After Us from Elsa Nilsson and Jon Cowherd

-

.


Album Review:  After Us from Elsa Nilsson and Jon Cowherd
Label:  Bumblebee Collective
Website:  www.elsanilssonmusic.com

Swedish/American flutist and composer Elsa Nilsson plays notes with a freehand style.  Her flute moves in arbitrary circles, unscripted undulations, and random spirals, emoting a freedom that is intellectually stimulating and melodically sounding.  Joining Nilsson on her latest CD After Us is pianist Jon Cowherd who adds another layer, another voice to the compositions.  Guided by their natural reflexes, Nilsson and Cowherd take their music where it wants to go as the pair communicate raw emotions and human thoughts channeled into the dialogue of their instruments.  Their collaborations are deeply personal, expressing their innermost feelings into their music.

The lines that separate classical music from jazz, blues, and sonic pop are blurred on After Us as the duo crisscross genres, injecting elements of each into their compositions.  The bluesy mood of the flute in "How To Keep Moving, How To Stay" is complemented by the rambling musings of the keys, infusing jazz-imbued features into the track.  The heaviness of the notes gives the music a serious tone, emitting a classical music aura.

The cheery disposition of Nilsson's flute roaming casually along "Crimson" flaps and flutters in conjunction with the palpitating keys.  "With a Smile" changes course, focusing on the whining apparitions formed by the flute as the keys draw delicate silhouettes in the air.  Mellow and sparse, "Blessings" is a graceful soliloquy of feathery notes, moving randomly into a delightful banter that is aurally attractive.  The lithesome tone driving "Practice Patience" has a whimsical flicker, which is carried into the title track moving with the ease of the human breath.

Based in New York City, Nilsson and Cowherd create a musical tapestry that permeates sonic beauty and pleasurable jaunts.  The pair produce serene atmospheres that combine several musical elements, fused into sheer refinement.

Elsa Nilsson: flute, alto flute, bass Flute
Jon Cowherd: piano

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Album Review: Becoming Marlene Dietrich from Myriam Phiro

-
Image
Album:  Becoming Marlene Dietrich Artist:  Myriam Phiro Label:  Self-Released Website:  www.myriamphiro.com Smooth jazz vocalist Myriam Phiro introduces a new generation of music listeners to jazz standards that made Marlene Dietrich famous in her time from the 1920's to 1940's with Phiro's new release Becoming Marlene Dietrich .  Although Phiro immerses herself in melodies that had been Dietrich's trademark tunes, Phiro tailors the songs to her likeness.  Her illustrious mezzo-soprano register is higher on the vocal spectrum than Dietrich's contralto pitch, which stamps the tracks with her own unique nuances and inflections.  Her treatment of the verses is finessed with a distinctly soft, feminine touch and a delightfully, hypnotic resonance, setting her style apart from Dietrich's. Her vocals cradle the lyrics of "Quand L’Amour Meurt," written by Georges Crémieux and Octave Millandy, with a warmth that penetrates the listener's soul as Hyuna Park...
Read more

Album Review: Globetrotter from Luca di Luzio

-
Image
Album:  Globetrotter Artist:  Luca di Luzio Label:  Self-Released Website:  www.lucadiluzio.it   Guitarist Luca di Luzio's upcoming CD, Globetrotter  is an assortment of contemporary jazz tunes bridging funk, blues, soul, and Latin music.  Comprised of a few jazz standards and a handful of original works written by Luca di Luzio, a prolific guitar player who studied different styles of music, the recording expresses his personal vision of jazz guitar based on melody and groove.  Joining Di Luzio in his vision are bass guitarist Jimmy Haslip, drummer Dave Wecki, keyboardist George Whitty, and saxophonists Max Ionata and Alessandro Fariselli. From dance-funk numbers like "Jazzlife" and "Elisir" to the soft billows and reflective moods projected in "Smile" and " Buena Suerte," Di Luzio's artistry stems from his vision to make music that is aesthetically pleasing.  "Sunshower," a tune written by Kenny Barron, is a pr...
Read more

Album Review: The Ways In from James Zollar

-
Image
Album:  The Ways In Artist:  James Zollar Label:  Label: JZAZ Records Websites:  https://www.rsberkeley.com/james-zollar https://www.discogs.com/artist/954763-James-Zollar https://wyntonmarsalis.org/personnel/detail/james-zollar A straight-ahead jazz oeuvre, The Ways In from bandleader and trumpet player James Zollar resumes a quest where pioneers of the trumpet's sympathetic vibrations like Clifford Brown and Bill Coleman left off.  Zollar shows audiences the delightful, melodious tone of the trumpet, moving in harmony with an array of brass, woodwinds, and rhythm instruments. The robust wails of Zollar's trumpet strutting languidly along "Do Nothing 'till You Hear From Me" emotes an enduring personable trait, unwavering persistence in the face of being dejected.  The recording switches to a joyful atmosphere in "Swing Spring" with jangly beats from percussionist Chembo Corniel, interfacing with the buoyant ripples generated by Michael Rorby's trom...
Read more