Into the Barn
| Into the Barn | ||||
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| Studio album by Manuel Mengi's group 6 | ||||
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| Label (s) | HatOLOGY | |||
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CD |
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Title (number) |
4th |
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running time |
56:21 |
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Studio (s) |
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Into the Barn (dt. In the barn ) is the debut album of the Swiss trumpeter and bandleader Manuel Mengis . The recordings were made on September 14th and 15th, 2004 in the studio of the Swiss Radio DRS in Zurich and were released in 2005 by HatHut Records . In the laudation of the Zurich ZKB Jazz Prize, which Mengis and his Group 6 won in 2006, the band is recognized as a "contemporary version of the orchestras of Duke Ellington or Charlie Mingus " that integrate "current influences from noise and electronics ".
The album
Mengis made his record debut with five fellow students with whom he studied jazz at the Musikhochschule Luzern , with Achim Escher (alto saxophone), Christoph Erb (tenor saxophone), Flo Stoffner (electric guitar), Marcel Stalder (electric bass) and Lionel Friedli (drums). Tom Gsteiger wrote of Mengis' compositional stance in the liner notes that his music had a "pronounced sense of dramaturgy", which left room for debauchery and surprising twists and turns. His music is characterized by “the dense and complex texture of improvised and composed parts;” he sees the role of the soloists as similar to that in the bands of Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus. Regarding the mood of the album, Mengis reveals a tendency towards “heated and stormy expressiveness”, whereby the complexity of the form goes hand in hand with anarchic, rough forms of expression.
According to Derek Taylor, Suzie and the Ponies begins as a ballad-like sound poem, before improvised rhythms lead the gentle ballad play into a dark cloud of increasing dissonance . The middle section "detonates in a stadium appropriate fusion effervescence", with bassist Flo Stoffner creating reminiscences of Geezer Butler's bass and corresponding steam hammer drums. After the changes in the line-up, the title turns into the development of dense contrapuntal horn playing that has chamber music echoes. The other two tracks on the album "follow similar incongruent plans with side-effects and course changes".
In 2006 Manuel Mengi's Group 6 won first place in the Zurich ZKB Jazz Prize.
Title of the album
- Manuel Mengis Group 6: Into the Barn (hatOLOGY 627)
- Toni, Toni 12:01
- Suzie and the Ponies 16:44
- Elk 10:42
- Seni 16:50
- All compositions are by Manuel Mengis.
reception
The Neue Zürcher Zeitung praised:
- “What is the first to boast about? The fresh tone, the irrepressible drive that the musicians bring to a sound that is just as inspired by bop and free jazz as by the polystyle of John Zorn and Dave Fiuczynski ? The narrative drama is no less impressive. "
In their discussion, the Jazz Podium highlighted the “complex compositions with a committed ensemble spirit and expressive energy” by Mengis, who “brought together a team of immense clout that interacted with pleasure at a high level and was completely unpretentious in its individual efforts”. The down beat critic made comparisons with Steve Reich or John Hollenbeck in Suzie and the Ponies , where Mengis worked with repetitions to build tension . He found polystyle unusual: "Imagine the Vandermark 5 jamming with Miles Davis' Cellar Door band, or Bill Dixon sitting in with Soft Machine ."
Glenn Astarita wrote for All About Jazz that Mengis reveals himself to be a free spirit in his debut performance, although his music only touches the “free zones” in certain developments. With a musical attitude "that lets it shoot mightily " ( a balls-to-the-wall musical outlook ), the four long works of the band evoke enthusiasm and stimulate the spiritual eye. By acting on a bold jazz-rock anchorage with a wildly impressive bass / guitar / drums attack, the band heats the listener with strangely phrased unison lines , which are combined with soothing brass sections by alto saxophonist Achim Escher and tenor saxophonist Christoph Erb. In some passages Mengis work “with wild choruses and piercing solos”; moreover, most of this work is constructed on urgent bass and percussion related ostinatos . In certain sections Mengis and his colleagues would benefit from the structured chaos with vigilant sound attacks. Mengis appear as a “sweeping soloist and band leader” who is overflowing with youthful energy and new concepts. Ultimately, the carelessness of his compositional output balances out with a highly entertaining form factor.
Scott Yanow awarded the album four (out of five) stars at Allmusic and emphasized the episodic character of the music, which was full of surprises. "Rousing and intense ensemble passages merge into calm sequences, rhythmic passages become explosive outbursts, fusion rhythms and free jazz solos are mixed together". Mengis' colorful music creates reminiscences of that of Charles Mingus and, in some passages, that of Miles Davis from the early 1970s. The band leader, who has no more solos than his other teammates, is occasionally overshadowed by the two powerful saxophonists and the passionate rhythm section . The often noisy music is highly recommended for listeners with open ears, even if the European musicians are unknown in the United States.
In his review of the album in Dusted Magazine , Derek Taylor said that Into the Barn was an “unusually good candidate for a blindfold test .” If a free jazz lover was unfamiliar with the label, they would initially go to Tzadik , Knitting Factory or Atavistic Type records before hatology crosses his mind. This speaks for the efforts of the Swiss label to increasingly produce younger musicians who represent the creative spirit that has emerged since the 1970s. The author makes stylistic comparisons of Mengis' Group 6 with the Electric Masada project by John Zorn, Steve Coleman and Ken Vandermark . In general, one feels reminded of the downtown scene in New York in the 1990s; Another fundamental influence on Mengis' playing is Miles Davis: "his sharp, cool- voiced interpolations slide on the seething backdrop of chugging bass ostinatos and percussive patterns in Toni, Toni ". The author sees an “inexorable restlessness in Mengis' music”, but recognizes “the readiness for direction and final result”.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Archived copy ( memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Tom Gsteiger, Liner Notes of the 2005 album
- ↑ a b Derek Taylor: Review of the album in Dusted
- ↑ a b c review on the homepage of Manuel Mengis (pdf)
- ↑ Review (All About Jazz)
- ↑ Manuel Mengis Group 6: Into the Barn at Allmusic (English)
