Recommended: Immigration Booth – “Hinterm Spiegel”

The path taken by the quartet Immigration Booth on their new release Hinterm Spiegel takes the shape of a cross-country road trip.  The swing and bop on tracks like “Anthem” and “Reset” are like well-traveled routes of straight-ahead jazz down interstates and highways.  But then there are tracks in between, like “Nog Turn” and “The Old Forest Lands,” that behave as country roads to off-the-beaten-path locales of modern jazz territory, where curious tempos and odd melodic forms lure with their sense of intrigue.  But no matter where the quartet is headed on their album’s map, there’s a clean impression of forward momentum, and of a specific final destination in mind.

It’s always a treat when Joris Roelofs brings his bass clarinet to a session, and the way he and alto saxophonist Johannes Ludwig dance around the melody is yet more proof of why.  It’s especially effective on this particular session, since both bassist Johannes Felscher and drummer Peter Kronreif keep the rhythm light on its feet, and so even when the music gets a little moody or edgy, the overall flow is something that glides through the air rather than slog across the landscape.

The quartet resides in Cologne, Germany, but three of the members have roots in NYC and Amersterdam.  The result is music from several influences, so even though the quartet’s vision is focused, there’s a subtle textural interplay of influences.

Plenty here to enjoy.

Your album personnel:  Johannes Ludwig (alto sax), Joris Roelofs (bass clarinet), Johannes Felscher (double bass) and Peter Kronreif (drums).

Released on Float Music.

Listen to more of the album at the artist’s Bandcamp page.

Music from Cologne, Germany.

Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon