There are certain “ingredients” that I find immediately attractive in a jazz outfit. I find myself drawn to band leaders that are bass players: there is something about the viewpoint and persuasive nature of the bass within a band that I find interesting, be it Charles Mingus, Stanley Clarke or Avishai Cohen. So I pressed play with a certain expectation, and I wasn’t disappointed.
It opens with a bowed solo piece in Ethereal (Part 1) and you immediately feel that you’re going to be in safe hands but that the journey might take a few twists and turns along the way. Ethereal parts one and two feel like the dawn and dusk of a day with part one acting as a curtain-raiser to the more explorative tracks such as Collage (For YW) and the lengthy Queen Of Mars.
This is jazz music for the thinkers, not music to move or dance to. But if you let yourself get carried away with it, you’ll find it an immersive experience. I’ve listened to this album through speakers and also through headphones and headphones win every time. There, the nuances of the music play out without interruption or distraction, and you can take in every tap and echo.
There are some nice touches such as the clarinet solo on Nelles, the synth part on Adhocism and drum solo on Shallow Reflection but the album rarely drives at full speed. It’s clear that the band are capable of playing harder but this isn’t what the album is about. In a way it reminds me of a seascape, like the soundtrack to a long stretch of beach with a purple sky, a boat rolling on the waves in the distance. It’s at times subtle and delicate but at moment’s notice it’s powerful and consuming.
Discography
Ethereal (Part 1); Collage (For YW); The Queen Of Mars; Nelles; Adhocism; Shallow Reflection; Ethereal (Part 2) (48.20)
Mo Van Der Does (as, c); Matthias Van Den Brande (ts, f); Floris Kappeyne (p, syn); Wouter Kuhne (d); Tijs Klaassen (b). Amsterdam, 2023.
ZenneZ Records, Elastic Recordings ER 011
