Thursday, November 3, 2016

The Eric Ineke Jazz Xpress - Dexternity (The Music of Dexter Gordon) CHALLENGE RECORDS 2016



Jazz Xpress takes us right back to the sparkling sound of Long Tall Dexter

By Robin Arends / JazzTimes

When Dutch drummer Eric Ineke started to play under his own name in 2006 he decided to call his quintet the Eric Ineke JazzXPress. The ultimate sideman (the label his long time companion Dave Liebman gave him) who accompanied legendary soloists like Jimmy Griffin, Dizzy Gillespie, George Coleman and Hank Mobley linked his name to a dreamteam. The quintet recorded five wellreceived albums and last month they released another album.

This album, called Dexternity, is dedicated to legendary tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon. Ineke regularly played with Long Tall Dexter between 1972 and 1977. One of these concerts was recorded on a double album, called All Souls' (recording: The Rob Agerbeek Trio, featuring Dexter Gordon, The Hague, november 2, 1972). None of the songs on this album appears on this Gordon- homage. However, this disc contains a collection of Dexter's finest compositions. Eight of them are respectful edited by Marius Beets, Rob van Bavel and Sjoerd Dijkhuizen. The album features songs like "Fried Bananas," "Mrs. Minniver" "Cheesecake" and Johnny Green composition "Body and Soul."

The CD kicks of with Fried Bananas, wich introduces the sound of the master, packed in a beautiful interplay between Rik Mol and Sjoerd Dijkhuizen. Ineke and Beets play their steady parts, each in their supporting role. This pattern is continued in Dexters swinging ode to the Black Panthers, called The Panther. Van Bavel makes his point and proofs he is one of Europe's best jazzpianists. The quintet continues with the rarely performed Tivoli, the title track of a pornographic film. A silent tribute to a forgotten era.

Besides the dominant brassparts we can enjoy Rob van Bavels distinguished piano. The arrangements of Fried Bananas, Boston Bernie and Mrs. Minniver are his. A true craftsman who moves effortlessly between the roles of accompanist to soloist and back again. Van Bavel was ten years old when Gordon toured the Netherlands, but Dexter Gordon would have been really happy with a sideman of this level.

Dexter Gordon. Eric Ineke played many times with him in the seventies. And he has been through a lot with this legend. Ineke talked about it with Dave Liebman. The interviews are included in "The Ultimate Sideman" (2012, Pincio Uitgeverij, Zoetermeer): 'He was slow. If we said: "Dexter we have to go..." he said: "Oh, relax, relax...just take it easy." Frequently he arrived one and a half hour later. Just to get him into the car and say: "Come on Dex, let's go", it costs a lot of energy. But he always got away with it... Dexter just played one and a half hour longer. I always came home late in the morning. He really played what people wanted him to play. They paid their money for it and they got what they wanted.'

Bernie Boston, Sony Califa and Cheese Cake obviously bring us the sound of the JazzXpress: timeless bop in a contemporary sauce. Gordon performed the songs represented on this album without trumpeter. The Jazz Xpress arrangers had to adapt the compositions for quintet with a trumpet. They have been tremendously successful. Ineke still is the ultimate sideman in his own band. Both on CD and hopefully also in concert halls!


Eric Ineke Jazz Xpress takes us right back to the sparkling sound of Dexter in the idiom of contemporary jazz. Dexternity proofs to be an inimitable tribute to this tenor giant by one of his finest companions.

01. Dexter Gordon - Announcement  00:16
02. Fried Bananas  05:27
03. The Panther  05:04
04. Tivoli  05:36
05. Boston Bernie  06:12
06. Sticky Wicket  05:16
07. Body And Soul  05:31
08. Soy Califa  03:09
09. Mrs. Minniver  05:54
10. Cheese Cake  05:22

Eric Ineke - drums 
Rik Mol - trumpet 
Sjoerd Dijkhuizen - tenor and soprano saxophone 
Rob van Bavel - piano 
Marius Beets - double bass


Enrico Pieranunzi / André Ceccarelli / Diego Imbert - Ménage à Trois (BONSAÏ MUSIC/SONY 2016)



Enrico, André et Diego en Ménage à Trois le temps d’un album, voici ce que le petit label qui monte, Bonsaï Music, nous propose en ce mois d’octobre 2016.

La terminologie de ce début de millénaire propose comme synonyme de ménage à trois : « trouple » ou « triade ». Oui, le ternaire est bien la base du langage jazz, par qui les trois musiciens de cet album se sont rencontrés : nul besoin de Meetic! D'ailleurs, les trois protagonistes de cet album sont déjà presque mythiques sur la scène jazz hexagonale ; inutile de les présenter ! Il serait sans doute plus facile de trouver les musiciens avec lesquels ils n’ont pas joués...

La seule question qui vient est, pourquoi s’unir à trois le temps d’une chanson, comme Serge Gainsbourg dans « La Javanaise »? Pour le goût et le plaisir des mélodies, en reprenant la « 1ère gymnopédie » d’Erik Satie, mais aussi la plupart des succès romantiques de Maurice Schumann, à  Franz Liszt en passant par Edith Piaf sans oublier Darius Milhaud. Vous comprenez qu’il fallait bien partager le même logement pour réussir ce tour de force, et nous ne sommes pas au Brésil qui depuis 2012 reconnait le ménage à trois officiellement.


Comment font-ils ? Les trois compères se suivent se répondent et confirment leurs dévouements aux mélodies, définies par Enrico Pieranunzi « …les mélodies qui t’emportent sont faites de peu de choses. C’est comme si tu rencontres une belle femme et que tu la regardes, il se passe quelque chose, mais personne ne parle. Cela est beaucoup plus fort que les mots à mon avis... »

Le résultat est rare, car respectueux des pièces originales. L’équipe contrebasse/batterie est implacable et offre un travail subtil. Mais la pierre philosophale de cet album est l’œuvre de l’alchimiste Enrico, qui ne transforme pas le plomb en or comme le veut la tradition, mais nous dévoile sa double vie classique­/jazz. Qui est l’officielle et la maîtresse ? Chacun, à l’écoute de Ménage à Trois, y trouvera sa réponse.




01. Mr. Gollywogg (D'après Gollywogg's Cake-Walk de Claude Debussy)
02. 1ère gymnopédie
03. Sicilyan Dream (D'après Siciliano, BWV. 1031 de Johann Sebastian Bach)
04. La plus lente que lente / La moins que lente
05. Improvisation No. 15 in C minor, FP 176 "Hommage à Edith Piaf"
06. Le crépuscule
07. Mein Lieber Schumann I (D'après Davidsbündlertänze No. 2, Op. 6 de Robert Schumann)
08. Romance / Hommage à Milhaud
09. Mein Lieber Schumann II (D'après Carnaval de Vienne, Op. 26: I. Allegro de Robert Schumann)
10. Hommage à Fauré (D'après Improvisation, Huit pièces brèves, Op. 84: V. Improvisation de Gabriel Fauré)
11. Liebestraum pour tous (D'après Liebestraum, S. 541: II. Seliger Tod in E-Flat Major de Franz Liszt)

Enrico Pieranunzi : piano
André Ceccarelli : batterie
Diego Imbert contrebasse