The Parts You Keep

Mike Pope is a musician no one in Europe has on their radar. This engaging music, based on a shared musical language, is highly dynamic and full of beautiful sounds when it comes to bassists in jazz. The American is one of many instrumentalists who primarily work as sidemen. When these musicians record an album themselves, it often holds its own against the big names. Even if Pope occasionally betrays the routine of a virtuoso studio musician, the Ohio native, whose playing is audibly influenced by John Patitucci, has created a release whose appeal lies in its diversity. Besides his own compositions, which bridge the gap between groovy rock jazz and tight mainstream, it is the two interpretations of Coltrane and Parker numbers that truly stand out. Together with pianist Geoffrey Keezer and drummer Nate Smith, Pope offers technically sophisticated trio music in his own compositions, featuring powerful bass lines, complex drumming, and assertive piano playing. In the more traditional pieces, saxophonist Roxy Cross is particularly impressive. The surprise, however, comes at the end: Pope invites his mother to join him. The 85-year-old concert pianist performs the sparkling runs and dynamic leaps of the "Sphärenmusik" from the "Winterreigen" by Hungarian composer Ernst von Dohnányi with verve, giving her son's work an unexpected yet successful finale from the classical repertoire.

Translated from German