Uncompahgre
| Uncompahgre | ||||
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| Studio album by Kirk Knuffke and Ben Goldberg | ||||
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Publication |
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| Label (s) | Relative pitch records | |||
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Format (s) |
CD |
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Title (number) |
14th |
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Studio (s) |
Park West Studios, Brooklyn |
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Uncompahgre is a jazz album by Kirk Knuffke and Ben Goldberg . The recordings, which were made in June 2014 at Park West Studios, Brooklyn, were released on Relative Pitch Records in 2018 .
background
Cornet player Kirk Knuffke and clarinet player Ben Goldberg, two of the most sought-after horn players in the creative music scene today, enjoy making music that combines a deep respect for the history of jazz with a distinctive spirit of adventure and risk, said Troy Dostert. The album title is derived from the name of the Ute tribe for "cloudy water" and refers to a high plateau in the San Juan Mountains , which is also the highest section of the Colorado River catchment area.
Track list
- Kirk Knuffke & Ben Goldberg: Uncompahgre (Relative Pitch Records RPR1064)
- Say 4:33
- Basalt 3:10
- Blue River 4:11
- La Junta 2:53
- Ouray 2:32
- Gypsum 1:22
- Rocky Ford 4:34
- Leadville 2:59
- Granby 5:29
- De Beque 1:44
- Paonia 1:16
- Fair play 2:05
- Carbondale 4:46
- Cortez 0:54
All compositions are by Kirk Knuffke and Ben Goldberg.
reception
According to Alberto Bazzurro, who reviewed the album in the Italian edition of All About Jazz , the joint studio session revealed an absolutely enviable sense of form and structure. A free playing stance dominates without making the product particularly difficult. Perhaps it can happen here and there, according to the author, that the two musicians tended towards a certain repetition in their playing, for example in “Paonia”, but elsewhere they acted more decisively and with more commitment. This uncompahgre should be highlighted in many ways as an example of the dialogue between two musicians in the third millennium.
Troy Dostert, who also reviewed the album in All About Jazz , thinks that the fourteen imaginative and outdated miniatures on Uncompahgre convincingly demonstrate that free improvisation is both challenging and fun at the same time. The most exciting moments would occur when the two team up for a carefree, rhythmic game. The best example of this is “Rocky Ford”, as the piece, which starts with a contemplative, melodic opening, gradually builds dynamic energy, with both players lengthening their lines together and intensifying their rhythmic interaction until the music swings positively. Perhaps the album's only downside, Dostert notes, is the excessive brevity of some tracks - five tracks are two minutes or less - where ideas pop and fade before they fully mature. On the other hand, there is no filler here either, since neither Goldberg nor Knuffke are interested in unfounded meandering. "The music is played on purpose and with a generous spirit, which ensures a good reception and another first-class entry in the impressive discographies of both players".
Derek Taylor wrote in Dusted that the improvised conclave between cornetist Kirk Knuffke and clarinetist Ben Goldberg made the lack of other instruments insignificant and even made the album an asset. In Taylor's opinion, the instrumentation is reminiscent of earlier duo works by elders Bobby Bradford and John Carter . Overall, the 14 short pieces are characterized by ingenious informality and abundant expression of camaraderie, says Taylor. Occasionally, advanced techniques were added to the exchange, such as Goldberg's fluttering keys with overtones that appeared on “Blue River” and Knuffke's muted horn ain “Leadville”. More often, however, the duo keep the content free from abstraction and atomization of the sound, which is instead calibrated for sonorous give and take. Much of the pieces are expressive and lively as one player implants an idea and transfers it to the other. The rounded resonances of the cornet matched the fluid timbre of Goldberg's clarinet perfectly.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Alberto Bazzurro: Kirk Knuffke / Ben Goldberg: Uncompahgre. All About Jazz, March 28, 2019, accessed July 28, 2020 .
- ↑ a b Derek Taylor: Kirk Knuffke / Ben Goldberg: Uncompahgre. Dusted, July 6, 2019, accessed July 27, 2020 .
- ↑ Kirk Knuffke & Ben Goldberg - Uncompahgre at Discogs
- ↑ Mark Corroto: Kirk Knuffke / Ben Goldberg: Uncompahgre. All About Jazz, May 19, 2018, accessed July 28, 2020 .