Stefan Bauer
Voyage
(JazzHausMusik)
www.jazzhausmusik.de
Bright moments abound in the latest from vibraphone and marimba player Stefan Bauer, but a track called "Beyond the wall . . . " sets the tone of deep intelligence and excitement. What begins as a virtuoso performance at the marimba transforms presently into a deep, patterned music that is countered against singer Michal Cohen's staccato, horn-like commentary for a combination that suggests Thelonius Monk's ungainly swing transplanted to a village in Mali. Like the late Don Cherry, Bauer has long enjoyed a rare ability to draw other music (from folk fundamentals to digital programming) into jazz without forcing the fit. On Voyage, Bauer's new band of the same name finds much more sustenance in textures and snaking melodies than it does in traditional jazz theme-solo structure. Bassist Ugonna Okegwo, drummer Ted Poor and saxophonist Chris Bacas are up for it, and Cohen is a revelation -- trumpet, flute and soul without words.
Randal McIlroy