Bauser, Maikranz, and Binder aren’t just good players—they’re skilled enough that Bodenseh’s ideas land fully, without compromise.
GLM Music
Isabelle Bodenseh – Flutes; Thomas Bauser – Hammond Organ; Johannes Maikranz – Guitar; Lars Binder – Drums
Ten years into leading her quartet, Isabelle Bodenseh celebrates with Dignity, a record shaped by her life with her severely disabled daughter, Juliette. The music is personal, without feeling heavy. Bodenseh presents Dignity as something spirited, tender, and full of life.
The five-part Suite for Dignity forms the emotional core of the album, shifting from quiet to forceful, tentative to assured. “Prolog” opens with soft Hammond organ and light cymbal washes under dark, rounded tones from Bodenseh’s bass flute. Sharp upward jabs break the calm, like a cry caught in the throat, while the percussion stays barely audible, a faint shimmer rather than a defined pulse.
If “Prolog” holds back, “Tempesta” pushes forward. A shuffling beat sets up the flute’s bright, insistent climb into the upper register. Bauser leans into a driving Hammond solo with guitar comping underneath. When Bodenseh returns, she swings hard, smearing notes and pushing into the groove, while the organ pulls back to support the rhythm section through the close.
Outside the suite, Lars Binder’s “Masha” opens with an organ figure that suggests prog rock before settling into a relaxed groove. Flute and guitar trace hushed, searching lines over the steady backdrop. Binder’s playing is the quiet engine—light stick work, measured and unhurried, shaping the piece. The mood stays reflective, over before you know it.
Repeating single-note figures traded between guitar and flute introduce “Fly High.” The guitar stretches into longer sustains as the organ comps underneath. The organ grows louder, the guitar loosens, and Bodenseh climbs into the upper register, giving the music a rock edge. When the groove settles, the organ locks into a bass-like line while the guitar darts in with skittering lines before the flute lifts off again.
The emotional center arrives with “Juliette.” Snippets of Bodenseh’s voice—some clear, some in German, some harder to make out—speak about living with a disabled child, weaving in and out over brief, occasionally dissonant flute lines. Guitar chords ring out, then thin to single notes, trading phrases with the flute as the voices ebb, occasionally mentioning dignity. Ringing organ tones add resonance, and by the end a few clear flute notes close the piece gently.
Bauser, Maikranz, and Binder aren’t just good players—they’re skilled enough that Bodenseh’s ideas land fully, without compromise. Those ideas come from living with her daughter, someone whose life deserves to be honored with dignity, and the music carries that feeling.
