There have been many
live streamed concerts since the lockdown began, but the first I’ve
tuned into was this morning’s duo concert by Frank Gratkowski (alto
sax) and Simon Seidl (piano) at The Loft in Cologne. The concert was
titled “Mainstream & Beyond: in memoriam Lee Konitz”, and
while the tribute concert is not really my thing, I wasn’t going to
pass by a chance to hear Frank playing on the Konitz and Tristano
lines and standard tunes (a rarity).
Of course the wifi decided to
cut out right as they were about to start! I got back online during
“Stella by Starlight” - other tunes included the likes of
“Subconscious-Lee”, “Body & Soul”, “Dreams”, Albert
Mangelsdorf’s “Hot Hut”, “Ice Cream Konitz”, “Prelude to
a Kiss”, “Just Friends” and “Ablution”. I noticed the
audience peaked around 95... 85 was about average (based on the
comments it was largely a German audience). Really nicely recorded
too. The Loft is streaming Frank live again tomorrow – 7am NZ time
– solo and duo.
Last week I
mentioned that I need to address my lack of James Wylie recordings,
so until I do,
Benjamin Schaefer’s Quiet Fire will fill the void.
As the name suggests it may be a little on the quiet side, but it
doesn’t lack spark. It has a certain warmth, even during some of
the more abstract moments, that I find very appealing. It’s not an
album that’s going to smack you over the head, and I like that. The
quintet has a different weight to it - the drums have a (mostly)
textural role and the presence of harp brings a lightness. If you’re
looking for deep swing, look elsewhere. But I wasn’t, so I didn’t.
The Loft were
streaming live from Cologne this morning. Today’s concert
was divided into three short sets. First up was the solo alto
saxophone of Leonhard Huhn. I have only heard few things online here
and there, and he was part of the alto saxophone ensemble for Hayden
Chisholm’s album Auto Poetica. I dig his warm sound and melodic
approach, even the multiphonic playing retained some of the
melodicism. I like to listen to more for him (add it to the list!)
The second set was
Frank Gratkowski solo. It was a contrast to Huhn set. Starting off
quite intense and jagged before moving onto very quiet sounds and
then onto short blasts and smears (almost like someone had randomly
edited someone playing lines on sax). There’s so much presence in
his tone – an edge but still full-toned. Listening to Frank I
always wonder how he does it - like when he mixed up playing and
singing notes will maintaining the integrity of line. Towards the end
of the set I thought he was doing his thing and creating an illusion
that the sound was cutting out.... and then he spoke... and the mic
was cutting out. The fixed the audio and he finished off with another
improvisation. It was a nice contrast between the two solo
approaches. Introspected then extroverted.
Then Huhn joined
Frank for a duo – the first time they have played in a duo setting.
I really enjoyed the blend of two altos. Although their sounds are
different they came together nicely. And their individual approaches
came together nicely when combined. Frank even played a little bit of
sopranino too. And I’m certain the finished on Charlie Haden’s
“Silence” (I was working so attention was 100% - sorry guys!). Aside from some
technical issues towards the end of Frank’s set, as with yesterday
the live sound and production was great .... not sure about the
blue/neon though.
It was a day of
contrasts, as after the headphones came off, Dizzy Gillespie’s
Perceptions came on (by the time I set up the computer speakers I won’t
be working from home any more!). I picked this up a few years ago
when I was checking out some ‘third stream’ recordings. Recorded
in 1961, Dizzy is the featured soloist playing six pieces by J.J.
Johnson for brass orchestra and rhythm section (21 pieces plus
Dizzy). I’ll have to bust out the liner notes to see if it mentions
how this session came about as it’s a really interesting recording
showcasing a different side of Diz . I’d be curious to read some
reviews of the album from back in the day to see what was thought
about it at the time. Perceptions could be the ticket if you fancy
something a bit different from his ‘usual’ output.
