"Wie sein frühes Vorbild Miles Davis hat der polnische Trompeter eine spezielle Begabung dafür, großartige Bands zu besetzen und diese hier, in der Welthauptstadt des Jazz formiert, ist besonders vielversprechend: Das Bass-und-Schlagzeug-Gespann aus Thomas Morgan und Gerald Cleaver ist eines der einfühlsamsten in der heutigen improvisierten Musik, während der in Kuba geborene Pianist David Virelles, beeinflusst von rituellen Musiken, aber auch von Thelonious Monk und Andrew Hill, besonders feine Antennen für das dunkle Brüten und das kultivierte Grauen in Stankos freien Balladen zu besitzen scheint. In den Uptempo-Stücken betreten alle Vier Neuland, mit aufregenden Resultaten. Dieses Doppelalbum voll neuer Stanko-Kompositionen ist von den Gedichten der 2012 verstorbenen polnischen Literatur-Nobelpreisträgerin Wislawa Symborska inspiriert. Stanko: Sie zu treffen und mich mit ihrer Poesie zu beschäftigen, gab mir den Anstoß zu dieser Musik, die ich nun respektvoll ihrem Andenken widmen möchte." ECM)
Four years after the landmark album "Wislawa", the great Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stankos New York Quartet returns with another masterful recording. Stanko here encourages spirited improvisation to flower around his characteristically melancholic and soulful themes, and all players are presented to best advantage. New band member Reuben Rogers best-known for his work with Charles Lloyd is a splendid addition, establishing a profound understanding with Cuban-born pianist David Virelles and drummer Gerald Cleaver. JazzTimes reflected on the strengths of the individual players: Stanko has never had a piano player like Virelles. When his moments came, he configured his own lyrical domain within the world of a Stanko song. For that matter, Stanko has never had a bassist and drummer like Rogers and Cleaver, with their hard edges and their volatile energy. Early reviews are suggesting that this may be his very best album to date. According to UK website Marlbank, it is Stankos "Kind of Blue". (bron: ECM)
In this vivid and exciting project, the Santiago-raised and New York-based pianist-composer David Virelles looks towards one melting pot from the vantage point of another. A far-reaching work with deep cultural roots, Gnosis speaks of transculturation and traditions, and of the complex tapestry of Cubas music the sacred, the secular, and the ritualistic but the works shapes and forms could only have been created by a gifted contemporary player thoroughly versed in the art of the improvisers. Strings, woodwinds and percussion all have their roles to play in "Gnosis", viewed by Virelles as several families functioning within one unit: this dynamic symbolizes multicultural interaction. Virelles responsive piano and the vocals and percussion of Román Díaz, a profound figure in the transmission of Afro-Cuban musical history, are at the centre of the action. Gnosis was recorded at New Yorks Avatar Studios in May 2016 and produced by Manfred Eicher. (bron: ECM)
For his third ECM release as a leader, Chris Potter presents a new acoustic quartet that naturally blends melodic rhapsody with rhythmic muscle. The group includes superlative musicians well known to followers of ECMs many recordings from New York over the past decade: keyboardist David Virelles, bassist Joe Martin and drummer Marcus Gilmore, who each shine in addition to the leader on multiple horns. "The Dreamer Is the Dream" features Potter on tenor saxophone the instrument that has made him one of the most admired players of his generation in the striking opener Heart in Hand and such album highlights as Yasodhara, as well as on soprano sax (Memory and Desire) and bass clarinet (the title track). Potter is an artist who employs his considerable technique in service of music rather than spectacle, says The New Yorker, and his composing develops in texture and atmosphere with every album. (bron: ECM/Challenge)
"Voor zijn vijfde album als bandleider riep de Amerikaanse drummer Johnathan Blake dezelfde band bij elkaar als op "Homeward Bound", zijn Blue Note-debuut van twee jaar geleden. Een goed idee, want zijn labelgenoten Immanuel Wilkins (altsaxofoon) en Joel Ross (vibrafoon) zorgden op dat album samen met toetsenist David Virelles en bassist Dezron Douglas al voor het nodige vuurwerk. Op "Passage" is dit Pentad, zoals de band ook wel heet, nog beter op dreef. Ze zijn meer op elkaar ingespeeld, wat tot knap samenspel leidt in composities die Blake opdraagt aan zijn vader, violist John Blake Jr. Het titelstuk is door zijn vader geschreven maar nooit opgenomen, en zet meteen de toon: een vitaal, dynamisch sterk stuk dat alle muzikanten even de ruimte geeft, en opvalt door de bebop-fraseringen van Wilkins. Douglas krijgt voorafgaand aan "A Slight Taste" ook de ruimte voor een mooie exercitie op zijn contrabas, en zo pakt iedereen zijn moment op dit ook compositorisch zeer sterke album." (Volkskrant; 4/5 sterren)
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