1. Poet
2. Because Of Mouloud...
3. Waltz For You
4. Researching Has No Limits
5. Desert Flower
6. Homogeneous Emotions
7. Colourful Impressions
8. Phrasen
Joachim Kühn - Piano
Alexey Kruglov - Alto sax
Joachim Kühn turned 70 earlier this year. This German pianist and composer was initially a classical musician but from 1961 onwards he turned to jazz. The
intervening years have seen him involved variously with fusion, avant-garde and free jazz as well as world music, without neglecting his classical roots.
Alexey Kruglov, by contrast, belongs to a later generation – he was born in 1979. Kruglov is Russian and a versatile musician, able to play soprano, alto
and tenor saxophone. On this disc, recorded during a visit Kühn made to Russia, Kruglov plays alto only. He is regarded as an exceptional talent, in fact
the magazine Jazzwise has gone so far as to dub him
“the future of jazz.” A word of caution here. Both are eminently capable musicians and composers of quality. Out of eight tracks, each contribute three,
the other two being works by Ornette Coleman. Nevertheless, this is not a disc to spring on someone new to jazz since it requires not only careful
listening but also, probably, an affinity for free jazz.
The opening track, Poet, has measured piano leading into, then underlying, Kruglov's melodic, but also at times piercing, alto. A flurry of notes
signals a shift of emphasis before a meditative contribution from Kühn. Kruglov returns, first moody, then impassioned to conclude the piece. My favourite
on the album. Because Of Mouloud starts promisingly with Kühn forceful on piano and the two interacting skilfully, with Kruglov demonstrating both
his technique and his free-jazz credentials. The middle passage, for me at least, has a shade too much dissonance. The opening theme makes a welcome return
towards the end, however. Waltz For You lives up to its title in the first instance, a pleasant tune with some fine piano, rhythmic and
percussive, from Kühn and with Kruglov vigorous on alto, though occasionally shambolic, at least to the ears of this listener. Once more, there is a
refreshing return to the melody. Researching Has No Limits is an Ornette Coleman composition, offering a mellow alto/piano collaboration to begin
with before further oblique extemporisation from both players. Desert Flower presents a sombre beginning to a meandering and melancholy piece.
Having said that, there is a solo from Kühn to savour. Homogenous Emotions, the other Ornette Coleman offering, has a promising theme for
development and the duo bring their distinctive talents to it. Colourful Impressions and Phrasen feature powerful piano and a full range
of alto-produced noises – squeaks, squeals, honks and trills! Definitely an acquired taste.
In conclusion, while I found things to admire here, I also had reservations about this album. I feel, though, that it is one which will appeal to free-jazz
aficionados.
James Poore
CD Reviews
ACT 9623-2
