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Benjamin
Koppel/Bobby
Watson
At Ease
COWBELL MUSIC 49
AAA 1 /2
Benjamin
Koppel/Kenny
Werner
Walden
COWBELL MUSIC 51
AAAA
This brace of releases from Danish saxist Benjamin Koppel showcases his
sharphooting bebop side (At Ease) and a less angular, chaste lyricism
(Walden).
The sparring vehicle “Groovin’ Altos,” which kicks off At Ease, is heralded
by Boussaguet’s headnod-inducing bass and a klaxon intro from
Kenny Werner. Former Jazz Messenger Bobby Watson is an old hand at
generating excitement, but Koppel knows the game plan and matches the
American lick for lick—so well, in fact, that is often difficult to tell them
apart (absence of liner info on solo order doesn’t help). In the last of the
eights the two altos exchange before cutting to fours, Koppel plays a highregister
phrase out of Bunky Green’s bag. Unconscious extracts of “Flight
Of The Bumble Bee” from Werner push each E-flat horn to outdo the
other before a dropout into Alex Riel’s solo, quarter notes marked by bass
drum. The hard swing spills into the overlong chill of the title track
(maybe that’s the point) before the Adderley Brothers-styled head of “At
Large.” The Europeans reveal their deep respect for American mainstream
jazz. Riel was resident drummer at Copenhagen’s Montmartre in the ’60s
and has a wealth of experience fielding this kind of encounter.
The altos tail each other with fluttering phrases, and we realize how
much they have in common amidst the melancholic empathy of “Con
Alma” (not the Dizzy version). But it’s the burners that this is hung on, and
“At Stake” sees the horns unspooling grandstanding lines such that, together
with the hall-like reverb, it’s hard to believe this is a studio date. Listen for
Werner’s uncanny responses here—he can anticipate what the saxes will
play—offering humorosly dissonant, simultaneous commentary. Koppel’s
balladeering on “Mother’s Song,” which shares the gravitas of Mal
Waldron’s “Soul Eyes,” suggests David Sanborn as an early influence.
The straightforward virtuosity of his playing in places might not win
over Koppel with more progressive listeners, but there are moments of
sheer beauty on the Thoreau-inspired conceptual disc Walden. The
Scandinavian saxophone tradition of rich, piping dynamics pioneered by
Jan Garbarek is evident in the pains Koppel takes with breath control and
his upward scoops at note-ends. Werner is a brilliant accompanist and
paints rich details of his own over Koppel’s compositions while offering
concurrent support to the Dane’s empassioned exhortations. “Rumors
From An Aeolian Harp,” sung by Koppel’s pitch-steady soprano, is quite
exquisite, and the compositions inspire a communion open to natural
occurrences; even when meandering occurs, such as on “Life In The
Woods,” there’s conceptual relevance. “The Poet’s Delay” is lovely, and
fans of Kenny G wouldn’t be offended by “Paradise (To Be) Regained,”
until Werner starts burrowing for ideas, Koppel flashes triple-time chops
and the two take a foray through remote keys, evoking Thoreau’s
thoughtful peregrinations in the forest around his legendary sanctuary.
—Michael Jackson
At Ease: Groovin Altos; At Ease; At Large; Con Alma; At Stake; Mother’s Song; Alto Stratos. (63:27)
Personnel: Bejamin Koppel, Bobby Watson, alto saxophones; Kenny Werner, piano; Pierre
Boussaguet, bass; Alex Riel, drums.
Walden: Walden; Rumors From An Aeolian Harp; Cows In Emerson’s Pasture; Where I Lived
And What I Lived For; Life Without Principle; Life In The Woods; The Poet’s Delay; Paradise (To
Be) Regained; Walden (In Early Winter). (58:16)
Personnel: Benjamin Koppel, soprano and alto saxophones; Kenny Werner, piano.
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Ordering info: cowbellmusic.dk
April 2010 DOWNBEAT 59