most becoming means of paying homage to Bird: to acknowledge and have a good time his place as the daddy of all up to date jazz.
Full record of gamers…
John O’Gallagher, Zhenya Strigalev, Xhosa Cole, Josephine Davies (saxes)
Percy Pursglove, Byron Wallen, Robbie Robson (trumpets)
Matt Seddon, Malcolm Earle-Smith (trombones), Richard Henry (bass trombone)
Calum Gourlay (bass)
Tim Giles (drums)
Hans Koller (piano)
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Categories: Album evaluations, Reviews
