Daily jazz blog, Marlbank

Dock in Absolute, [Re]Flekt, CAM Jazz ***1/2

Glossy, impeccable piano jazz from Luxembourg trio Dock In Absolute - pianist Jean-Philippe Koch can do vaulting, athletic runs just as much as he can, say on 'Sofia or 'Tears for Peace,' be tender and more introspective playing his own tunes. Bass …

Published: 9 Nov 2023. Updated: 8 months.

Glossy, impeccable piano jazz from Luxembourg trio Dock In Absolute - pianist Jean-Philippe Koch can do vaulting, athletic runs just as much as he can, say on 'Sofia or 'Tears for Peace,' be tender and more introspective playing his own tunes. Bass guitarist Arne Wiegand, particularly effective on 'Fragnolia,' and drummer Victor Kraus complete the band. 'Ascension' is the big tune on the album. If you are into trios like the Tingvall trio then Dock in Absolute fit more than well - they are a world away from your typical American jazz trio beholden a little too much to a huge tradition of piano trio jazz and are creating their own traditions to develop and finesse. [Re]Flekt can be listened to as sophisticated instrumental music without worrying too much about the jazz handle or indeed Dock in Absolute's place in that heady pantheon.

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Verneri Pohjola, Monkey Mind, Edition ***1/2

Here on this his latest album Finnish trumpeter Verneri Pohjola is with fellow Finn Olavi Louhivuori on drums, the British pianist Kit Downes and Danish bassist Jasper Høiby in a tightly packed collection of themes and highly disciplined …

Published: 8 Nov 2023. Updated: 8 months.

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Here on this his latest album Finnish trumpeter Verneri Pohjola is with fellow Finn Olavi Louhivuori on drums, the British pianist Kit Downes and Danish bassist Jasper Høiby in a tightly packed collection of themes and highly disciplined elaborations on these. Tunes are largely Pohjola's and of these one in particular grabbed us a whole lot - the delicate, almost hymnal 'Of Our Children'. Not an album where everyone goes down all guns blazing Monkey Mind was recorded in February this year. It's an often solemn listen but as ever Pohjola stamps his personality on everything he touches so beautifully and keeps like minded company here with Downes delivering a stand out contribution on 'Out of Silence.'