One of the most compelling tributes to Duke Ellington we've ever heard – a performance of his music that really deviates from the sound of the original, yet which also keeps all the complicated spirit of Duke intact! Trumpeter Franz Koglmann is really at the helm of the core groups on the set – leading the Monoblue Quartet on some tracks, an ensemble that features Tony Coe on clarinet and tenor, Burkhard Stangl on guitar, and Klaus Koch on bass – and the Pipe Trio on others, with Rudolf Ruschel on trombone and Raoul Herget on tuba. Lee Konitz joins in on alto with both ensembles, save for one track – and the whole record is a brilliant piano-less and drum-less outing that has the horns coming together in ways that are almost inspired by Jimmy Giuffre, but which take on some richer chromatic tones in their exploration of Ellington themes. The whole record really opens up the Ellington concept tremendously – and titles include "Love Is In My Heart", "Lament For Javanette", "Ko Ko", "Zweet Zurzday", "Pyramid", and "The Mooche" – plus a few variations on "Thoughts About Duke", an original by Koglmann. CD
Solo, duo, and trio recordings from Paul Bley – all done in an amazingly inventive mode that takes us back to his key sessions of the early 70s! Bley's in great company here – with Hans Koch on reeds and Franz Koglmann on flugelhorn – both musicians who share Paul's sense of sound as shapes, shaped by the space in between – yet always in ways that still have a beating heart underneath – and are never too academic for their own sakes. The blend is a careful one, but it rings true here right from the very first note – on a beautifully recorded batch of 18 tracks! CD