A Light Shining Through

In Down Beat we read about David Friesen: "Though a major international jazz figure for decades, it wasn't until 2015 that a tour allowed bassist-composer David Friesen the opportunity to visit his mother's ancestral home of Ukraine for the first time. Welcomed by a camera crew and introductions to pivotal musicians and cultural institutions, his journey was first documented on 2020's critically acclaimed Testimony, recorded live at Kyiv's National Philharmonic Hall with the National Academic Symphonic Band of Ukraine. The ensuing pandemic and war put further plans on hold, but Friesen was able to record with the Kyiv Mozart String Quartet in October 2021, and those recordings provide the framework and soul of A Light Shining Through. Adding organic percussion sounds and saxophone to his singing melodies, the album's tuneful vignettes reflect the many emotions exposed through his journey of ancestral discovery."

David Friesen opens his album with "Little Ella Bella". When listening to it, one has to think of a spring or summer song, quite folkloristically colored. Or is it not comparable to the tunes you hear at the Scandinavian Midsummer Festival? Characteristic of the opener are the clear saxophone lines and the full sound of the bass, which Friesen makes sound and swing. A special sound treat in "Time Through Light" are the percussion and bass passages. We experience a touch of Caribbean-Brazilian percussion in "Dressed in Red". This is the name of a rather short composition, which is also noticeable due to the constantly repeated piano modules. Afterwards, fine string sounds and "whispering" saxophone sequences reach our ears. "My Prayer" can be heard.

Isn't the sound of a flute to be heard on "Island", even if this very short piece quickly evaporates as an auditory impression? But there is no flutist in the line-up. Or do we hear a clarinet after all, even if it is only indicated for the instrumentation of the final piece? Guitar pizzicato or something - that's what you ask yourself with the first sounds of "Passage". No, here David Friesen elicits the highest sounds from his bass. That sounds like raindrop after raindrop hitting a stepped well. In addition to the bass, you can also hear the string ensemble from Kiev in the background, contributing a finely woven carpet of sound to the whole rather than imposing itself. And then, yes then, Joe Manis raises his tenor saxophone, lively, sonorous, purring and with light waves of sound. And finally, there is a percussion additive worth listening to.

With David Friesen, we then board a "Luxury Liner". We are taken on a journey by the sound of the Sorpran saxophone. Percussiveness is added, as well as the earthy sound of the bass. Sometimes one thinks that Joe Manis chooses a clarinet approach when he lets saxophone passages glide along. This is followed by the title song of the album called "A Light Shining Through". It is a rather solemn tune, which is given a special sound by the strings involved. In addition to the bass, it is the sound of the saxophone that ensnares us.

This is followed by "Festival" and "Glide", which, due to their length, are more reminiscent of pop songs and not of jazz along with mature improvisations. In "Softly Tells the Story" the string ensemble can be heard again, before it is called "Forgiveness" at the end. In this piece, Manis does not play the saxophone, but the clarinet. In view of the melody lines performed, it sounds extremely wistful. In the background we hear David Friesen on the piano. In duet with Manis, he lets fine cascades of keys bubble up.

Translated from German