Come Sunday #2

Anyone nowadays who plays 'real' jazz is in the main reproducing the classic standards and solos created by the jazz greats. There is nothing unusual about that, as everything has already been said. Or has it? It is striking how many jazz musicians still obstinately go their own way and break down boundaries. You can hear some of them at the second 'Come Sunday', our extraordinary jazz cocktail. If you missed the marvellous concerts the first time, make sure you catch it this time round. Stéphan Oliva François Raulin Quintet Oliva and Raulin give a new sound to the music of such Harlem stride pianists as Fats Waller and Willie 'The Lion' Smith. They make colourful and inventive arrangements of this work from the thirties, the period when jazz reached maturity. The Harlem stride piano influences remain recognisable in their versions of the polyrhythmic 'Morning Air' and 'Carolina Shout' and the atmospheric 'Numb Flumbin'. Advanced ideas and old accomplishments turn out to be closely related. The core of each piece remains intact, but parts are repeated, and the order and tempi are changed. The concept reveals the power, suppleness and intelligence of great musicians. In 'Echoes of Spring', this quintet, unique in its range of instruments, displays playfulness, expression, technical flexibility and downright swing. Sal Mosca piano Sal Mosca is often compared to Lennie Tristano, which is not entirely justified. He is influenced more by Tristano's thinking than by his music. Like Tristano, Mosca likes to make economic use of his resources. As a thoroughbred piano improviser he captures the attention with small-scale figures he explores in detail. When the tension is in danger of evaporating, a new motif turns up unexpectedly. Sometimes you get the feeling you have been fooled, but you are glad to accept it, full of admiration for his lightning fingerwork. Sal Mosca plays the piano as if the keys were too hot. The result is melody lines as light as a feather. Just listen to his brilliant CD 'Trickle - Live at deSingel 1992' (Zinnia Records 114). Ken Vandermark's The Frame Quartet world premiere Vandermark has several ensembles. At 'Come Sunday #2' he will once again be introducing a new one. What all these groups have in common is their exceptional sense of dynamics. Loud and soft, fast and slow, loose and structured, they all constantly alternate with each other. Vandermark's projects revolve around atmosphere and improvisation. His humour makes his complex music easily accessible. Its inviting nature is combined with a wealth of ideas and an exciting form. Vandermark is open to innovation and is constantly shifting his boundaries. Above all, his music is pure.