Tiny Reviews: Pandelis Karayorgis Quintet, EYOT & Gnigler

Tiny Reviews edition!

Featuring:  Pandelis Karayorgis Quintet Afterimage, EYOT Similarity, and Gnigler Gnigler.

*****

Pandelis Karayorgis Quintet – Afterimage

Recorded live at Constellation (in Chicago), pianist Pandelis Karayorgis leads a strong quintet from the Windy City scene through a series of tracks that shift between post-bop and free jazz expressionism, giving the sense that they view those two schools of jazz as merely different seats in the same classroom.  Avant-garde ferocity will suddenly reveal a bloom of vintage blues, and the quintet makes sure that each inform the other simultaneously.  The songs of Afterimage subscribe wholly to either form or function, using both to their advantage at the turn of a dime.  That quintet, by the way, is comprised of some strong names:  Dave Rempis (tenor, alto & baritone saxes), Keefe Jackson (tenor sax, bass clarinet), Nate McBride (bass), and Frank Rosaly doing his typical bang-up job on drums.

Released on Driff Records.

Available at:  eMusic | Bandcamp | CDBaby | Amazon: CD – MP3

*****

EYOT – Similarity

Over the course of three albums, the sound of EYOT has been evolving.  Their first. Horizon, was on the new age-y side of Jazz, with lovely atmospherics and an embraceable serenity that would certainly appeal to certain fans of ECM Records.  Their second album, Drifters, came out with wavering melodies similar to their debut, but framed them in a more definitive pop music structure… no less enjoyable, but different.  Their newest, Similarity, has them coming on even stronger.  The influence of Get the Blessing’s Jim Barr as a producer is evident, as EYOT offers up those melodies on the back of thick grooves and armed with an edgier sound.  The guest spot by Get the Blessing’s Jake McMurchie & Pete Judge on the album’s final track, “Blessing,” only further shapes EYOT’s new direction.

Serenity is discarded for dramatic builds of intensity and rhythms that remain in tight formation… an interesting development in their creative arc, and an enjoyable album, to boot.

Your album personnel:  Dejan Ilijic (piano), Sladjan Milenovic (guitar), Marko Stojiljkovic (bass), Milos Vojvodic (drums), and guests: Dejana Sekulic (viola), Pete Judge (trumpet), Jake McMurchie (tenor sax).

Released on Ninety & Nine Records.

Available at:  eMusic | CDBaby | Amazon MP3

*****

Gnigler – Gnigler

Some compelling moments on the new one from saxophonist Jakob Gnigler.  Some album tracks start to adopt a post-bop attitude, but then the septet heads out and leaves it all behind.  And it seems the further out they go, the freer their music becomes.  Saxophone-driven jazz suddenly takes off into a new direction with bursts of effects and solos on electric violin.  Typically, the music becomes increasingly frenetic, but then there’s a track like album closer “Pendereckis Ende,” in which they reach for serenity and create something no less compelling than their more combustible moments.  Not a perfect album by any means, but one where there’s some very cool stuff going on, and it’ll be intriguing to hear a follow-up and see how they develop.

Your album personnel:  Jakob Gnigler (tenor sax), Philipp Harnisch (alto sax), Alexander Kranabetter (trumpet), Jakob Rieder (tuba), Judith Ferstl (bass), Niki Dolp (drums), and Simon Frick (electric violin, effects).

Released on Listen Closely.

Available at:  eMusic | Amazon MP3

*****

Some of this material was used originally in the weekly new jazz releases column I write for eMusic, so here’s some language protecting their rights to the reprinted material as the one to hire me to write about new jazz arrivals to their site…

“New Arrivals Jazz Picks” & “New Arrivals Jazz Picks,“ reprints courtesy of eMusic.com, Inc.
© 2014  eMusic.com, Inc.

As always, my sincere thanks to eMusic for the gig.