Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Mulo Francel & Chris Gall: Mythos

3

Mulo Francel & Chris Gall: Mythos

By

Sign in to view read count
Mulo Francel & Chris Gall: Mythos
Even though Mythos exhibits little variation of intent or tone, and perhaps leans towards the blurry borders of new age, this saxophone-piano duet by Mulo Francel and Chris Gall, two European players catching a lot of continental attention—Francel with the globe-trotting, multiple award winning world music/jazz/acoustic German ensemble Quadro Nuevo, and Gall, who not only frequently guests with Quadra Nuevo but has played in the spotlight at many of Europe's lauded music festivals, including Montreux, Stuttgart, Jazz Baltica and Vienna—is a trance-inducing listen all the same.

The duo's dialogues—Gall's lengthy passages are at once sinuous and sensuous, crisscrossing pop, jazz, and classical forms with sly ease, while Francel's voice is lucid, eloquent, and emphatic—encompass all the pathos and joy not only of living and creating, but also of creating a life built upon willing and mutual respect, discovery, and expression. Sure highlights are "Yorke's Guitar," the circular meditation that sets Mythos into motion. As a refraction and reflection of Radiohead's creative linchpin Thom Yorke, the tune allows for a Mike Oldfield Tubular Bells-like interpretation of Radiohead's singular command of, as well as a denial of, time. Both "Die 7 Weisen" and "Ikarus' Dream" easily conjure an atmospheric, Keith Jarrett-flavored, mood, composition and performance. On "East of the Sun," Francel's slinky, breathy tone and Gall's bluesy cool transport you to some small, eight-steps-down cafe where the cigarette smoke clouds your vision of the stage and the barmaids readily know your elixir. Most thankfully, the bouncing revery of "Reality Check" serves to offset the all too Kenny G-inspired reading of Bach's "Jesu bleibet meine Freude" and their own "Wave."

Track Listing

Yorke's Guitar; Palinuro; Die 7 Weisen; Reality Check; Jesu bleibet meine Freude; East of the Sun; Ikarus' Dream; Dido's Lament; Wave; Sketches of Styx; Old Folks (live).

Personnel

Mulo Francel
saxophone

Mulo Francel: saxophone; Chris Gall: piano.

Album information

Title: Mythos | Year Released: 2019 | Record Label: GLM Music

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris
Candid
Sunny Five
Inside Colours Live
Julie Sassoon

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.