Kolner Saxophon Mafia – “Spaceplayer ” – [Jazzhausmusik]

Max Level   3/19/2006   CD, Jazz

This German wind quartet, around for 20+ years now, plays intricate original compositions seemingly influenced by everything from Monk’s jazz nuttiness to Stravinsky’s dramatic dissonance. One never knows where a piece will go next, or if it will ever come back. The group manages to have its own distinctive sound, despite using a different, usually somewhat unorthodox, instrumental lineup on pretty much every track; (alto sax/bass clarinet/tenor sax/flute, and sopranino sax/soprano sax/clarinet/bass sax would be just a couple of them?). This is a sometimes cheerful, sometimes somber, release; you know you’re not in for a party when you see compositions with titles such as “The Loss of the Human Soul” and “One Short Forbidden Look Into Paradise”. But cheerful or somber, I love the group’s spirited playing of their convoluted compositions.