Kathrine Windfeld Sextet: Aldebaran [Vinyl 1LP]

Contemporary Jazz / Scandinavian Jazz
premiera polska: 2024-08-15
kontynent: Europa
kraj: Dania
opakowanie: Singlefoldowe etui
opis:
multikulti.com - ocena * * * * *
Piąty studyjny album Kathrine Windfeld już od pierwszych dźwięków, słychać, że będą się działy rzeczy niebanalne. Ci, którzy mają szczęście znać jej dorobek znają jej niezwykłą muzykalność, zdumiewającą swobodę i artystyczną erudycję. Międzynarodowy sextet duńskiej pianistki i bandleaderki nieodmiennie prezentuje jazz z charakterem. All About Jazz umieściło ją "w awangardzie nowych aranżerów-kompozytorów i bandleaderów". Choć dekadę temu z przebojem weszła do świata jazzu, umeblowanego przez facetów, udało jej się utrzymać najwyższy poziom i artystyczną autonomię. W lutym 2020 roku otrzymała European Jazz Award w kategorii "Rising Stars Jazz Award, European Edition". Następnie ruszyła ze swoim sekstetem w trasę koncertową po głównych europejskich festiwalach jazzowych. Dobre przyjęcie występów tego zespołu skłoniło Windfeld do kontynuacji współpracy, która we wrześniu 2023 roku miała swój finał w sesji nagraniowej w studio w Kopenhadze. Trzy lata koncertowania były dobrym czasem na szlifowanie i dojrzewanie projektu. Teraz możemy cieszyć się tym nagraniem na CD, a wkrótce na winylu, opatrzonym tytułem "Aldebaran".

Słuchając płyty dochodzę do wniosku, że to obsadowe samoograniczenie (z big bandu do sekstetu) prowadzi do swoistego wyseparowania ekstraktu koncepcji kompozytorsko-aranżerskiej Kathrine Windfeld. To, czego oczywiście więcej w mniejszej obsadzie instrumentalnej, to triada: improwizacja, świeżość i bezpośredniość, która prowadzi do artystycznej wolność. Windfeld wyciska z sekstetu maksimum, zachwyca niepohamowany zapał, niezwykła giętkość i zwinność muzyków, wśród których spotykamy dwóch legitymujących się polskim paszportem - to trębacz Tomasz Dąbrowski i saksofonista Marek Konarski. Wyborna zespołowa współpraca tego duńsko-szwedzko-polskiego sekstetu, napędzana jest intensywną energią instrumentalistów, o profilu bardzo wirtuozowskim. Windfeld z big bandowym doświadczeniem wykorzystuje ich potencjał w adekwatnym stopniu. Kruchość i determinacja spotyka się tutaj na chwałę potęgi Muzyki.

Po lekturze "Aldebaran" z całego serca życzę Kathrine Windfeld szerokiej rozpoznawalności!
autor: Krzysztof Szamot
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JazzWise * * * *
With some comparing her work to that of Maria Schneider, the Danish pianist-composer Kathrine Windfeld comes with a justified reputation in Scandinavia as an accomplished contemporary jazz orchestral leader-composer. She’s made a few recordings with her contemporary jazz big band, of which Orca stands out, as well as collaborations with the cream of Scandinavian’s most esteemed jazz orchestras.
But behind the scenes, Windfeld has been nurturing her work with small groups, one of them being her international sextet, with Aldebaran being its debut recording. The richly-coloured instrumental arrangements are not only elegantly and urbanely constructed, but have a determinedly strong melodic thrust.
Perhaps inevitably, the instrumental palette here sounds broader than the small line-up might suggest. Piano vamps are the foundation for some on-target solos on the outstanding opener ‘First Speech’ with sumptuous horns and swirling dynamics adding to the music’s intrigue. The ballad ‘Burnout’ hints at Miles Ahead-period Gil and Miles, while ‘Letter to Lviv’ has translucent horns weaved together in an Igor Stravinsky-ish neo-classical style.
While not being a particularly fashionable attribute, Aldebaran is a real grower that reveals more and more of its understated sophistication and emotional depth with every play.
by Selwyn Harris

All About Jazz * * * *
Danish composer, arranger and pianist Kathrine Windfeld is held in high regard as the leader of her contemporary big band, having released four albums to international acclaim. She also works with other band formats, including the Kathrine Windfeld Sextet. Aldebaran is her debut recording with the sextet and is named after one of the stars in the Taurus constellation. The band consists of leading young musicians from Scandinavia and Poland.
Windfeld, who has collaborated with artists of the calibre of Immanuel Wilkins, Mike Stern, and Gilad Hekselman, has composed and arranged the eight tracks on the album. Joining her are Hannes Bennich on alto and soprano saxophones, trumpeter Tomasz Dabrowski, tenor saxophonist Marek Konarski, bassist Johannes Vaht and drummer Henrik Holst Hansen.
The album begins with Windfeld's piano vamp on "First Speech." As the others join, it is apparent that her skills for large ensemble arrangements have been carried over into the smaller format. The horns surge and eddy in waves around her melodic piano, leading to some fine solos in a terrific opening track. Saxophones and trumpet build a sense of urgency and tension in the title track. In the smaller setting, Windfeld's piano has more prominence, her melodic solo sets up Bennich and Konarski's inventive contributions.
The subtle ballad "Burnout" changes pace with gentle piano, brushwork and gently swaying sax phrases. "Jupiter" features a complex rhythmic structure, with the opening drama showing the way to Vaht's expressive bass solo. Urgent piano and thrashing drums then lead to a sparkling climax with Bennich, Konarski and Dabrowski trading phrases.
Dabrowski's trumpet is impressive on the moody "Sea Window" as it floats along with neat interplay, revealing more with each listen. Hansen and Vaht (both members of Windfeld's big band) provide a solid rhythmic drive for the improvisations on "Offroad Excursions." Windfeld brings European classical compositional ideas into the poetic and gently swaying "Letter to Lviv" as the horns intertwine to close the album.
Offering intensity, subtlety, fine solos and precise sextet playing, this album overflows with creativity and refinement. Windfeld revels in the freedom and flexibility that the smaller band format brings. She will inevitably have comparisons with Maria Schneider, but she has a distinctive voice both in her arrangements and in her piano style, which succeeds in standing out while remaining in harmony with the others.
By Neil Duggan

Editor's info:
Kathrine Windfeld returns for her fifth release as a leader - and the first with her dream team sextet! The lauded instrumentalist and composer pivots out of her celebrated big band setting to explore a smaller group that allows her to stretch out more as a pianist and improviser, using new song frameworks as vehicles to showcase the creative voices that have become her primary focus for the past few years. ALDEBARAN arrives on the 30th of March, 2024, on Stunt Records.
In February 2020, star Danish pianist, composer, and arranger Kathrine Windfeld walked on stage at the prestigious Quaglino's Brasserie in London to accept another award to add to her collection. Among hundreds of candidates, Windfeld would take home the 'Rising Stars Jazz Award, European Edition,’ and part of the prize included a tour with performances at several major European jazz festivals. Over the past few years, she and her sextet have visited a dozen countries on a musical journey that boosted the group with a relatively new and elevated lineup. The positive reaction to the group inspired her to release the new music, and the sextet went into the studio in Copenhagen in September 2023. The result is ALDEBARAN, Kathrine's first self-titled album of original music created for a small group and an album that presents new facets of a complex artist.
Kathrine Windfeld (b.1984) graduated from the Malmö Academy of Music in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in jazz piano. Just a few years earlier, she founded the Kathrine Windfeld Big Band (KWBB), which debuted in 2015 with AIRCRAFT. LATENCY would follow in 2017, and then ORCA in 2020. Awards and recognitions began rolling in, and Windfeld was launched into international stardom, earning a much-deserved reputation as an inventive composer, arranger, and big band conductor. Over her four first releases, she proved that she mastered the large group sound in terms of historical legacy, but also managed to renew the genre. Her compositions and arrangements alternate between the powerful and the poetic, between ballads and dense grooves - and everything else she can extract from the group with her affinity for quirky time signatures and harmonies.
In 2022, she received the Ben Webster Prize, one of the most prestigious Danish musical awards. The committee behind the presentation stated: “Her music is complex, rhythmic, and energetic, with clear roots in jazz history. The artistic level is sky-high, and Kathrine Windfeld's contribution to jazz in Denmark cannot be overstated.” Downbeat magazine said that the music on the album LATENCY “could pass for a top-notch American Big Band.”
All About Jazz has placed her “in the vanguard of new arranger-composers and bandleaders.” Her name is mentioned alongside Mary Lou Williams, Toshiko Akyioshi, Carla Bley, and Maria Schneider, and the Frankfurt Radio Big Band, the Danish DR Big Band, the UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra, Brazilian orchestras, the Swedish Bohuslän Big Band and the classical Aalborg Symphony Orchestra have called upon her for collaborations.
Over four albums and multiple international tours, her work with the KWBB brought with it the much-deserved reputation she currently enjoys. Still, throughout her career, she cultivated a sound with smaller groups - as both a side person and in her own name. She won the ‘Rising Star’ award in 2020 for her grasp of big band music, but the sextet would go on tour and evolve into her dream team.

Polish trumpeter Tomasz Dabrowski (b.1984) has been a valued asset on the Danish jazz scene for several years. His compatriot, saxophonist Marek Konarski (b.1992), studied at the Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Odense and performed with several prominent Danish musicians before relocating to his home country. Saxophonist Hannes Bennich (b.1994) is one of Sweden's bright new talents. His compatriot, bassist Johannes Vaht (b.1988) and Danish drummer Henrik Holst Hansen (b. 1989), have played extensively with each other and developed an intense collaboration over a decade in the Kathrine Windfeld Big Band.
"All three horn players are sublime,” Windfeld says. “They play with tremendous authority and are grounded, with an open line to the spiritual sides and sounds of music and improvisation. They are individuals, and despite their beautiful differences, all have an ear for the collective, creating pure magic for me. After a decade together, the rhythm group has evolved into a strong trio. My music can be demanding, but they can handle it! They are so versatile and master everything from free passages to uptempo swing, quirky time signatures, and airy grooves.” Windfled emphasizes that the sextet is more than just a watered-down alternative to the big band. It allows individual voices to shine through. And despite being best known for her big band work, it’s important to remember that she is, first and foremost, an instrumentalist. She has carved out space to explore her piano playing with this group on the new album.
Windfeld is a sensitive and engaging storyteller, and the mood on ALDEBARAN differs from her previous releases. The stories and narratives have all been carefully laid out, even though the music, like life, is more complex. Kathrine describes herself as an emotional person who desires to be present and create with immediacy through trust in the material and her musicians. "ALDEBARAN" gives me the space to express myself as a slightly more mature woman and musician. I've become better at following the path into becoming the artist I want to be - someone who fascinates and moves but also surprises, teases, and even provokes.”
In First Speech, the music alternates between short and long phrases as in spoken lines. The shining star ALDEBARAN is also known as the Red Eye of the Bull in the zodiac constellation of Taurus. The album's title track haunts with latent desperation, threatening to explode. It's a restless piece, while the follow-up - Burnout - signals the opposite. A calmness about burning out can create delicate sensitivity - and gratitude that the same sensitivity is intact despite lacking energy and drive.
Jupiter is a power track with a groovy edge, while Sea Widow refers to the pristine deep-sea areas whose nature has been left alone and allowed to flourish. It's a tribute to the beauty of the ocean and a melancholic description of loneliness. Holding On To Gas Balloons is about pursuing dreams that never become realized. Offroad Excursions takes the listener on a wild ride with harmonies that constantly go off the rails. Kathrine's right and left hands are sometimes in two different keys, the theme is immediately catchy but also off-kilter, and the highway's centerline is constantly crossed melodically, rhythmically, and harmonically. Windfeld visited a festival in Lviv, Ukraine, before the Russian invasion in February 2022. It was a warm experience, which she now acknowledges with a personal and subdued greeting in Letter to Lviv.

muzycy:
Kathrine Windfeld: piano
Tomasz Dabrowski: trumpet
Hannes Bennich: alto & tenor saxophones
Marek Konarski: tenor saxophone
Johannes Vaht: bass
Henrik Holst Hansen: drums

utwory:
A1. First Speech
A2. Aldebaran
A3. Burnout
A4. Jupiter
B1. Sea Widow
B2. Holding On To Gas Balloons
B3. Offroad Excursions
B4. Letter to Lviv

wydano: April 2024
more info: www.sundance.dk
more info2: www.windfeldmusic.dk