Zeitkratzer & Mariam Wallentin - The Shape Of Jazz To Come [Zeitkratzer Productions 025]

Put on the circuit via their very own imprint Zeitkratzer Productions on June 19th, 2k20 is "The Shape Of  Jazz To Come" - an album which sees the legendary, long standing ensemble that is known as Zeitkratzer team up with vocalist Mariam Wallentin to tackle Jazz in its own specific way and with seven live recorded cuts originally written by the likes of Geri Allen, Richard Muhal Abrams, Lil Hardin Armstrong and others including Arthur Hamilton's "Cry Me A River" which, in its original version, has become a staple not only in Jazz but in Pop culture in general. The result of this approach to the subject is mainly molded by and built around the im- and expressive vocal performance and expansive range of the Swedish singer, giving her enough room shine with quasi-solos whilst the ensemble does what Zeitkratzer always does and does best - bending, warping and re-shaping the borders of the genre with an expertly sculpted display of multi-layered dissonance, complex ghostly structures oftentimes only fully accessible by those schooled by and experienced in Contemporay Avantgarde Music, bringing forth dynamic leaps from calm and quiet to mad, improvised crescendoes and sudden, brutal, multi-layered eruptions of chaos at times, staying surprisingly close to classic Dixieland structures in other cuts whilst going classy deep and smoke-infused with our instant favorite that is the dramatic, piano-led late night ballad "Strange Fruit" which is one tune that makes the purchase of this entire longplayer worthwhile in itself. If you like your Jazz on the edge or even pushed over, this one is for you.

Album artwork on Instagram!