Label: Edition Records
Trumpeter Gerard Presencer has a way of always giving sophisticated
jazz writing a really hip, rhythmic push. His music always travels and
it always grooves, so the title of this album is spot on.
It’s a pity we don’t get new releases from his pen and his
trumpet/flugelhorn more often – 14 years is a long time between albums
by anyone’s standards – but, hey, let’s not be moaning, let’s just
celebrate this fine new release.
After many years teaching at the Royal Academy in London, Gerard is
now and sharing his skills in Europe and living in Copenhagen where he
is a trumpeter in the Danish Radio Big Band.
Groove Travels gives us five Presencer tunes plus McCartney’s
Eleanor Rigby, Shorter’s
Footprints and
I Can’t Stop Loving You – no, not the Ray Charles song, the Leo Sayer one!
That last named, the album’s closer, gets a terrific arrangement with
the horns playing echoing patterns behind gently cascading saxophones,
Presencer’s trumpet dancing over the whole thing. Ms Rigby becomes more
of an Eleanora with a cruising Cuban rhythm helping the song to bowl
along, while Footprints is given the kind of catchy groove, chord
revoicings and section writing that gives the warhorse a new lease of
life. It trots along shaking its mane with pride. Lovely solos from Hans
Ulrik on tenor and Steen Hansen on trombone. And from Gerard, natch.
But what about the originals?
The opener,
Another Weirdo, lopes along nicely as a fine
introduction to Presencer’s rich, multi-layering of the horns with his
flugelhorn the solo voice.
Blues For Des ups the funkiness and
there are some particularly gleaming trumpet section punches, around a
stylishly powerful tenor solo from Karl-Martin Almqvist and Presencer on
trumpet, with some effective accents from guest Cuban percussionist
Eliel Lazo.
Ballad or Tango For The Misunderstood has a gorgeous, woozy
sway about it, sinuous lines and a seductively stepping rhythm section
sequeing seamlessly between tango and samba-swing. Solos are handed like
a baton from Rhodes-player Henrik Gunde, to Presencer and on to Pelle
Friddell on soprano.
Devil’s Larder is the rock track, with
Gunde on organ, guitarist Per Gade suitably forceful and the bari lines
cutting through at just the right moments; it’s also a prime example of a
big band piece where there is no need for individual solos.
Istanbul Coffee Cup has a touch of the exotic in the form of
a snaking soprano line and a jumpy rhythm, but again the abiding
enjoyment comes from the big, lush, rounded sound that Presencer’s
arrangements give the band.
A lovely album that is both detailed enough to deliver new surprises
over the months and years while also being easy on the ear. Let’s just
hope we don’t have to wait too many years and months for its successor.
1. Another Weirdo 05:40
2. Blues for Des 09:09
3. Ballad or Tango of the Misunderstood 07:10
4. The Devil's Larder 05:13
5. Eleanor Rigby 06:00
6. Istanbul Coffee Cup 05:53
7. Footprints 06:53
8. Can't Stop Loving You 06:41
Gerard Presencer - trumpet
Per Gade- guitar
Kaspar Vadsholt- bass
Søren Frost- drums
Henrik Gunde- synths
SAXOPHONES
Nicolai Schultz
Pelle Fridell
Hans Ulrik Jensen
Karl-Martin Almqvist
Anders Gaardmand
TROMBONE
Vincent Nilsson
Steen Hansen
André Jensen
Anders Larson
Ola Nordquist
TRUMPETS
Adam Rapa
Christer Gustafsson
Thomas Kjærgaard
Jens Chr. Gotholdt
Michael Mølhede
