Close Ties On Hidden Lanes

opis:
Music of invention, recollection, and imagination. Images, metaphors and associations that show us ways out of whateverism. And yet a music that can stand alone by itself – the music of a trumpet player who has an unmistak- able tendency to melos and at the same time is fully aware that you have to break with tradition if you want to come up with an authentic melody. On this debut album under his own name, Marco von Orelli also reveals himself as a conceptualist capable of creating a unique ensemble sound. A great contrast to conventional stylistic concepts, this sound is based on such structural principles as change and variation, as it evolves within anself-determined system of coordinates ... Following hidden lanes together, they are a close-knit collective.
by Bert Noglik

All About Jazz
Indeed, an impressive inaugural release by Swiss trumpeter Marco von Orelli, who conveys maturity way beyond his youthful age. On call for writing jingles, session gigs, and theatrical productions, the conservatory-trained artist may have a bright future ahead of him, based on the qualitative aspects of this sextet date.

"Urban Ways" is a prime example of von Orelli's cunning musicality, when considering the scope of these multifaceted works. With a pumping funk-groove and contrasting unison horns, the band summons a cheery vibe. Framed on a simple melody line and an upbeat modality, the sextet swerves into a free-form avant-garde sequence, tinted with bizarre electronics swashes and shift gears, encompassing notions of anguish and uncertainty. This pattern continues, as von Orelli injects pathos with his muted wah-wah phrasings and a few slippery detours along the way. The group doesn't pronounce any semblances of complacency, as pianist Michel Wintsch shifts the piece to another zone with his lower-register ostinato phrasings. But von Orelli tosses another curve into the grand schema by faintly altering the primary melody during the coda.

Von Orelli is a perceptive young man, signaling a variegated approach to the progressive jazz idiom. And while citing someone as a star in jazz circles may be hindered by a few boundaries since most notions of convention go by the wayside, von Orelli does project star potential on the basis of this striking debut.
by Glenn Astarita