quARTet

Today I introduce a record of a Canadian jazz musician, quartet of the trumpeter, flugelhorn and cornetist Paul Tynan. Yes, the word art (ART) is already in the title, and I can only underline it, because this music is great art! It should also be understood that one should consider this publication as a Gesamtkunstwerk. In addition to the four musicians, six different artists are presented in the booklet, in particular Jennifer Sandquist, Michael Barton, Paul Vienneau, David Barnes, Chris Main and Elizabeth Tynan.

As Tynan explains in the booklet, he has always enjoyed the relationship between image and sound. So he tried to musically implement the pictures presented for this project. If you are in the mood for it, you should try to read through the descriptions of the works of art depicted and let the respective music take effect. Yes, you can understand that by concentrating on it and imagining that these respective pictures could have been the springboards for the compositions. In this context, I think "What We've Left Behind" is a good example of such inspiration.

"More Than Just a Single Road", it starts in a grandiose, very sovereign, very easy way, as I imagine jazz, which refers to the tradition, here in the field of Hard Bop. An energetic, tight-lipped soloist, Tynan with a forward-beating performance, plus a rhythm section that simply swings as jazz should swing. No twisted jazz, here is played passionately, from the gut, cheeky, cheerful, elegant and at the same time grabbing and shaping. Listening to drummer Baker is a real pleasure, pushing and pushing the music forward and challenging his fellow players, plus a short solo showing a master. Tynan awakens associations with Tomasz Stanko and his style of play, including the lyrical version, as he immediately reveals "It's All We Have to Offer".

Overall, this is an absolutely successful artful viewing and execution of jazz, which gives it even more soul, and that on the ground of tradition. The musicians take all developments in jazz since the Be Bop on their way and take also fusion elements on board. This is a record with very refreshing music that you should definitely pay attention to, it is worth it and the musicians deserve to be appreciated accordingly.

Translated from German