Invisible sounds - for Kenny Wheeler

"The trumpeter Kenny Wheeler who died on 18 September 2014, aged 84, was one of the true greats of jazz but one who never quite attained the popular recognition that some of his contemporaries achieved. Nevertheless, to his peers and audiences around the world he was an international treasure ... Trumpeter Ingrid Jensen (...) studied with Wheeler and is a devotee of his music and playing, as is her co-leader in this tribute, saxophonist Steve Treseler. "Foxy Trot," first heard on Wheeler's album Double, Double You (ECM, 1984), opens the set with its memorable descending/ascending melody consolidated by robust ensemble sections ... In her trumpet solo on "Gentle Piece - Old Ballad," Jensen invokes the spirit of Wheeler whose playing was simultaneously complex and mellifluous. By sharp contrast, the atypically funky "Old Time" (...) is an unashamed foot-tapper. Steve Treseler is heard to good effect here, carving out a sinewy tenor solo ... Jensen and Treseler's album is a beautiful testament to this self-effacing maestro".

Læs anmeldelse

"[A] heart-felt tribute to the great Canadian-born, but British-based trumpet and flugelhorn maestro ... The famous melancholy nature of many of Wheeler's compositions often encourages a more reserved and delicate approach when re-interpreting it. That's not the case here. The set opens with the first of two versions of "Foxy Trot" and it's almost as if you are hearing Kenny Wheeler himself with Treseler taking the part of Stan Sulzmann. However, with the high-octane rhythm section things soon get hot ... "546" [comes] with [Katie] Jacobson providing the wordless vocals, so much a trademark of Wheeler's. After the introduction making effective use of bass clarinet, arco bass and vocals, the pace changes dramatically with Kezzer's stabbing chordal interjections and powerful solo, before the ensemble re-enter. This is great fun ... It seems to me that this release could well be a strong candidate for "Album of the Year"".

Læs anmeldelse

"There's not yet a consensus around how to situate Kenny Wheeler - the Canadian-British trumpeter and prolific composer, who died in 2014 - in music history. There's decent agreement that his ECM debut, Gnu High, is an essential contribution to the story of 1970s jazz. We know that he wrote rapturously for groups small and large, with melodies as comforting as a folk song and as dreamy as a fantasy tale. Beyond that, the standard line is waiting to be written ... There are unending ways to build upon his songbook; Invisible Sounds is just one, and a fine way to begin".