snobb
Swedish sextet's debut is the album which couldn't be passed unnoticed.All tracks are written by saxophonist Martin Küchen, who has released some interesting music as solo artist.Two other band's musicians - trumpeter Magnus Broo and drummer Kjell Nordeson - are known by their collaboration with Atomic and Vandenmark 5, what is excellent recommendation just to listen this debut.
Everyone familiar with Ken Vandenmark's music can imagine what to expect from such project, but the music on Angles debut is quite different. Sextet, consisting of double bass player, vibraphonist,drummer and three reeds players (read - guitar-less and keyboard-less)plays excellent melodic music somewhere on the border between avant-garde jazz and modern more accessible one.
Album (even if lyrics-less) is conceptual anti-war work dedicated to last Iraq's wars victims.With reference to women, whose children find protection in their arms (like the branches of a tree).Compositions names all are concept-related, but even more - you can hear the fear,sadness, tension, insecurity feeling in every song, even if all them are melodic and had their own's beauty.
Combination of complex drumming, excellent reeds soloing and melancholic vibraphone sound builds very specific atmosphere - there are obvious roots coming from smoky jazz clubs of 60s, Charlie Haden's orchestral aesthetics, African rhythms, funky grooves all mixed in well structured and organised modern sound. Great release,one between best albums coming from 2008, and quite characteristic for Clean Feed label ( two years later the label will release similar, but a bit more accessible and less free-jazz influenced Chris Lightcap's Bigmouth's album).