Die Enttauschung – “S/T ” – [Crouton]

Max Level   1/8/2006   12-inch, A Library

Top-notch jazz, all original compositions, from this multi-national European quartet. Rudi Mahall is a brilliant bass clarinetist. He doesn’t spend as much time on the creaky lower end of that instrument as many other players do; his horn often sounds amazingly like an alto sax, very Jackie McLean-ish to my ears. The solid, clean trumpet of Axel Dorner is equally impressive. The two horns work well together, whether laying out a slow, stately theme or tearing through some ridiculously fast bebop lines in beautiful unison. Look out for some inspired soloing as well. The bassist and drummer are not familiar to me, but I like the way they drive the band with their robust playing. All four guys play their behinds off, while seemingly not taking themselves too seriously. Sounds to me as though they meant to have an element of silliness in here at times, and the goofy cover art does nothing to contradict that theory. A lot to like here. Limited to 500 copies.