Timeless Dreams (Känzig) [5:19]
Du liebä Bueb von Ämmital (Trad
/ Känzig) [5:12]
Magic Transition (Sokal) [4:27]
Chlüppli Groove (Känzig / Sokal
/ Mayer) [4:48]
Mingus (Känzig) [5:46]
Drei im Quadrat (Känzig / Sokal) [4:22]
Another World (Känzig) [3:51]
One for Eddie Who? (Känzig) [4:40]
Funky Fun-Key (Känzig) [4:21]
Bassaxunison (Känzig) [3:19]
They Say it’s Spring (Haymes / Clarke) [3:30]
Harry Sokal (tenor & soprano saxophone)
Heiri Känzig (bass)
Jojo Mayer (drums)
rec. 22-24 September 2005, DRS Studio, Zurich
Born in Vienna in 1954, the
saxophonist Harry Sokal has developed a considerable
reputation both as an improviser and as an
ensemble player. From 1979 to 1999 he was
a member of the Art Farmer Quintet; since
1977 he has played with the Vienna Art Orchestra.
That he could make important contributions
in two such musically different contexts (he
has also gigged with both Wynton Marsalis
and Carla Bley!) says much for his flexibility
and his technical skills. Both are much in
evidence on this new CD.
It reunites a trio – Depart
– which played with great success between
1985 and 1984. Depart’s other members are
Swiss, bassist Heiri Känzig and drummer
Jojo Mayer. Both are formidable musicians
and can similarly draw on very varied musical
backgrounds. Känzig also played with
Farmer and the Vienna Art Orchestra. He has
appeared regularly with musicians such as
Kenny Wheeler and Didier Lockwood. A musician
of eclectic tastes – and an interesting writer
– he was the driving force behind the recent
coming together of musicians from Austria
and Switzerland with performers from Central
Asia, the ‘Thien Shan-Schweiz-Express’. Drummer
Jojo Mayer’s jazz credentials include a long
spell with pianist Monty Alexander; based
in New York since 1991, Mayer works in a huge
range of musical contexts – including computer-generated
groove music - far beyond the narrower confines
of jazz.
The music on this CD, though
informed by the eclectic interests and experiences
of the three performers, belongs pretty firmly
in the jazz tradition. ‘Du liebä Bueb
von Ämmital’ (‘Sweet Boy from the Emmental’)
may be based on a Swiss folk song, but has
the infectious rhythms of one of Sonny Rollins’
jazz calypsos. ‘Mingus’, unsurprisingly, pays
audible tribute to the compositional style
of the great bassist and the ‘Eddie’ of ‘One
for Eddie Who?’ sounds like Eddie Harris –
an impression reinforced by Sokal’s use of
the harmonizer. The standard ‘They Say It’s
Spring’ gets a lovely performance which nods
to the whole tradition of jazz ballad playing
that descends from Coleman Hawkins and Lester
Young.
The intuitive interplay between
the members of the trio is impressive, and
all three also take their opportunities as
soloists with panache and concision. A thoroughly
enjoyable album of high-class sax-led trio
jazz, which should interest anyone who enjoys
the post-Coltrane approach to the jazz tradition
of, say, Joe Lovano.
Glyn Pursglove
CD Reviews
ACT 9453-2 [49:53] 
