Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Samo Salamon Sextet: The Colours Suite

32

Samo Salamon Sextet: The Colours Suite

By

Sign in to view read count
Samo Salamon Sextet: The Colours Suite
Slovenian guitar ace Samo Salamon fronts a European ensemble akin to one of those legendary all-star jazz summits, but of course these colorific works veer off into an experimental wonderland of improvisation with split-second paradigm shifts amid the ensemble's synergistic discourses. Nonetheless, the respective musicians are at the top of their game here, as Salamon arranged for drummers Roberto Dani and Christian Lillinger to generate the seismic currents by staying in synch but not necessarily executing the same patterns.

It's an ambitious live set culled from the Ljubljana Jazz Festival. Each piece frames or intimates a distinct color and given the diverse instrumentation, the frontline renders a polychromatic outline throughout. Whether its Achille Succi dishing out deep bass clarinet counterpoint and soaring via windblown lines or Salamon's ripping single notes, the band pulls out all the proverbial stops on a recurring basis. They'll temper the proceedings and spark rebirth-like maneuvers into these works with dynamic free-jazz exchanges and off-kilter detours. It's an album that wavers between asymmetrical cadences and Salamon's lyrical unison choruses with saxophonist Julian Arguelles and Succi.

"Green" is based on fervent exchanges and a succinct yet complex odd-metered unison motif, featuring bassist Pascal Niggenkemper's electronics treated arco bass solo in concert with a touch of angst and alternating storylines where the band traverses several disparate paths; although Succi goes on a rampage above a maddening pulse during "Brown." The final track "Grey," is an introspective work, accentuated by the soloists' subdued exchanges, signalling imagery of a calm- before-the-storm type scenario, shaded by Arguelles' peek-a-boo like phrasings. Hence, the album ends on what may appear to be a cool and cloudy day, following the ensemble's radiant efforts and highly energized modus operandi. Indeed, it's one of Salamon's most compelling musical statements to date.

Track Listing

Yellow; Black; Green; Red; White; Brown; Blue; Grey.

Personnel

Samo Salamon
guitar, electric

Achille Succi: bass clarinet; Julian Arguelles: tenor and soprano saxophone; Samo Salamon: guitar, production; Pascal Niggenkemper: bass; Roberto Dani: drums; Christian Lillinger: drums.

Album information

Title: The Colours Suite | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: Clean Feed Records

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.