Sometimes the best music is beyond simple classification, as the original playing and compositions of the Amsterdam Jazz Sextet demonstrate quite well. Their music represents more than just one particular jazz category and is performed by musicians very familiar with the tradition while not being tied to it. The group's format is a classic three-horn three-rhythm sextet that can sound like a combo or a big band, yet their improvisations are post bop in nature.
Each of the Dutch musicians is well trained but there is nothing academic or dry about their music which, even when utilizing tricky rhythms and advanced harmonies, always sounds accessible and swinging in its own way. The individual players, trumpeter Jasper Gloerich, Kees van Lier on saxes, trombonist Bart Lust, pianist Floris Schoute, bassist Ronald de Vries and drummer Joost Kesselaar, all have their chances to shine during El Sendero, the groups debut recording, while also contributing to the band's appealing ensemble sound. The notable singer Denise Jannah joins the sextet on three songs, giving this recording an additional lively flavor.
Most of the music on this set was written by the members of the band. Bart Lust says of the opening piece "El Sendero Macuco", "It was inspired by a journey in the northeast of Argentina. El Sendero Macuco is a path in the jungle near the falls of Cataratas de Iguazu. Each of the soloists show their vision on how to find their path in the jungle of modal shifts, modulations, and chord changes." The piece serves as a perfect introduction to the colorful and distinctive soloists in the band.
Floris Schoute says of "Valse d'Anvers", "its structure gives the waltz the specific flavor of the Belgian harbor city." Fortunately this complex yet catchy song is much easier to enjoy than it must have been to play. It has some particularly fine soloing from Kees van Lier on soprano along with a charming theme.
Schoute's "The Chain" got its name from the march-like rhythm that accompanies the modal melody and brings to mind a chain gang.
"When I Fall In Love" introduces the Amsterdam Jazz Sextet's guest singer Denise Jannah. The Victor Young standard, arranged by Schoute, matches Jannah's voice quite effectively with the warm trumpet of Jasper Gloerich .
Lust's "Tunnel Vision" is described by the composer accurately as "an attempt to escape from tunnel vision by exposing various styles in one composition. The theme flip-flops between melodious fragments and bebop lines, while the rhythm section moves back and forth between jazz grooves and Latin rhythms."
That stimulating piece is followed by "My Star." Denise Jannah's lyrics reinforce the atmospheric element of the complex composition of Kees van Lier, which puts the spotlight on the vocalist, the bass and the trumpet. Denise remembers, "On 'My Star,' I was immediately captured by the haunting and beautiful melody, and its atmosphere of being in a dreamlike state. It inspired me to write about this someone who, to me, can be considered as either being in the flesh, or in the Spirit."
Andy Laverne's "In Love With Night", an intriguing jazz waltz, was arranged by Floris Schoute and has excellent spots for the van Lier's tenor-sax and Schoute's keyboard.
Schoute's "Fire" features Denise Jannah's final appearance of the project. Her beautiful voice and the swinging trumpet of Gloerich make this piece particularly memorable. Although Schoute says that his composition was originally inspired by the heat of the stove in his barge "Utopia," Denise Jannah's lyrics to the song are about a different sort of warmth, "the inspiring heat of life."
Bart Lust's "Magnitogorsk" is named after a small town in Siberia that has a huge electromagnet. "This contrast is felt not only in the theme," says Lust, "but also in the blowing sections which contain big differences in the beginning and the end of each solo."
The enjoyable set concludes with the brief "Ciao" which consists of an excerpt from the title song and an introduction of the band.
El Sendero is a very impressive debut recording by the Amsterdam Jazz Sextet, a band that deserves to become a regular at jazz festivals and clubs.
Scott Yanow – jazz author
Burbank , California USA
September 2005