(4 / 5)
This is an unusual one. A live double album taken from an astounding SIX HOUR concert by this sizzling jazz (and more), trio, recorded in Copenhagen, Denmark in the summer of last year (2016). Damn good it is too.
The long established Danish three-piece of Niclas Knudsen on guitar, Stefan Pasborg on drums and Jeppe Tixen on Hammond B3 organ and clavinet, work within a jazz framework, but expand into blues, rock, funk, surf, country and Afro-beat with their tasty musical smorgasbord.
Inventive, creative, pushing the envelope; but enough about me as a writer! Pauses for uncontrollable laughter……………..But seriously folks; masses of energy and passion, and tremendous levels of excitement that never dip. It puts you right there on that sweaty, six hour marathon gig night. One may expect it to flag a bit with no vocals and just organ, drums and guitar for two full CDs, but far from it; I was hooked from the get-go.
They formed in 2002 and have toured around the globe since, for festivals and club dates. The three guys are well known in Denmark and beyond, as sidemen and leaders of their own separate projects. The chaps have appeared in circa 25 different countries on four continents, from Shanghai to Vancouver, from Monte Carlo to Moscow.
The venue, Vega in Copenhagen, was rammed for the entire set on a summer’s night of 8th July 2016, and this recording really captured the hot and heady atmosphere of the night. 15 tracks on disc one and 11 on the second CD, all band-penned songs. Covering all six of their studio albums so far released. Props to Thomas Vang at the desk on recording duties and to John Fomsgaard who mixed, and Brian Mork Hansen who mastered the tracks. Superb audio quality, and I am not usually a fan of live albums at all.
Fairly impossible and pointless to pick out the “highlights” or “standout” cuts, because it’s all good, and you really need to forget cherry picking, and go back to the old school way of hearing an entire album in one go, as a complete project. Some quirky song titles among the tracks; like “Borat”, “Where’s My Bike”, “Year of the Golden Pig” (surely not dedicated to D. Trump esq?), “African Painkiller”, “Iskender Kebab” and The “Afribians Are Coming”. Well worth the investment and glad to have been made aware of this world class outfit.
By Simon Redley
(1 / 5) ‘Dull Zone’
(2 / 5) ‘OK Zone’
(3 / 5) ‘Decent Zone’ (4 / 5) ‘Super Zone’
(5 / 5) ‘Awesome Zone’
