Reviewing Danish guitarist Søren Lee’s Diversity Trio back in 2019 I was struck by his raw power and quicksilver virtuosity, which I found redolent of John Scofield and Mike Stern at the height of their electric powers. This latest release, dedicated to Lee’s late wife Eva who was extremely ill at the time of the recording, walks a slightly different beat but is no less powerful.
Comprising nine of Lee’s favourite originals, the set introduces a second focal point and foil in saxophonist Jakob Dinesen. The versatile backline includes bassist Yasser Pino, percussionist Rune Harder Oleson and veteran US drummer Victor Jones, and they negotiate every contour of Lee’s musically varied compositions with nonchalant ease.
Opening with the bright mid-tempo swing of Move On, Lee and Dineson march in lock-step through tight unisons before the guitarist explodes into a typically virtuosic and blues-drenched solo. It’s the first of several pieces to remind me of the Scofield-Lovano quartet, though the pastel hues of Song For My Son and the hymnal title track suggest a parallel interest in the prairie Americana of Metheny.
Lee’s tender side also surfaces in the attractive Bossa Like Tears In The Rain, but he is surely at his most volatile on the Trane-like A Few More Steps, a fast modal burner which also allows ample space for Dinesen to stretch out. Living Now features a particularly stinging solo from Lee as he mines the relaxed Afro-beat groove and the closing Funky Motion is the type of barnstormer that would bring down the house in any Texan barroom.
Loaded with extra-musical significance, Hope provides a window into a dark period where Lee required strength and solace in equal measure and is a fine addition to his small but growing discography.
Discography
Move On; Hope; Like Tears In The Rain; Let’s Go; Song For My Son; Living Now; Ballad For The Soul; A Few More Steps; Funky Motion (48.49)
Lee (g, elg) with Jakob Dinesen (ts); Yasser Pino (b); Victor Jones (d); Rune Harder Oleson (pc). Copenhagen, July to December 2022.
Self Released – Zack’s Music SL2401CD
